Your Complete Guide To A Victorian Style House

Table Of Content

• Beautiful Victorian buildings from L.A.'s forgotten architectural past.
• Maximalism in Minimalism: Designers Share 26 Tips for Infusing Maximalist Vibes into Minimalist Spaces
• Victorian Architecture: Characteristics, Influences, Ambassadors and Sights
• Folk Victorian house (1870-
• Timeless Fusion: How to Blend Vintage and Modern Design According to Experts
• Queen Anne Style

In the US, Victorian houses didn’t take root until the 19th century, but are still highly popular to this day. When you think of a Victorian house, you probably imagine an elaborate home with high ceilings, grand architecture, and contrasting colors. It has its own distinct and timeless characteristics that are meant to impress the occupants…and the neighbors. Beyond the advances that lead to few paned windows, the improvements in glass and iron production meant even middling homes could now afford small glasshouses or conservatories, typically accessed off a principal living space.

Beautiful Victorian buildings from L.A.'s forgotten architectural past.

If you spot horns on a Georgian-style sash it’s an unfortunate later replacement where the joiner probably didn’t understand the reason for the protrusion on later sashes. Some Georgian windows were adapted to meet the 19th-century trends of few panes by removing the glazing bars – evidence can still remain where they merely cut out the glazing bars. Improvements in production and manufacturing brought otherwise previously expensive details and finishes to the masses.

Maximalism in Minimalism: Designers Share 26 Tips for Infusing Maximalist Vibes into Minimalist Spaces

The basic decoration of the Queen Anne house was art—as in paintings and prints, pottery, embroidery, hand-made tiles, and art furniture—on top of the free use of art wallpapers and painted decoration. If a Victorian house is the right style of home that you’re looking for, Redfin can help you find one in your city. The Victorian Society is a membership charity which campaigns for Victorian architecture.

Victorian Architecture: Characteristics, Influences, Ambassadors and Sights

Neighborhoods like Lafayette Square in St. Louis, Missouri, Angelino Heights in Los Angeles and the Garden District in New Orleans also boast an abundance of Victorian homes. All the developments of the Victorian era resulted in greater housing for the majority, and by the end of the period the lower classes expect to be in homes of several rooms, instead of the singular rooms endured by their ancestors. Dspite the eclecticism of Victorian architecture it is very easy to spot and read the details with a little guidance. A collection of Victorian-era buildings saved from demolition, located on acres of beautifully landscaped grounds just north of Los Angeles, California. Rachel Silva, the Assistant Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, covers design, architecture, trends, and anything to do with haute couture. Wandering around this cluster of Victorian buildings, visitors are able to glimpse a forgotten chapter in the history of Los Angeles, back before it became the bustling city it is today.

Simply put, the elimination of a type of property tax in which the tax cost was determined by the number of windows found on a structure meant that it was possible to incorporate more windows without having to worry about a costly tax bill. The style was also slightly different on the inside, with more flexible floor plans that allowed the space to be used to suit the homeowner's needs. Impressively high ceilings can serve as a distinctive feature in Victorian houses, serving as aesthetic and practical design choices. One of the main reasons for the tall ceilings is to serve the grand effect these homes are made to project. In this period, taller ceilings conveyed a sense of prestige and grandeur, showcasing the wealth and social status of the homeowner.

The upper story or the attic is usually a light and airy room with a high ceiling. But perhaps the most striking feature of a Second Empire house is its mansard roof, which is named after the 17th century French architect, Francois Mansart. This type of roof is a 4-sided gambrel roof with two slopes on either sides, and further accentuated by dormer-style windows on a steep angle. The Folk Victorian style house is the most common type of home found in the US. This style gained popularity in the 19th century and was considered as a more affordable alternative to Queen Anne style of design.

Folk Victorian house (1870-

Fire ravages historic Victorian house on Ustick, two dogs die - Idaho News

Fire ravages historic Victorian house on Ustick, two dogs die.

Posted: Sat, 23 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Many windows have additional features inside the house, such as ornate trim or built-in window benches. Rounded towers, pediments, and expansive porches give Queen Anne architecture regal airs. But the style has nothing to do with British royalty, and Queen Anne houses do not resemble buildings from the medieval times of the English Queen Anne. Instead, Queen Anne architecture expresses the exuberance and inventiveness of industrial-age builders. Study the style and you'll discover several different sub-types, proving that there's no end to the variety of Queen Anne styles.

As any Victorian design enthusiast may know, when you think of Victorian homes, whatever the particular style, you rarely imagine a small cabin or bungalow — one-story homes simply wouldn't do for Victorians. Instead, as House Beautiful explains, properties typically stretched two or three stories high, providing more room to showcase all the ornamentation on the exterior. According to SF Gate, Victorian Gothic style properties in particular often featured vertical lines and an "imposing" façade, meant to mimic Medieval structures with towering windows and arches. The façade of many Victorian era properties often includes an abundance of windows, in all shapes and sizes, highlighting the various architectural features of the home's exterior and allowing natural light to permeate the interior. This newfound love of windows is in part due to the abolishment of the window tax, which took place in the Victorian era, according to Windows & More.

Queen Anne Style

They are the classic representations of romantic and picturesque architectural elements that manifested in America. The main structure of these properties was inspired by the medieval design of churches. Thus, the Victorian Gothic Revival style homes set itself different with medieval architecture like high pointed arches, biblical & heraldic emblem, etc. Their architecture consists of many different styles that emerged during Queen Victoria’s reign, each with its own distinctive features. Victorian homes are often notable for complex paintwork as well as stickwork.

When you look at a house built during the Victorian era, you might see pediments which are characteristic of Greek Revival or balustrades echoing a Beaux Arts style. And, of course, you'll find lots of brackets, spindles, scrollwork and other machine-made building parts. Victorian-era architecture was emblematic of the new American ingenuity and prosperity.

This style originated during the late 1740s in England, but it remained popular in the United States between the mid-1800s and mid-1900s. You may already be familiar with Gothic architecture from seeing medieval-inspired churches or public buildings—and its influence carried over to residential homes. Gothic Revival Victorians are characterized by their pointed arches, along with classic Victorian elements like steeply pitched roofs and ornate wood details. Victorian homes have a staple look – ornate exteriors, reminiscent of a castle with large windows. Yet different architectural styles have influenced the look of Victorian homes, resulting in unique spins on the standard design.

Medieval architecture and the great cathedrals of the Gothic age inspired all sorts of flourishes during the Victorian era. Builders gave houses arches, pointed windows with diamond-shaped panes, and other elements borrowed from the Middle Ages. As the name suggests, Victorians became popular among upper-class White people during the mid-to-late 1800s, during Queen Victoria's reign in the United Kingdom. Original Victorian houses have a list of indicators that make them fall into this category. They are a testament to the wide variety of Victorian architectural styles, from the Far East- and past-obsessed Moorish Revival and Richardson Romanesque to the Arts and Crafts-inspired Foursquare and Eastlake movements.

Historic Victorian Mansion Ravaged by Fierce Fire in Newton, Massachusetts - Hoodline

Historic Victorian Mansion Ravaged by Fierce Fire in Newton, Massachusetts.

Posted: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 16:42:43 GMT [source]

Incidentally, McNally's grandson was the famed SoCal architect Wallace Neff. It was during the Victorian era, from 1837 to 1901, that Los Angeles transformed from a small, dusty Mexican outpost into a Gilded Age American boom town. Thousands of homes were built during this time, and though many were lost, the structures mapped here survive. All Victorian style homes within the city name or zip code you entered will populate the page, and you’ll be able to begin your search.

Additionally, laser scanning and photogrammetry documentation methods provide comprehensive digital records of existing Victorian structures to guide sensitive restoration work. On larger scales, modular off-site fabrication enables high-quality, cost-effective construction of new Victorian-inspired multi-unit residential buildings to help alleviate housing shortages in high-density urban areas. The Victorian era spanned Queen Victoria’s reign over the British Empire from 1837 to 1901. Several iconic Victorian buildings can be found in London, the heart of the Empire.

It has been called "picturesque eclectic," and is a mixture of the Queen Anne and Eastlake styles of architecture. Pasadena Ave. (now Figueroa Street) early in its existence, and bought by motorman James Hale and his new bride Bessie. The couple separated and Bessie converted the richly ornamented home into a boarding house. Many of the house's original interior features are still intact, including wainscoting in the foyer that is pressed paper made to look like embossed leather.

The explosion of turned ornament led to the spindlework interpretation, called Eastlake after the English tastemaker and furniture designer (who, by the way, repudiated such gauche American use of his name). Ye olde simple brick house of the 17th century became, in its 1880s revival, the most complex and surface-ornamented of Victorian house styles. Los Angeles grew from a Pueblo (village) into a Victorian Downtown – now almost entirely demolished but with residential remnants in its Angelino Heights and Westlake neighborhoods. Phineas had rows of eucalyptus trees planted to surround the house, and the estate also boasted a large library, many imported furnishings and tapestries, and its very own artesian well.