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FRONT DOORS
There can be no denying the importance the Victorians placed on first impressions: the visitor had to be left in no doubt as to the owner’s position in society.

However charming the gate or imposing the porch, it is the entrance door which captures the eye of the visitor as he waits to be admitted. Up until the Regency, front doors had all been solid, made up of panels of wood held together by framing called styles (vertical) and rails (horizontal). The only way of introducing light into the hallway was by means of graceful semi-circular fanlights. Fanlights of this kind continued into the 19th century, particularly where the accent was classical. With the introduction of cheaper, stronger glass, it became possible to incorporate large panes into entrance doors.

PLANNING AHEAD
Before getting down to detail, a question of priorities must be decided. How much importance should be placed on the structure of the building and the internal fixtures, and how much on decoration? My own answer is a simple one. Everybody, whether carrying out their own plan for a house or using a decorator to help them, inevitably has to set themselves a budget. Somewhat against myself, I always argue that the major part of the cost should be spent on the architectural fabric, and that includes the internal architectural detailing. Decoration is secondary. Get the architecture right, and the rest will follow.

The guiding principle in all decoration is, do not do anything that destroys the proportion and form of the original architecture. In a Victorian house the interior architectural features reflect the character and period of the building and are nearly always worth preserving however humble or simple they may be. They are as much an integral part of the architecture as the structure itself.

BATHROOMS
To create a modern version of the Victorian bathroom we have to dream a little: the image that comes before the mind’s eye is one of space, warmth, the luxury of enjoying a bath surrounded by pictures, carpets and elegant furnishings.

It is not a complete lie: this is the bathroom of the transitional period when the first fitted and plumbed baths were housed in dressing-rooms and spare bedrooms and still recalled the days of the hip bath before the open fire.

Even the later, hygienic bathrooms of the turn of the century, all tiles and functionalism, provide a valid model for an attractive modern scheme, reminiscent perhaps of the spa town hotel or the gentleman’s club.

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Amdega Collapse · Architectural Antiques · Architectural Mini-Quiz · Architectural Detail · Architectural Propriety · Artificial Stone · Brooking Collection · Edward Burne-Jones · Chimneypieces · Conservatories · Mr Crapper · Curtains · Energy Conservation · Front Doors · Front Paths · Gertrude Jekyll · Glossary · Great Exhibition · Heritage Tile Conservation · Mini-Quiz Results · Mouldings · Stained Glass · Staircases · Suppliers · Tiles · Windows