Best Design Tips for Georgian Home Styling

Georgian is a classic yet simple design for any home, with a lot of history. It harnesses a formal style and showcases fine details with straight lines. Simplicity and symmetry are the key aspects to achieving the pure elegance on the Georgian design. Sometimes referred to as ‘Classic Romance’ this gives a sense of the style you would expect to see.

An older and similar style to the Edwardian design, we want to take you through the best tips to pulling off Georgian styling in your home.

History

The Georgian style is named after the designs that were captured in many homes during the reigns of George I to George IV in England. This style ran from the period of 1714 to 1837 and was influenced by other designs such as NeoClassical (Greek and Roman art and architecture), Rococo (French cockleshell and curved designs) and Oriental art (a gothic art form).

The Georgian style takes in elements from the French Rococo influence of straight lines and the symmetry of the Palladian design. It also adapts the Gothic feel of the orient style but is a simple and classic rendition.

All these designs inspire interiors, including marble, stonework and columns. The Edwardian style introduced in the 1890s is the revival of the Georgian design.

Architecture

Georgian styling is renowned for elegance and grander. The high ceilings and panelled walls bring out the Georgian flair in any current home. As part of the architecture, a chimney will be seen coming from the roof of any original Georgian house along with a brick exterior and large, evenly spaced double hung windows. Columns are common to see from the streetscape, and decoratively adorn most portico entries. Below are two modern takes on the Georgian exterior.

The walls are a key focus for the Georgian interior and should be divided into three sections. These sections feature the bottom, which is made up of dado or wood panelling, the centre is the mid-wall section and usually features classic striped wallpaper or subtle colour, and the top part sometimes consists of picture rails or more panelling.

Skirting boards rely on symmetry, straight lines and moved away from busy detailing. If there was alot of detailing, this was very symmetrical. A typical skirting for the era was still large in height and featured large flat areas.

The architecture of a Georgian home is exquisite and unique, so what are the best colours for this styled home?

Colour

You want to choose a coordinating colour scheme for your Georgian home. The colour in this style consists of muted shades of white, olive, pale blue, grey and browns. As the style developed, it inherited muted gold, red, pink, yellow and indigo’s.

Wood coloured white, olive, stone or chocolate brown are also the feature in a Georgian home for more of a modern twist. As time has developed, black or navy and white, have been the more popular colour schemes to keep it more crisp and fresh.

Now you can choose your colours, whether you keep it simple and fresh or add a few feature colours, make sure you don’t stray away from muted versions of any colour you choose. Now that is sorted, the texture and patterns are the second element of the interior of the home.

Texture and Patterns 

The textures in the home are very important, especially for the Georgian era. You want to pick fabrics with luxurious textures including velvet and thick woven fabrics. You want to stay away from linen fabrics as it is more of a coastal style and is seen more in a Hamptons style home.

Stick to a minimalistic pattern and geometrics when deciding on textures for your Georgian style. You don’t want to add too much floral. Go with sleek patterns to continue the classic feel of the home.

Once you have the right texture for your home, it’s time to finish off your Georgian design by furnishing and decor styling.

Style

The key to a fresh look in a Georgian home is to let as much light in as possible as well as keeping warm, just like the Edwardian style. The fireplace is the major focus in every Georgian home and is the key design feature. Generally, they are made up of pained white wood or white marble, making them look luxurious.

To add more light, you could also add elaborate candle sets to any room or wall lanterns. Wall lanterns are usually made of brass, glass, silver or wood. With big windows and mirrors, a Georgian home also creates excellent natural light to keep it bright and fresh.

Uncluttered and classic interiors are another main feature when styling a Georgian home. Furniture should be arranged to the walls and in the middle to make the room look big and full, even though it is clutter free and simple.

The furniture should be strong, bold and chunky. Some of this type of furniture includes sideboards, chaise lounges and big dining tables – with some antique feature pieces to tie in the history of this style. Add a rug to any large room to add colour to the floor or fill the floor with simple and elegant patterned carpet.

To give the rooms more elegance, drapes can also be used to provide it with the older, regal feel as well as a level of softness. Curtains also highlight the windows and the natural light coming in.

When you think Georgian, think “less is more”, add some small plants for a bit more decoration in the home and complement them with nice family photos in simple, elegant photo frames. If you want more decor, add a few pieces which resemble the old aspect of the style, this could be anything from an antique vase to a mirror in an old classic frame.

The Georgian style is a mixture of classic and elegant designs, using soft colours and simple elements. To create the Georgian home, it could be as simple as clearing some clutter, adding wainscoting and adding some feature furniture pieces.

To see more Georgian style, you can browse our gallery by clicking here.