Oh boy. Huge undertaking. Rip off the paper and the rugs and start from scratch, then the world is your oyster.

Right? I'm insane for taking this on, but the end result will be worth it. Thank you!

Congrats. It is going to be beautiful when you are done. Start an ideabook. Find images that have an overall look, colors, and furnishings. Pay attention to what will work for your house. Start with a search on Victorian http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/query/victorian

Hi Amanda, huge project! Congrats! Please keep us up-to-date with your progress! :)

I absolutely agree, it wil look so different once the wallpaper and the carpets are removed!
We had a very similar situation when we bout our house, every room had a different flowery pink wallpaper and a different color shaggy rug (red, pink, purple, blue with flowers...). But after a couple of weeks, it looked totally transformed

As you have just moved in, I'll suggest starting small, if you can, to give yourself time to plan. By working on your bedroom first, you'll create your respite from DIY and diminish the learning curve on a smaller space, rather than the entire downstairs. On coffee breaks, you can outline your plan of attack for the open areas downstairs.( like a Mark Twain-style wallpaper removal party!). Keep a tape measure on your person at all times, and keep an eye out for things like casement goods that can be transformed into radiator covers, or painted to fit your shabby chic theme. Your living room(?) chandy would fit that style now with a new spray coat and shades. Your woodwork looks to be in great shape - you may find some nice floors,too! Congrats on your new home; take lots of pictures!!!

I see the purchase of a wallpaper steamer in your future! (Get one with a couple different sized heads. Should be under $75.) You can use this to not only take off the paper, but any sizing that may be left on the wall (steam, wipe off, rinse rags numerous times in large bucket). With this much paper you don't want to just score, spray and try to pick it off the wall. Looks like a great house for your style!

Make sure you take before and after pictures. Strip down the rooms then take your time making your selections. Keep it fun and not a chore. It doesn't need to be completed quickly.

Wow, this will be a fabulous house. Keep taking photos of progress.

I agree with studio10001. Do one room at a time. It is so much more rewarding to have completed one room than to have half-done five rooms. Get friends, buy them pizza.

nwduck: I agree, a wallpaper steamer is the way to go here.

I never thought I'd see another light fixture like the one in the kitchen. Wash up the glass shades, put in bulbs of matching brightness with as high wattage as the fixture indicates on those helpful stickers, and use it as long as you like. Someone will buy it for the glass shades alone, if not the authentic 1960's Colonial style.

My two cents on the curtains: if you have the money to replace them, fine. If not, throw them in the wash on the delicate cycle, dry on low setting or hang to dry, press thoroughly and hang them back up. They'll be good for privacy. Inexpensive panel curtains will run you $20-$40 per window.

It will be beautiful. Congratulations. Please post photos as you go along.

apple-pie-order is right about those shades,too! I donated a set last year and saw them show up at an 'antique emporium' the following week!

Keep that beautiful window!

We just ripped out room after room of nasty 70s carpet-- my advice, if you are doing the work yourself, be sure to wear a mask.

Been here, done this! Start by making a list for each room. There are some things that are must do now, some that can wait and some DIY and others that are strictly professionals doing them. By prioritizing and having things written down you can make it less overwhelming. There is also an order to doing things. Carpet absolutely first....gross. lol I agree with above that starting with a bedroom, so you have sanctuary, is key. But if you have kids, do theirs first. That way you have a place to send them so they are not in the DIY way. If you do not have a place to do clean up or get water easily- do the bath last. This room can take a lot of abuse during a reno. If you do have a utility area then do the bath as a priority so again you have a clean place to go after a hard day's work. And again, with kids a nice bath is key to keeping your sanity. If you feel the remodel could take a long period of time- then do some quick things to make the space livable- you can paint wallpaper if it is not cracking or peeling. This will make the space feel better until you can get to the wallpaper removal. I am super jealous that you will be doing this....this is a great project. Post pics as you go so we can watch your progress!

If you can't do a kitchen "gut", start by removing paneling and wallpaper. Paint cabinets all one color and add new hardware. Get rid of chandelier and add overhead lighting that is sufficient for the space. If you are on a tight budget, flooring can be either wood laminate or linoleum tiles.

How old is the house?
I would do the carpets first and have the floors refinished before you even move in (I am assuming hardwood is under) so you don't have to live with the dust.
If this is a house old enough to have plaster walls that is where the wallpaper removal can be dicey. You may find that it's holding up crumbling plaster.
Beware of lead paint if you have small kids - it's the dust that can be a problem not just paint chips.
Btw not trying to be discouraging - we've owned 3 houses all built before 1900 so I've been there! The house will be great when you're done - love the moldings and staircase.

For inspiration try searching the idea books for Victorian lots of remodels in all sorts of styles

I agree with Kelly that the carpet should go soon. But another consideration is that it may be protecting some nice hardwood floors while you do the renovation. Will you be living in the home during the renovation? If so, you may want to rent a carpet cleaner or have that done first. I'm glad to see you are young. This project is definitely one that a young person can take on versus someone our age. LOL!

I agree with sam0705 about refinishing the floors FIRST before you move in. We renovated a 1928 home and refinishing the floors before move-in was the best decision we ever made! From there you can tackle the walls and trim one room at a time without losing your sanity and still be able to live in your home during renovations. Your home has "great bones" and will look fabulous when it's done! Be sure to keep a photo journal so you (and others) can look back and appreciate the transformation. It will be well worth it in the end!

Huge project and I see you have posted several rooms, but not your bedroom. The best advice I was ever given was do the bedroom first when you have such a mammoth project. It is where you go to bed at night and wake up in the morning. You close the door, rest and recover from the mess, wake in a beautiful space and are ready to tackle the project another day. Keeps you from being overwhelmed unless you are not living in it as you go. Second, I know it is tough but do live in it if possible as you go. You will find what you love about it and what you absolutely hate. You can pull out the carpet, remove all wallpaper from all the rooms (get old sheets etc to cover furniture as you go) and scape paint from woodwork and the bare space will have a whole new feeling and you will see how the house was intended to feel as a a Victorian and then lay out your plans for the rooms so that they feed off one another. Make a design board for each room so that you can play with sample wallpapers and fabrics in the light of each room. East take well to warm colors and west to cool colors. As you change one room, you may not be as happy with what you chose for the adjoining rooms. Victorians were very ornate, do not forget the beautiful painted ceilings.

If you have a group of trustworthy energetic friends, how about having a pull-my-house-apart party? You provide the food and drinks, and rent a dumpster and whatever cleaning/stripping equipment is required, and work out a plan, set up teams, and let them have at it! Don't forget to provide energizing music, rubber gloves, garbage bags, buckets, and anything else you can think might be needed.

If you can do this before you move in, so much the better. You can get the wallpaper off, and the walls patched ready for painting, and have the carpets pulled, and the floors cleaned, so your next step is with a clean slate.

If that works, then have a second, painting, party, and have all the walls painted white. It might not be the colour you'll end up with, but it'll give you an even cleaner slate from which to start thinking about decorating, etc, and you won't wake up to nightmare-ish wallpaper while you come to your decisions.

These sorts of chores are mind-numbingly ghastly on your own, but can be memorably fun with friends.

Thanks everyone! You all are beyond amazing.
The house was built in 1910 so I have no doubt that there are plaster walls, lead paint, and hardwood under that awful carpet.
All and all I'm excited to dig in. It's just a huge project. We don't have to move right away so that helps.

I love the house it has great bones! I would remove paper and carpet- or remove carpet and pick new paper that might be easier in the long run if you don't mind paper. The kitchen I would paint the cabinets one color and also paint the paneling white- I like the light it has a vintage feel- good luck it is awesome!

The two things I'd do before moving in: deal with any lead paint and refinish the floors. It's possible to do the latter yourselves if you are handy. Sometimes an oak floor looks fine when carpet is removed, but a fifty year old varnish is going to be quite brittle and have many tiny cracks already. As time goes on, it will flake off and then you get dark water spots. I don't know if a single overcoat of floor polyurethane can stave up brittle flaking for more than a few months (that's the maximum I've been able to achieve).

The house looks like it has been well kept. No one has painted over the door hinges. The odd water stain in the ceiling tile can be investigated (I saw it in your ideabook).

You might get an estimate for professional painting of the whole house in a single color, after the wallpaper is removed. Professionals use sprayers which give a nice smooth finish. A plain white gives you a good start for adding color later.

There are many alternative roads to success in fixing up an old house.

Great project and it will make a nice home. We had our wooden floors redone last week. The contractor had a "no dust" machine. So if you find this in your area, you could do the floors before or after everything is done. We like "after" cause we didn't have to cover the floors when painting. Don't forget to check the roof, electrical, heat, and such. Love older homes, good luck.