A Victorian home is a home that uses the architectural design that was adopted between 1837 and 1901, which happens to be the era of Queen Victoria. Many families live in houses with these designs except that they lack some of the functionalities of the modern architecture. What you need to do is enhance the functionality of such houses while at the same time maintaining their originality. Here are some strategies that you can use to modernize a Victorian home.

Improve Sash Windows

As you will notice, most of the Victorian homes were fitted with classic but straightforward sash windows. All you need is to clean them regularly so that you can bring them back to life. You can enhance their durability by repairing and waterproofing them. You can as well consider modernizing your sash windows with double glazing. Look for repair companies that have the knowledge to fit double-paned units into the existing frames.

Room Layouts

A Victorian house is built in such a way that it has narrow but long rooms, especially the living room, that characterized a king’s castle. The long room might have lost value in modern family settings with few children such that there is no need for a bigger room. You can enhance these rooms by partitioning them using semi-permanent walls. In case you have a large number of visitors, you will just remove the semi-permanent walls and get your big room back.

Preserve Original Floorboards

A few decades ago, a significant number of homeowners were obsessed with original floorboards. It is surprising that the same remains with a large number of homeowners preferring to rip up carpeting and show the wood beneath. Apparently, using wood alone has become fashionable to the extent that even the modern architectural designs are adopting it. Before giving up on your Victorian floorboards, consider repairing them and replace the broken ones. You can seek renovation advice from a professional.

Victorian Lighting

Victorian lighting systems involve quality sconce lighting and elegant chandeliers to provide lighting to the room. You can modernize this system of light by mixing it with different eras and see how the results will be. You should adhere to the rules of scale and size because modern lighting system might not work well with Victorian spaces. The best lighting system that will modernize the Victorian lighting should not be too contemporary, but it should be inspired by something like Scandinavian modern or mid-century modern.

Expose Brick or Stone Walls

If you want to modernize a Victorian home and give it a rusting feel or a sense of industry, expose the beautiful brick and stone walls. The homes true beauty will show and you will not again desire the modern wallpapers or several layers of color. If you want to induce some sense of fashion and contrast in your room, you can consider exposing a brick wall, either a small part of the kitchen or an entire side. Exposing a brick wall will add a significant texture to your home and may make it look bigger than it is. It will also show some sense of originality as it shows the original materials that made the wall rather than covering everything using plaster and paint.

Add a Sleek Extension

Make sure that your Victorian house does not stay static by adding a sleek extension. For example, you can modernize your home by adding an elegant kitchen or a dining to upgrade your house. The large modern extensions will provide the living area for the family members while the small and original Victorian rooms offer intimate spaces such as bedrooms and study rooms.

Your goal is to spruce your Victorian house so that it can have a modern feel while maintaining its original design and architecture. Make sure you are modernizing and not renovating or repairing old sections by replacing them with advanced materials and design. In such a case, your house will lose both the Victorian and modern aspects.