Ideas for modern living in a period property

Prestigious textiles / Homify

Living in a period property is wonderful, often the house will have spacious proportions, high ceilings and large windows letting the light flood in. Perhaps you even have some beautiful original features like cornices, fireplaces, wooden floors and exquisite tiled details. When it comes to decor you may be faced with a dilemma, do you opt for classical style, in keeping with the era or do you like us want to create a more contemporary look and feel?

We are looking to design a practical, comfortable home with modern aesthetics that work well with the beautiful period features we have. It is a delicate balance we are hoping to achieve but I’m here to share with you some ideas for modern living in a period property.

Holland and Green / Homify

Colour

While on the hunt for inspiration I’ve noticed a lot of the contemporary period homes I love use a predominantly white or off white background. This creates a very fresh, light and open feel while allowing the architecture and beautiful period features like fireplaces and wooden floors stand out.

Pops of colour are almost always added in the form of gorgeous bright furniture or sparingly on one wall adding an interesting focal point.

Serena and Lily

Add interest with furniture

I love the contrast created when contemporary furniture is added into period surroundings. It can add a pop of colour, interest or a focal point. For me the ideal mix is eclectic, vintage and modern combined, perhaps a tricky look to pull off but I usually just follow my heart and choose the pieces that speak to me and therefore reflect a touch of my personality. For more tips on how to combine different decor styles check out my previous article here

Rigby and Mac / Homify

Extend and create usable living spaces

While the proportions of the rooms at the front of our house are good, Edwardian houses are notorious for having smaller rooms at the back, often the kitchen. Many owners of period properties choose to extend these rooms to allow for a spacious, contemporary kitchen and family living room. A good way to modernise and add value to a period property. I’ve seen some particularly beautiful extensions using lots of glass and bifold doors, creating a very light and wonderfully flexible space.

House to Home

Echo original features with a modern twist

This is particularly appropriate in the bathroom and kitchen. I’ve seen some brilliant examples of how you can choose modern suites and kitchen fittings when creating a contemporary space while still including a nod to the past in the details, whether this be the taps or tiles that you choose or handles that you use. A modern take on the period if you’d like.

Drummonds / Homify

Add practical storage solutions

The only issue I really have with period houses is the often lack of storage space. Sure we have a few token cupboards throughout the house but if you like a relatively minimalist lifestyle and like us have children then storage is a must! The only solution is to add in extra storage and I’ve seen this done in some really original ways, here are a couple below.

Planete Deco

Sigmar / Homify

Decorate!

Avoid clutter at all costs. Adding a few key pieces will work so much better in your contemporary home. If you like to follow trends then pick a few on trend themes for addition in your room. Alternatively collect things that you love and display them as interest points throughout your house. You could use your fireplace as a perfect place for decorative items, as you will see below it doesn’t always have to have a mirror above it!