Victorian houses

It is a like love gone bad, an affair that started of great but has now turned sour! The panel of oak wood that made your heart race, now makes you feel gloomy and dark. The alcoves, the turrets, the oddly shaped rooms seemed so inviting and romantic before, but now you have no idea on how to furnish and decorate your home!

After few years living in a small Victorian terraced house you can find yourself craving for a big modern bathroom, a simple open floor and ample storage space.

Older homes are beautiful and may seem like living a dream, but the truth is they are simply not designed for modern living.

The plan of a Victorian House seems cluttered and open spaces are hard to come by, instead you may find a maze of small rooms of almost closet size connected by a series of doors and hallways.

But none the less, Victorian houses have a lot of charm and with the right remodelling they can be a dream come true. Most people look to create more space by tearing down old walls, but look out!

Many of these seemingly insignificant walls are actually load bearing. They actually support the upper floors! While your house may not come crumbling down if you remove one wall, there is a risk of the floors beginning to sag. If you want to remove walls you should check with a reputable builder as it may be necessary to have supporting lintels put in place to support the upper floor. You will have to ensure that any major refurbishments made meet building regulations and planning permission is obtained, where applicable, before starting any major renovations.

Luckily there are many ways to update that older house and still keeping structure intact. Don't remove the entire wall, but cut openings in existing walls. The result will be more space, while still maintaining ambiance.

The number one complaint about Victorian houses is usually the bathroom. Even though modern plumbing were largely available at the time, Victorian bathrooms are small compared to many modern standards. But you can transform them into havens of peace and practicality by adding a few personal touches of Victorian or modern soft furnishings and clever decorating.

Finding extra storage space in a Victorian home has always been a problem, but here are some tips:

* Use the area below the main staircase. This can be opened up to provide space for bureaus and desks, if large enough computer stations can be placed here very effectively.
* Install bookcases or shelving around windows, doors and in alcoves.
* The number one rule is "No harm"- meaning do not purposely destroy the original styling and materials.
* Use the same fabrics and original styles wherever you can.
* Think creatively about the possibilities instead of the limitations of your house.
* Decorate in pale or neutral colours or bright vibrant colours to make small rooms appear larger and brighter.
* Choose full length curtains to add height to a room, coordinate with rugs, runners, cushions and throws.

The Victorian architecture is not a style. In fact it is a period in the history. The Victorian era started in 1840 and continued up till the year 1900. This was the period which saw the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution changed the whole world. And the industrialization marked many innovative style of architecture. In fact the word innovation became quiet important.

There were the variety of Victorian styles and each of them had the distinct features. Some of them really became very famous. All the famous Victorian style of houses stole the printing space in most of the home style books. The buildings constructed during this period were influenced by many of the old architecture.

Either it was the Victorian Italianate architecture, Gothic revival architecture, Queen Anne architecture, mansard style, folk Victorian, Victorian stick architecture, Richardsonian Romanesque architecture or the Victorian shingle architecture, all of them used in some way of the other during the Victorian period.

The architect used to design the houses while keeping in mind all these styles. You must be remembering the Tudor style of houses. I must tell you that the stones and the bricks were widely used during the Victorian period. The use of the woods was minimized.

It is not so that the wood was not used but its uses were minimized. The stones like marbles and granite were very commonly used.

There used to be the lush outfields around the Victorian houses and the bushes were widely used. The ornate fencing was preferred during this period and the extensive flower beads were used to decorate the house.

As far as the designs of the Victorian houses were concerned, you cannot really say that which style it followed. In fact they were the mixture of all the old architectures which I have listed above.

If you want to build your own Victorian house then you will not have to do anything new. In fact you will have to meet an architect at first. The second step will be to express your feelings about the house to the architect and let him know that you want to build a Victorian style of home. You can give the company to your architect through out the period during which he will prepare your design. In this way you will be able to design the house of your choice.

You must know that the architects most probably have the idea about each kind of old architecture. Once your design is ready, you can meet your contractor and start the building of your house. All your masonry work would be finished by the time less than a month and then you can start the furnishing of your house. And yes do not forget to use the Victorian style of furniture.

Doll houses have been well-loved toys by little girls for decades. Your daughters can take on the role of running a household and all the tasks that go with it, tailoring the situation to their own whims. Creativity is developed in a delightful way.

Luckily today, there are many styles and sizes of doll houses on the market. One of the most popular is the classic Victorian doll house. The Victorian era, with the elegance of design and furnishings, seems to attract even adult collectors and buyers. So it is not unusual for children to be drawn to the charm of this time in history.

If you choose a Victorian doll house for your daughter, make sure it displays the style of the time. Victorian houses were decorative down to the detail, with what we call "gingerbread" on the woodwork and even on the outside of the house. Embroidered scarves and crocheted doilies graced the furniture. Flowered and striped wallpaper lined the walls. Lampshades had beads or fringe hanging from the edges.

A very important room in the Victorian home was the parlor. This is where guests were entertained. A focal point of the parlor was the piano, because this was popular at the time. It was common for the lady of the house to play the piano to entertain the guests, and sometimes the visitors would gather around and sing as she played. Pianos were so common to the room that they even decorated the backs of them with beautiful drape-like material.

A library was another facet of the Victorian home. This room in the doll house could contain miniature bookcases with tiny books in them. A desk and some elegant chairs would fit here nicely. A big fireplace would be in this room and probably in all of the rooms.

There should be a spacious kitchen and dining room to seat the members of a large family of dolls. Curved staircases leading to the second and even third floors may be in the doll house. Turrets and towers can add a fun secret area for the dolls to play in. The second floor of the house would have bedrooms and a nursery and possibly a separate playroom.

The outside of the doll house may have a big wrap-around porch with a rocker and a swing.

Before furnishing the doll house, you may want to get a book from the library on Victorian homes. You and your daughter can spend enjoyable time together looking at the interior and exterior pictures of homes from that era, and even reading about the lifestyles.

For ideas and tips on homemaking, cooking, crafts, family life, gardening, and family history, visit http://www.oldfashionedhomemaking.com. Or if you prefer a nostalgic stroll back to the turn-of-the-century [http://www.thevintagehome.org] is a growing library of information and illustrations. Learn how our ancestors kept house, cooked, raised children, celebrated holidays and weddings, quilted, decorated, had tea parties, and much more.

Many people consider Victorian as a style, but this is not true. From 1835 and 1900 there were many architecture styles and 'Victorian' architecture encompasses them all. There are common things to look out for, but with the mixture of styles used it is difficult to say it is a particular style. Motifs from Classical and Gothic appearance are used on buildings made of brick. stone and timber are the most common points to look for.

Around Ontario, if you would like to see lots of Victorian structures then you need to look at the houses. Whether it was a vast farm in the country, a little worker's cottage or a town house in a growing urban centre like Toronto, the residences could show off good solid craftsmanship and decorative touches. Making a home look great with artistic swirls, patterns and an eye for detail is what the Victorian house builder did well. This led to criticism by a couple of European factions who thought the styles to be needlessly cluttered and complex. The end result melded together well, regardless of the fact that there were completely distinct architectural styles over the years.

The Cabbagetown Victorians are born

Unlike in today's subdivisions where multiple homes are built by the same builder in not-too-subtle variations on the same idea, the builders of what was Toronto's first suburb were a very eclectic and imaginative bunch. To start with, builders wanted land and that was found north of Queen and west of Parliament, where areas had been cleared in the 1830's for farming. Called park lots, these empty plots of land became the residences of notable York (now called Toronto) officials.

In Cabbagetown the initial pieces of Toronto Victorian homes were farm houses as well as a couple of cottages. Land split into a grid method of streets by John Howard, were the first building lots to be marketed in 1845. The narrow pieces of land of only 15 to 20 foot in width, made the most reasonable home the terraced (row or attached homes). But a more extravagant early Victorian example is Allandale, the house at 241 Sherbourne Street. Enoch Turner, brewer and philanthropist, had the home built in 1848 and it boasts a generous rustic front porch, decorative two-toned brick work with a lovely ornate trim; this house is far wider than other properties on the street. This property is not the only example of early Victorian construction in the area; 424 Ontario Street with its gingerbread trim threatening to eclipse the delicacy of the design, is certainly worth having a look at.

Miniature buildings are an excellent way of showcasing your creativity. Many people use this avenue to channelize their creative instincts. As it is, miniature houses have long been associated with the festival of Christmas. The tradition of making miniature buildings and villages are believed to have been started from Pennsylvania Dutch. Since then the tradition has gained popularity worldwide.

As it is, if you wish to celebrate your Christmas with miniature Victorian houses, then the following are some of the things which you can do:

Go through catalogs as well as online sites, which provide information in regard to miniature houses. You would be furnished with a lot of information in this regard. Search for the appropriate style of housing, or the backdrop, which you would like in your miniature construction. Try out different lay-outs and select the one, which you find the best.

After you have selected the layout and the backdrop, it is time to start with the job. First of all, prepare a foundation, with the help of hard board, wooden planks, or Styrofoam. You may use old boxes or planks which are not in use, for this purpose. In case you are not available with any of these, then you can buy hardboard from the market.

Now, after you have the platform ready, take a few old matchboxes, cereal box, oatmeal tins, ice cream containers or medicine cartons and cut them with the help of scissors, or a sharp knife, in different shapes and sizes. Cut holes so as to resemble doors and windows. You can make Main Street houses, or large villas, farmhouses, or bungalows. You can also make medieval towers. The best way, is to draw a picture of Victorian house on the hardboard and cut them in the same shapes. After this, take some glue and stick these pieces from all sides, in the shape of Victorian buildings.

You can get a scrapbook aisle from a local craft store. These aisles cover brick, gravel and or cobbled stone patterns. You can measure and cut them, for making the sides of the buildings, or the layouts of the walkway.

Now, spread out old newspapers and put the miniature Victorian platform in center. After this, get some paint and paint the platform.

Now, gather some twigs, sticks and old pencils and use them for making trees or gardens, depending upon what look are you aiming at. Get some gesso and use it for creating the appearance of snow.