Decorating & Design
These Victorian Dining Rooms Master The Mix Of New And Old
Updated on November 16, 2023
If you’ve been lucky enough to buy a Victorian-era house, you may be inspired to preserve — or recreate — some of the original details like corbels, ceiling medallions and stained-glass windows. These architectural elements are a testament to your home’s past and will continue to age gracefully well into the 21st century. Take a look back at some of our favorite Victorian dining rooms that master the mix of new and old.
In this dining room, a ceiling medallion, architectural wall paneling and a mix of antique lighting throughout bring grace back to the space. So that it’s not too stuffy and “far down the museum garden path,” says designer Tommy Smythe, the furniture borrows from a range of periods. “Just like the best outfits,” he quips.
Artist Anna Church had the rooms in her house taken back to the studs, and then brought in character details such as plaster medallions, mouldings and wide-plank wood floors, transforming the Victorian into a home with pared-back, Scandi style.
Designer Samantha Sacks put a fresh spin on this Victorian house by juxtaposing original details like ceiling medallions and stained-glass windows with modern furniture and accessories. “I love the simplicity of this pendant in contrast to the ornate plaster medallion,” she says.
In Emma Reddington’s former Victorian house, her eclectic decorating style — part West Coast and part global, with a good dash of vintage — was perfectly suited to the house. In the dining room, a stormy, dusky gray envelopes the cozy space.
When it came to renovating this house, the homeowners agreed that they wanted to preserve the home’s Victorian-era details. This included the plaster moldings, soaring archways, nine-and- a-half-inch-tall baseboards, corbels and ceiling medallions that were all reminders of the home’s elegant past.