Monday, February 15, 2021

17 Victorian Houses with the Decorative Details That Define the Era

Many Victorian homes were built on a grand scale, with sweeping interior spaces that translated into special exterior features. Turrets and towers, for example, add an asymmetrical flourish to the curbside view. Often these spaces were used as parlors, studies, or bedrooms, and some extended up multiple floors. Crow's nests and diminutive balconies are also classic features ornate Victorian-style houses. Seaglass-colored shingles, creamy white trim, and pale blush accents give this Second Empire–style home a coastal feel. While untraditional, the three-color scheme is light, bright, and very inviting.

victorian home colors exterior

In the mid-1800s, when Italianate and Second Empire houses started dotting America, paint colors were muted and earthy owing to their natural pigments. Reds and browns, for instance, were derived from ferric oxides. The original paint color schemes from the mid-1800s, when Victorian style houses began to show up in America, were muted and earthy given they were derived from natural pigments. By the late 1800s the exuberant Queen Anne style grew more popular, which also marked the first use of synthetic pigments that allowed for vivid greens, blues, purples and yellows. Victorian house colors can vary widely depending on when they were built.

See some popular exterior color schemes for 18 Victorian houses (

Renwick Olive SW 2815 is the lighter green seen around the suns, on the window sills, and layered on the gable shingles. Downing Straw SW 2813 is our lightest color and this is used throughout to lighten things up. Whether you’re working on a Victorian-inspired new build or renovating an historic home, we are able to take design elements true to the Victorian era and bring them up to date for a modern lifestyle. We understand that it’s important to honor the history of your home and the time period during which it was built.

Get the latest news, trusted tips, tricks and clever DIY projects from our experts, straight to your inbox. If you’re getting ready to sell your house or just want something that won’t clash with your furniture, a neutral color is definitely the way to go. I’ve recommended hundreds of colors to my clients over the years, but there are a few tried and true colors that will always work in any home. With a hint of green and a hint of black, this shade of blue from Benjamin Moore’s Williamsburg collection has vibrancy and depth.

Bold, rich coloring for houses of the Victorian era

Here is a list of 8 of our favorite modern Victorian houses that we have designed, and how we chose to keep or update certain elements. The Exterior Historic Palettes pay homage to key architectural styles throughout American history. Achieve a coordinated period look for the exterior of your home with these historically accurate paint color palettes for home exterior walls, trim and accents by Sherwin-Williams. This Victorian house had beautiful trim that was in excellent shape. As such, our designers recommended paint colors that would accent it well. The new teal door pays homage to the bright color schemes of the home’s history.

Again, because the home offers quite a few architectural elements as different places to put colors, this is a good option. This means owners can honor the historic character of their homes while also using modern water-based paints that offer easy clean-up and shorter drying times. Many of these products are also more environmentally friendly, as low- or no-VOC paints emit fewer volatile organic compounds.

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Darker & highly saturated colors are some of the most popular and most traditional with Victorian-style homes. As this time period included much of the industrial revolution and a change in how people lived and viewed their homes, many Victorian houses have distinct and ornate features. Unlike other styles, including foursquare and neoclassic, Victorian houses are often disproportionate. Their unique design often includes an entry that's not centered and two halves that don't match each other. That asymmetry enables designers to create varied rooflines for even more visual interest. Victorian is a term that covers lots of different styles, and it's not uncommon to see bits and pieces of many styles all in one house.

victorian home colors exterior

Check out the 16 versatile ExpertFinish colors you can use to create perfect Victorian house color schemes. Choosing authentic Victorian exterior house colors can depend on more than just picking a color from the period that you like. Which part of the Victorian era your house was built in can play a part in choosing the best color. A gray-blue body color, white trim, and rusty red accents on this Queen Anne create a crisp and contemporary three-color scheme that’s also rooted in tradition.

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Luckily, today this means there is more knowledge available to help educate, inspire and assist you in the planning of your Victorian home exterior painting project. Victorian elements can also add interest to other house styles. Many homeowners blended the simpler elements of farmhouse-inspired spaces with a touch of Victorian style. These homes typically include fewer decorative details, such as simplified spindles on a wraparound porch, as well as the asymmetry apparent in more elaborate homes. Victorian homes made use of practical exterior "rooms," often in the form of wraparound porches.

Interior colors begin to reflect the richness and depth of color of the Victorian period. This energetic yellow with a hint of orange from the Sherwin-Williams Arts and Crafts collection is warm and welcoming without overwhelming the space. Aged with gray moldings, it contrasts with the artisan-style dark oak furniture in this entry space. Sometimes used on Victorian exterior facades, stone was often an indicator of Gothic Revival influences originating from European cathedrals. This type of home often had wooden trimwork with plain carvings and scrolls. This house also includes an expansive front entry, pointed porch roofline, decorative columns, and an asymmetrical footprint.

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Green, brown and tan and golds, even reds, will bring out the woodsy and natural vibes of these homes. These darker and saturated colors were sometimes broken up with those yellows or lighter shades of green and tan. This marks the beginning of my series on honoring your home’s roots with its colors.

victorian home colors exterior

Up the contrast that was so common with Victorians by going for even lighter colors along with bright whites. While these colors aren’t necessarily historically accurate, they can be in the same family as traditional colors to align with the roots of the home. Various architectural styles came out of the Victorian era and often blended features from each style. Transitions to or from the Victorian era resulted in houses that might have combined Richardsonian arches on Stick-style homes, or Greek Revival features on a Queen Anne.

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