rbytsdy Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Hi folks, I am preparing to break open the Beacon Hill box, making wallpaper choices (tough!) and thinking about wainscoting and paneling... Are there traditional guidelines on whether to paint or stain interior trim, and if/how to combine painting and staining-- for baseboard vs. ceiling moulding vs. window/door trim? I have been looking at other folks' Beacon Hill trim schemes-- one with white ceiling trim and white window trim plus stained baseboard/wainscot and stained door trim, a couple with everything stained... It all looks fabulous, and the choice of wallpaper does suggest one or the other, but I want to know if there were general trends back in the late 1800's and early 1900's... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 During that period, stained trim was a bit more fashionable, but almost as many people prefered to paint their trim. Sometimes they'd stain downstairs, paint upstairs. Some very stylish homes had painted trim in those days, also. You can check my Victorian blog for more information http://victoriandecorating.blogspot.com/ It covers just about anything you can think of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I have a great deal of respect for anyone who has the foresight to know what the final outcome of their dh is going to be before the box is even open. I know decorating is easier to accomplish as you are building,but I cant make up my mind that fast and I dont like building that way,theres too much pressure,too many decisions. I think victorians white washed a lot of wood,Im sure either way would be historically accurate so I would just go with what matched your paper best. The Beacon is awesome,I love that house,good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbytsdy Posted February 17, 2008 Author Share Posted February 17, 2008 Thanks for the tip, grazhina-- I will check it out. I have a great deal of respect for anyone who has the foresight to know what the final outcome of their dh is going to be before the box is even open. I know decorating is easier to accomplish as you are building,but I cant make up my mind that fast and I dont like building that way,theres too much pressure,too many decisions. I think victorians white washed a lot of wood,Im sure either way would be historically accurate so I would just go with what matched your paper best. The Beacon is awesome,I love that house,good luck! LOL! Well I am not going to say that things won't change down the line... I made many of the broad decisions about the Pierce at the beginning, and modifications came along with the build itself. I do like to have a vague picture in my head about the layout and things I'd like to try, however-- in fact, I just started a blog about the Beacon Hill, to jot down some design thoughts... I definitely want to try some parquet-style flooring and some fancy paneling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hallowell Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Also in the older homes the lower floors were reserved for the wealthy owners do the trim and wooodwork wold be stained also the staircase would be fancier and stained. As you went higher in the house you would have the servants quarters so the trim would be simpler and painted as well as the staircase leading up to their floor. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corwin Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 This is interesting, any thought about first floor to basement transitions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 This is interesting, any thought about first floor to basement transitions? in Victorian?...they didn't care about that...they didn't give any thought to servants' rooms either. Often they were gray. Gray walls, gray woodwork......a nice durable gray...gray blankets..... Any basement woodwork that needed painting, like heading down towards a basement kitchen, or in the kitchen, would be painted a scrubbable dark brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corwin Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hmm.. mines a white, i plan to dirty it up abit.The plaster is plain plaster with 'mold' and the floors are dirt and stone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 I have a great deal of respect for anyone who has the foresight to know what the final outcome of their dh is going to be before the box is even open. I know decorating is easier to accomplish as you are building,but I cant make up my mind that fast and I dont like building that way,theres too much pressure,too many decisions. I think victorians white washed a lot of wood,Im sure either way would be historically accurate so I would just go with what matched your paper best. The Beacon is awesome,I love that house,good luck!Some decorating is easier to do as you build if it'll be inaccessible after it's together. Because my kits generally begin to talk to me long before they're opened I no longer have the long debates over decor or bashes, but when I first started out I discovered dry fitting simply as the only way to visualize how the house would look so I could assign rooms and decorate accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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