Modern Victorian Living Room Ideas – 13 Ways to Refresh Home Decor

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The best modern Victorian living room ideas are those that bring your home into the 21st century while retaining the beautiful period features that made you fall in love with it in the first place.

Victorian homes are so unique, full of character, and offer an abundance of interior design possibilities. If you’re lucky enough to own a Victorian cottage or a Victorian townhouse, you are all too familiar with their Tardis-like proportions.

However, you will also know that sometimes living rooms can be difficult to decorate. Sam Hood, Amara Co-Founder and Creative Director, says, “Well built and usually full of high ceilings and large rooms, they are the dream home for many of us, but these historic beauties are not without them. difficulties. The main sticking point is modernization. ‘

Making compact Victorian facade pieces welcoming and inviting spaces is a common design challenge, so we’ve put together some remarkably modernized Victorian living room ideas to inspire you.

Modern Victorian Living Room Ideas

1. Paint the room a solid color

Do you have a small room before? Be brave and hit up the dining room and create a seamless look using a solid color on all surfaces like this gorgeous blue living room. They paired it with all the blue upholstery and accessories so that everything blends together to create the illusion of space.

Farrow and Ball brand ambassador Patrick O’Donnell adds, “Consider the rich, saturated dark undertones that create a vibe and atmosphere like deep burgundy reds like Preference Red.”

“The addition of depth will create a truly inviting interior, ideal for when we see the nights come in. The same can be achieved by using rich forest greens such as Chine Green from our archival palette. Pair it with a modern white such as Strong White to add a contemporary touch. ‘

2. Keep the room monochrome

Are you looking for a simple color palette for your living room? Go for a black and white palette, keeping large soft furnishings fairly neutral in a light shade, while accessorizing with bold black home accessories. We love Andy Warhol’s retro studio floor lamp and graphic wall art.

3. Add shelves and built-in cabinets

With a pretty much standard fireplace in most Victorian living rooms, the fireplace mantel creates two corners on either side, perfect as a storage solution for small spaces. In this living room, the owners have added floating shelves, painting them the same color as the walls, and double-faced wardrobes that can hide a multitude of sins.

4. Enter colored buttons

Transform a bland small living room with a welcome splash of color. In this Victorian living room idea, the owners added pops of yellow and blue in the form of cushions and other home accessories, along with graphic geographic prints to add a modern touch.

Note the vintage suitcases used as a coffee table – what a great storage idea for the living room.

Farrow and Ball brand ambassador Patrick O’Donnell said: “Be sensitive to the architectural details of the room. Very often, Victorian bedrooms will have many original features. Highlighting these elements in a secondary color can create many horizontal lines altering the proportions of a room and often appear distracting. ‘

“Try to keep it simple by painting some items the same color as the walls making sure you change the finish to the correct surface. “

5. Panel the wall, cottage style

Lucky enough to own a Victorian cottage? Even if you don’t, you can still go for a cottage style by adding a wall paneling idea like in this gorgeous living room. You can make it a feature by painting it a brilliant shade and adding a deep picture shelf to display artwork, ornaments, and your favorite pieces.

6. Create a gallery wall

If you have the luxury of a blank wall and don’t know what to do with it, you may want to consider installing photo ledges to display your favorite artwork. This living room has two picture ledges like Ikea’s Mosslanda line, with murals and homeowners’ favorite home accessories.

7. Install shutters for more privacy

With large sash windows to let in lots of light, lots of curious parkers. To block their view while you’re watching TV in your pajamas, it’s a good idea to think of a window treatment idea that distorts their view.

A great choice would be slatted shutters that open to let in light during the day, while also obscuring your living room from the street and closing at night for more privacy.

8. Bring out the fireplace

The fireplace is usually a great focal point in a Victorian living room. Raise the stakes with a fireplace idea that really makes it stand out, like painting it a vibrant accent color like sunshine yellow. Add elements of the same shade to the points about to tie everything together.

9. Include a wood stove

Looking for a traditional fireplace upgrade? Wood stoves are a great option because they are designed for the clean burning of wood or special wood pellets. Plus, not only do they warm up a space, but they also make a great focal point in a room.

10. Play with mid-century modern touches

If you have the luxury of a larger living room with a large picture window, you can get creative with the furniture. This gorgeous space created a cozy seating area with mid-century modern touches like the fringed shade and mustard egg chair to update the more traditional elements of the room.

11. Keep the living room bright and light

If you need a small living room idea, a safe but effective solution is to go for light and bright colors to create the illusion of space. Sam Hood, Amara Co-Founder and Creative Director, explains, “Cool whites and light neutrals should be the go-to for lovers of calming interiors. They make the most of the natural light in homes, give rooms a light and airy feel, and can be dressed or dressed up to suit the season and your style tastes. ‘

Keep darker tones in the muted patterned accessory room and break up the all-white look with lots of bright green houseplants.

12. Keep the original floor covering

Paired beautifully with a few comfy rugs, it might be worth salvaging the gorgeous original floors of your Victorian home. They will add warmth and texture to your decor, whether you strip them of their natural tone or color them any color you want.

Sam Hood, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Amara adds, “If you have an old rug in your house, now is the time to peel it off and take a look under it. You might hit the jackpot and find flooring that you can lovingly restore and if you’re really lucky you might find more ornate parquet patterns.

Keep them in perfect condition with regular oiling, waxing or lacquering. Every two years should be sufficient.

13. Keep the ledge

Or why not restore the house’s period features, such as the Victorian fireplaces, rosettes and cornices? While you want to make the house modern, it’s nice to pay homage to its past. Cornices can create a clean, simple look and accentuate the height of the ceiling.