Victorian style was the popular home design for houses during the late 1800s when Queen Victoria was in power. Today, you can find homes with Victorian designs all over the world. For many, having a Victorian design for their house is their ultimate dream.
In Iowa, you can also design Victorian homes for yourself. However, there are certain exterior elements you must keep in mind when trying to design a home with an exquisite look. Let’s go over Victorian home design and the exterior elements you would have to add, including front entry iron doors.
What is a Victorian Design Home?
Victorian home design is an architectural design or style that is inspired by the homes back in Queen Victoria’s reigning days. She ruled during the period called the “Victorian era”. That era was all about artistic expressions through architecture.
All the houses, buildings, palaces, and other architectural structures of that type were created in a Victorian style. If you own a home built during the Victorian era, it is a Victorian house. Victorian homes were all about the vertical elements, porches, and tall windows.
Interior of Victorian Home Design
- Two or three stories in the homes
- High ceilings
- Ornate staircases
- Floorplans with added nooks
- Detailed wooden trims
Exterior of Victorian Home Design
- Vertical, gabled roofs
- Decorative woodwork
- Towers, dormers, and turrets
- Bay windows
- Stained glass
- Round angles
- Bright colors
Exterior Elements that Complement Victorian Homes
Here are the exterior elements that are perfect for your victorian home design in Iowa.
The Roof
Roof designs on homes that preceded the Victorian homes are pretty simple. Victorian homes have multiple steep roofs. Larger Victorian homes can have towers, turrets, eyebrow dormers, widow’s walks, and other elements.
If you want your home’s roof to reflect the Victorian home design, you can ask a contractor to add false dormers on your roofline. These roofs are usually expensive, but nowadays, you can construct them using slates. Make sure to align your roofs with your front entry doors. Make sure to use different gray shades that will mimic the perfect Victorian roof.
Structural Elements
Another distinct element of a Victorian home is the enormous porch. Your home’s porch is something you can transform and turn into Victorian architecture. It provides a cool, open, and relaxing area for your social gatherings and family activities. You can hold these things outdoors. Victorian-style porches are high and wide.
Additionally, for any Victorian home, tall yet narrow windows are a must. You can add steel windows and add shutters on them to create the perfect Victorian effect. You can add shutters on your existing windows as well and add colored plastic strips to create the illusion of stained glass.
The Colors
Colors are a big part of Victorian architecture. This is because back in the day, the homes were affected by the bold and brilliant color schemes. Homes were painted using neutral and natural tones like terra cotta, deep green or black, copper, or brick red.
Victorian home designs can be decorated with colors like yellow or purple for the trims, railing, and copper for windows. Avoid choosing bland shades, like pastel colors, gray, and white. Stick to blue and pink for more bright shades.
Decorative Trims
A significant and recognizable facet when it comes to Victorian home designs is their decorative trim. You can lace your homes with carved corbels, gingerbread trims, porch railings, columns, and more.
It’s like a wedding cake—it’s all about the waves and the trims. You can add elaborate moldings or keep it simple with icicle trims around the edges and corners of your porch. These trims give a whimsical look to your home, and you can ask your craftsmen to get creative.
Iron Front Doors
Victorian homes were all about luxury, elegance, and security. Iron doors were preferred as front entry doors for Victorian homes. If you want to design a Victorian design home, you can get a customized iron door. With the option of customizability, you can add the Victorian architectural style.
Iron entry doors can be made in any color and style. They have unique scrollwork on them, and you can choose the size, finish, glass pane, and design. Whether you go for a double or single iron entry door, make sure it fits your home’s style perfectly.
Pinky’s Iron Doors has you covered. Their front entry iron doors can complement your Victorian design home and enhance its features and luxurious look. Order iron doors for your Victorian design home in Iowa today.
Reach out to Pinky’s Iron Doors team in Iowa for more.
About the Author
Amy H. is an interior designer working in Iowa. She has traveled all over the US and worked with many door and furniture makers. She is affiliated with Pinky’s Iron Doors and assists their clients in choosing the right door for their home design. She also loves to paint and is always DIY-ing something or the other. She also has her column in a popular magazine.