10 Victorian Kitchen Features for Modern Life
The biggest changes in Victorian houses have occurred in the kitchen, making it virtually impossible to create an authentic replica without compromising on modern comforts. The modern stovetop has replaced the wood-burning stove, the fridge has replaced the larder and the dishwasher has replaced the scullery. But this doesn’t mean we can’t modernize a kitchen while retaining some of the Victorian influences.
Austere and functional, the Victorian kitchen looked much different than the rest of the home. Homeowners wasted little expense on architectural features in this room. Now, this aesthetic can lend itself to a clean and contemporary makeover, or you can work on introducing similar moldings and finishes to the rest of your Victorian home to give it a more traditional feel — authentic or not.
by LKM Design »
The range. Traditionally the biggest feature in a Victorian kitchen, the range usually sat within the chimney breast. If you have the room, awoodstove will make your Victorian kitchen cozy and atmospheric. Set it next to your dining table for mealtime warmth and add some cast iron or copper pots and pans for authenticity.
The chimney. It makes the ideal — and traditional — home for your range and oven. You can find modern ranges available in a huge array of colors today. For me, this kitchen strikes the perfect note for an austere Victorian kitchen brought up to date, thanks to the introduction of the red Aga.
| The dresser. Apart from the range and oven, the dresser would be the only other piece of fitted furniture in a Victorian kitchen. There were no upper, eye-level cupboards. Open shelving, much as in a modern professional kitchen, made for efficient access to everyday items. Good original dressers can be pricey and hard to come by, but if you find one you love it will be a lifetime purchase. Keep in mind that you can strip and repaint it to go with any traditional kitchen colors. |
The kitchen table. The essential kitchen table completed the Victorian kitchen. Instead of being a place to eat, it sat in the center of the room as the main work area. It isn’t too surprising that work islands are so popular today — the ease of working in the center of a room and retrieving items stored around the edges comes from Victorian homes. Choose a contrasting color to the wall units to break up uniformity and make the table stand out as the work area.
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| Wall finishes. In a Victorian kitchen, wall finishes needed to be durable. This painted tongue and groove in this kitchen feels authentic, and the tiles create a practical backsplash (sometimes called a splashback in the U.K.) to the traditional butler sink. |
