There are a lot of people who dream about living in a beautiful period property with their high ceilings, large rooms, and plenty of character. Newly built houses can be hard to personalise and will lack the foundations that you get with a period property. Of course, they do come with a lack of problems that are generally associated with older properties. Period properties will have a history that you cannot get with any other type of property. While you may want to know more about the people who walked the halls before you, there is something else you should consider. This is how you go about styling and decorating a period property.
Be Sympathetic
One of the most important tips for decorating a period property is to be sympathetic to the age of the house and decorating to suit this. There are a lot of people who have period properties with ultra-modern interiors that better suit the penthouse of an inner-city apartment complex. While you do not have to decorate in the fashion of when the house was built, a simple nod to its origins is best. This could be something as simple as using the original floorboards or making use of the more traditional tones of the time. Electric Heating Expert and other companies can let you use modern technology whilst retaining the old style of the building.
Hide the Imperfections
When your home is over 100 years old, you cannot expect it to be perfect. There are going to be imperfections left by the generations of people living there before you. What you need to do is hide them as much as you can. There are often features that you fall in love with when you look at these homes such as the door details, trim or moulding. These features might have imperfections, but they can be rectified and hidden through some finishing touches. You need to take the time to fill and paint to restore them.
Preserve
In the past, it was common for people to take out the original fireplace in a period property or the old doors and windows. They would be replaced to make the house more modern. This is no longer the case and you can have an interior that is more sympathetic to the age of the property and the original features. Those cast iron fireplaces that were taken out in the past are being put back in by many homeowners. The reason why you buy a period property is to get the feeling of that period. You need to ensure that you keep these beautiful touches and details. If the property you buy has had these items ripped out in the past, you can visit a reclamation yard to find them again.
Use the Character as a Statement Piece
If your property has any of the original features such as windows, particularly those with stained glass, you need to let them sign and be the focus of the room. This is something you should also do with the old fireplace. This will often be the focal point of the room and you need to draw the eye to it through the use of furniture and furnishings.
The Lighting
The best way to light any room is through the use of natural daylight, but you also need to have some electric lighting. There are 3 levels of lighting that you need to consider in the rooms: low, middle and high level. The lighting should be softer in the rooms that you live and relax in while brighter in functional rooms like the kitchen and bathroom. Adding dimmers is a good idea. If you have an old-fashioned chandelier, it can look flat when it is lit too brightly. This central lighting source should be linked to a dimmer and have low-level as well as mid-level lighting to provide the right mood. You should not shy away from any modern lighting in these homes because the contrast with the older features can be striking. You should also use some concealed lighting to better highlight the features in your home.
Leave a Reply