Period Features To Rescue In Your Home

If you are blessed with a period property as your humble abode, the chances are that you are passionate about all things history and heritage. If you look around your living spaces only to find bland decor and a lack of period features, then they could be lurking underneath or behind something. You need to consider doing a spot of renovating alongside some detective work to get those hidden period features taking pride of place in your pad once again. Take a look at this guide to help you rescue and restore these incredible period features.

Fireplace

The finest period feature that you will ever find in a living room is a fireplace. They come in all different shapes and sizes, and those that are over fifty years old look exquisite. For those of you who live in a Victorian property, the fireplace may be hidden behind brickwork and plasterboard if your chimney breast has been given the modernist treatment. Carefully take a pick axe or chisel to this area and get clearing. The Victorian fireplace that you find may be cast iron with a tiled surround. While it might look a bit grubby, it will just need a clean and maybe some tiles replacing.

If you live in a more mid-century home, you could be fortunate enough to have a 1930s or 1950s grand marble affair as your focal point. These look fantastic when spruced up and add real interest to a room. Most fireplaces from this era are very unique so give your decor a touch of the bespoke.

Flooring

Older properties tend to have incredible floorboards made of oak. While they can be underneath underlay, carpet, or laminate, it doesn’t take much to whip this up. The oak floorboards were always well made and hardy. You can hire a sandblaster to remove the splinters and then varnish the wood to protect it. A large space of floorboards requires a stunning rug. Here, you can add a touch of pattern or color to your room. When considering how to clean a rug, always vacuum regularly and stick to the instructions on any attached label. 

For those of us in 1930s homes, we may be lucky enough to spy some old parquet under the carpet. This looks great when in a herringbone or square pattern, and adds a real feature to any room.

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Cornice

High ceilings were probably one of the first facets of your property that encouraged you to buy it. Try and peel away some of the coats of paint to see your cornice and ceiling rose emerge. These plaster features are ornate and look exquisite in a grand home. These are the features that cannot be replicated. If you find that some of your cornice or ceiling rose has deteriorated beyond repair, a specialist can fill in the pattern gap. Or you could venture to a reclamation yard and enjoy picking some complementary ceiling features to your current period features.

Follow this guide and you can enjoy rescuing your period features within your humble abode.