Adding a Victorian Vibe to the Kitchen

The Victorian era was a period of time between the years of 1837 to 1901, the reign of Queen Victoria and the cheap mass-production of countless household items being made accessible for people who could never afford them.

There are many features to include in the kitchen design to pay tribute to this era, best keeping the overall concept contemporary.

In this blog, we will look at some of the ways that will create an original scheme for a Victorian vibe – heritage colours, big and beautiful range cookers and exposing original features such as wooden beams.

Add a big and hearty range cooker to the mix

Nothing creates a country kitchen like a robust AGA range cooker. These traditional cookers add character and warmth to the space with their continual appearance and technology.

The AGA has built a reputation for their iconic design, uncompromising quality and award-winning innovation. They are built from cast iron, making it a fantastic material for radiating heat and is gentle on food and locks in moisture, flavour and goodness, meaning the food you serve tastes delicious.

There are now flexible AGA models that can fit into every home and lifestyle. They have also become popular with many celebrities including Mary Berry, Daisy Lowe, Jamie Oliver and Marco Pierre White.

The kitchen is known as the hub of the home where it is the homely room of the house. It’s a space where people gather to talk, drink and eat, where warmth and comfort are provided to all the family.

Our client below in the Matching Tye project has always wanted an AGA for many years, and when they came to refurb their property they thought it was the best time to add this stunning appliance to the kitchen. The layout was changed and the period features were exposed to really emphasis the natural beauty of this 18th century home. The crisp white finish of the AGA fits wonderfully in between our classic shaker style, providing the kitchen with uncompromising quality and award-winning innovation.

If you spoke to any AGA owner they will tell you about the cooker’s qualities and that they can’t imagine life without one.

Add copper accents

Copper cookware will really give you a truly authentic looking Victorian-style kitchen. You’ll need to display the items somewhere if you’re after a classic Victorian look, like an open shelf or a glass front kitchen cabinet.

When looking back through the past, the vast majority of Victorian sculleries displayed gleaming copper pots and pans on open shelving. Copper was cheap and a staple material that was used throughout the time period, across a wide variety of industries.

Because our client went for a Scandinavian style in their Victorian home the choice of copper accents were a joy to add to this light hue design. A Mauviel Tea Kettle in a copper finish alongside a copper Kitchen Aid added a classic Victorian look to the U-shaped kitchen layout.

Bring the natural beauty to life

We think people who have original features in their kitchen are extremely lucky and should embrace them throughout the design, making them immediately visible as possible, wherever they can. These natural features were so revered back in the day.

In the Bishop’s Stortford project we built the classic shaker style around the period features of this property. Due to it being a period home the special features have to stay, which we think looks amazing in this fairytale. Large Victorian windows bathe the room with as much natural light as possible to really emphasis the space and wooden beams run along the ceiling to show the structure of this Grade II listed property.

Incorporate heritage colours

A south-facing kitchen or a room with plenty of windows, dark, heritage-inspired colours can create ambience. The atmosphere and feel of a kitchen are down to the light and shade available and chosen.

The elegant handmade kitchen in our traditional shaker style below is hand-painted in Railings by Farrow & Ball. Railings is more blue than black offering a softer alternative. The bluer undertones of this dark hue transforms this room into a dramatic and enveloping interior space working well with the warm wood and chrome accessories.

Hit the roof with floor-to-ceiling cabinets

Many old homes have wonderfully high ceilings that are breathtaking and perfect for floor-to-ceiling units. Many homeowners are opting for this kitchen solution to maximise the storage space, but to also show off the scale of the room.

The wall cabinets in the Bishop’s Stortford project below are extra tall to fit all of our client’s kitchen essentials. A stool may be needed to reach all of the contents, but think of all that lovely storage!

If you would like to add a Victorian vibe to your home with a handmade kitchen contact us today – we look forward to hearing from you.