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How to Sympathetically Design a Period Hallway
Five examples from our tours show how attention to detail can create a period entrance that’ll make your old house proud
From painstakingly replacing a patch of missing Victorian tiling to knocking on neighbours’ doors to discover the look of original features, attention to detail is key when it comes to renovating a period hallway. These spaces set the tone for the renovation of an old property and, as you’ll see below, the outcome usually more than justifies the effort. Just be sure to seek out a renovation professional prepared to be as dedicated as you are to undertake the work.
The front door and the striking stained-glass vestibule doors are all original. They were painstakingly repaired and repainted, giving the entrance a wonderfully characterful feel that respects the building’s history.
If you have original stained glass that’s damaged, there are specialists who can copy or repair the design. Take your time to seek out someone who’s willing to recreate rather than update; as this example proves, authenticity shows.
Kieran says the calm atmosphere in the house can be felt from the moment you walk in. “It really has that feel of a different time and is a peaceful space to be in,” he explains. “When you step through the front door, you leave modern London behind.”
Explore more of this beautifully restored home.
If you have original stained glass that’s damaged, there are specialists who can copy or repair the design. Take your time to seek out someone who’s willing to recreate rather than update; as this example proves, authenticity shows.
Kieran says the calm atmosphere in the house can be felt from the moment you walk in. “It really has that feel of a different time and is a peaceful space to be in,” he explains. “When you step through the front door, you leave modern London behind.”
Explore more of this beautifully restored home.
Take care with the stairs
When Lior Brosh of Brosh Architects took on the renovation of this Victorian conversion flat, a kitchen was located in the hallway with a spiral staircase next to it. “I wanted to bring the original staircase back and put it where it was before,” Lior says.
Yet the building had no vestiges of what had been in place when the house was built to give Lior clues as to how to design something authentic.
When Lior Brosh of Brosh Architects took on the renovation of this Victorian conversion flat, a kitchen was located in the hallway with a spiral staircase next to it. “I wanted to bring the original staircase back and put it where it was before,” Lior says.
Yet the building had no vestiges of what had been in place when the house was built to give Lior clues as to how to design something authentic.
In creating this original-looking staircase, Lior took another route. “When renovating a period property, I usually politely ask neighbours if I can take a look [in their homes] to find original features,” he says. Once he’d located an authentic example nearby, he faithfully copied the design and construction.
Having installed new but aged engineered oak floorboards, stained with Old English oil, Lior wanted the stair treads to appear to be antique, too. “The flooring on the stairs didn’t look old enough,” he says. So he meticulously went over each tread with a hammer.
Check out what else Lior restored in this sympathetic renovation.
Having installed new but aged engineered oak floorboards, stained with Old English oil, Lior wanted the stair treads to appear to be antique, too. “The flooring on the stairs didn’t look old enough,” he says. So he meticulously went over each tread with a hammer.
Check out what else Lior restored in this sympathetic renovation.
Cherish your mouldings
Larger Victorian homes – as opposed to tiny workers’ cottages of the same era – typically contained a variety of plaster mouldings – cornicing, ceiling roses and other decorative relief features. These are details that can easily get damaged over the years through multiple redecorations, or even simply be removed.
If the latter is the case in your home, as with the previous example, knock on your neighbours’ doors to discover what type of mouldings your home once had. Where the originals are damaged, your designer can consult a specialist, who will either repair or recreate them.
In this grand entrance to a Victorian house in Manchester, restored and given a full eco renovation by environmental consultancy firm Ecospheric, mouldings were custom-made and fitted throughout the house.
Read more about this fascinating and groundbreaking renovation project.
Larger Victorian homes – as opposed to tiny workers’ cottages of the same era – typically contained a variety of plaster mouldings – cornicing, ceiling roses and other decorative relief features. These are details that can easily get damaged over the years through multiple redecorations, or even simply be removed.
If the latter is the case in your home, as with the previous example, knock on your neighbours’ doors to discover what type of mouldings your home once had. Where the originals are damaged, your designer can consult a specialist, who will either repair or recreate them.
In this grand entrance to a Victorian house in Manchester, restored and given a full eco renovation by environmental consultancy firm Ecospheric, mouldings were custom-made and fitted throughout the house.
Read more about this fascinating and groundbreaking renovation project.
Lighten up
Hallways are notoriously dark areas in many of our period homes and we frequently read comments and discussions on this topic on Houzz. That ambience, however, is one of the things that can be changed without destroying any of your hallway’s period character.
In this Victorian terrace refurbished by Michael Schienke of VORBILD Architecture, the ‘before’ vibe was more 1980s than 1890s. The cause? Acres of deep orange wood and dark carpeting.
Find the right designer or contractor to help you transform your period home in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Hallways are notoriously dark areas in many of our period homes and we frequently read comments and discussions on this topic on Houzz. That ambience, however, is one of the things that can be changed without destroying any of your hallway’s period character.
In this Victorian terrace refurbished by Michael Schienke of VORBILD Architecture, the ‘before’ vibe was more 1980s than 1890s. The cause? Acres of deep orange wood and dark carpeting.
Find the right designer or contractor to help you transform your period home in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Michael first got to work on the wood and flooring – giving the former a crisp finish in inky-coloured paint and the latter new parquet. Topped off with fresh white walls, the effect is almost complete.
Michael also added natural light to the hallway. This ‘before’ photo shows how the view of the garden was originally blocked.
Now there’s a view right from the front door through to the garden, and light floods into the narrow space.
Take the full tour of this revived Victorian home.
Take the full tour of this revived Victorian home.
Revive tiled floors
An original tiled floor is one of those features that can elicit sighs of joy when entering a period property. Victorian homes often had this feature, and to come across an authentic example that hasn’t been damaged or long removed is a treat.
Marek Przychocki of Convert Construction, whose team undertook this sensitive renovation, reconfigured the staircase to accommodate a new understairs cloakroom. This meant the hallway floor required some clever craftsmanship, as the layout had been changed. “The original mosaic tiles finished halfway along the corridor, so we needed to carry the pattern through,” Marek explains.
The team carefully removed tiles from the original hallway area behind the rear door, and also purchased some matching ones online. They then tiled the rest of the floor to create a seamless pattern.
Look around the rest of this renovated terrace, packed with French antiques.
Tell us…
What are your favourite original features in these period hallways – or your own? Share your thoughts and tips in the Comments.
An original tiled floor is one of those features that can elicit sighs of joy when entering a period property. Victorian homes often had this feature, and to come across an authentic example that hasn’t been damaged or long removed is a treat.
Marek Przychocki of Convert Construction, whose team undertook this sensitive renovation, reconfigured the staircase to accommodate a new understairs cloakroom. This meant the hallway floor required some clever craftsmanship, as the layout had been changed. “The original mosaic tiles finished halfway along the corridor, so we needed to carry the pattern through,” Marek explains.
The team carefully removed tiles from the original hallway area behind the rear door, and also purchased some matching ones online. They then tiled the rest of the floor to create a seamless pattern.
Look around the rest of this renovated terrace, packed with French antiques.
Tell us…
What are your favourite original features in these period hallways – or your own? Share your thoughts and tips in the Comments.
This early Edwardian terraced house was in a bad way when architect Kieran Hawkins of Cairn got involved in its renovation. The building hadn’t been touched for 50 years and was damp and crumbling. However, the owners were keen to retain as much of the original house as possible, down to the wooden French windows to the garden, the internal doorplates – and these stunning stained-glass panels.