How can I design the kitchen in my Victorian home?
Decorating most of my 120-year-old home has been easy with antiques, fancy lighting, rugs, and warm colors. The kitchen, however, is hard to design in a period-appropriate style. The kitchen was an addition made in the 1920s and relied solely on a (now-removed) wood stove in the middle of the house, so there never was a house-original kitchen. Most Victorian kitchen designs I've seen are either ultra-compact or are super cluttered Downton Abbey lookalikes. Advice on designing a historic-looking kitchen with modern conveniences??
Answers ( 3 )
I read this article I would like to share with you if you are planning on remodeling your kitchen:
"Top 10 Kitchen Trends for 2021
White, granite, and monochrome looks are among design company Wren Kitchens' predictions for the new year.
The most Instagram-worthy kitchen colors are white, followed by black, according to a new study from Wren Kitchens. The European-based kitchen design company analyzed Instagram posts to find out what’s earning buzz and likely will trend in 2021.
Granite countertops have been getting some serious competition from quartz in recent years, but don’t count them out. Homeowners still love them and are searching for granite inspiration on Instagram. Granite countertops nabbed the highest number of kitchen design posts on Instagram, Wren Kitchens finds.
Here are the top 10 predictions of hottest kitchen trends heading into 2021, based on what’s trending in kitchen Instagram posts:
Granite countertops (46,619 posts)
Pantry cabinets (29,429)
Quartz countertops (23,652)
Kitchen islands (23,436)
Eco-friendly (5,785)
Brass faucets (4,608)
Copper hardware (3,698)
Mosaic splashback tiles (3,041)
Induction countertop (650)
Farmhouse sinks (141)
As for color schemes in the kitchen, white still reigns supreme (48,753 posts). Black mono-chrome kitchens followed with about half that at 27,528 posts, followed by cooler colors like green- and blue-colored kitchens.
Modern kitchen styles are trending with simple mono-chrome colors, super clean designs that have “an understated feel,” Wren Kitchens notes in its study. Farmhouse followed—but with half the number of posts of modern kitchens. Farmhouse kitchens usually feature large traditional ovens, rustic kitchen accessories, wooden tops, deep 1900’s-style sink basins, and an overall retro finish."
Tall cabinets- especially the upper ones- with glass windows in the doors and simple knob handles.
A wooden, bent-wood-handled step stool for reaching those upper cabinets.
A good porcelain sink with good- not fancy, but heavy duty- fixtures- wheel-and-spoke handles and cleanly arched faucet.
Butcher block counter if you put in an island, but granite- smoothed but not glossy- for other counter tops.
Cork floor tiles are lovely, and help dampen kitchen noises some. You need to be careful with wood- kitchens are wet places, and wood floors can take damage easily. Black and white, or grayed-emerald green and white ceramic tiles would look lovely and in period, (actual period would be linoleum tiles) but anything breakable dropped will break. I'd still go with the cork. A bit of wax on it, when floor cleaning, and it's lovely.
Clean lines- the space is meant for work, and so you want clean lines and not a lot of decorative froo-froo- keep the workspaces mostly empty, and let the simplicity shine. A window above the sink is usual, short, half-window lace or net curtain is appropriate. As much as possible, everything should be real- real wood, real cork, real porcelain, real lace- real real real.
Might want to keep your eye out for a good condition, old-fashioned bread box- that's about the only thing I'd leave out on the counters.
Yup- hide that microwave.
I would suggest looking at creating an updated Victorian look. Two-tone cabinets, a muted color and white or black and white, wood floors, glass front cabinets stacked 2-up on top of each other and up to the ceiling. If you have a dropped ceiling in the existing kitchen take the ceiling up as high as it can go. Add a kitchen wall with decorative tile backsplash on the sink and stove sides and take it up to the ceilings. I've become quite enamored with soapstone counters that have a nice satin finish and using a darker color, you could repeat the dark color in the tile grout. The idea would be modern Victorian. If it was a really large kitchen I'd make an alcove for the stove, inlaid with tile that's easy to clean.