Victorian-era bathrooms and kitchens from around 1900
So, whether you’re looking for a Victorian-style kitchen to suit your historical home or simply want to redesign your kitchen with traditional features and furniture, there are many possibilities that Victorian kitchens will give. The Victorian era was a time of invention and advancements. The stove, the icebox, and other new technologies helped transform the idea of what a kitchen is and what it looked like. While you may think kitchens from over 100 years ago don’t have relevance today, you will find that many elements are still useful for modern life. So if you want to know more about this, then this blog is for you.
For today’s blog, exclusive for our Real Estate Heaven members, we will be talking about the different Victorian era bathrooms and kitchens that are from around 1900.
The Victorian era was a prosperous one for the middle class and left wealthy. It is referred to as the Victorian era, during Queen Victoria’s reign. The time period saw much innovation and ingenuity, when it came to the frivolous things of life, such as having a stylish home with all the newest convenient luxuries. From the 1800s in England, Victorians were able to buy mass-produced goods and find uses for them in their spaces – like kitchens and bathrooms. It also introduced recent inventions like refrigeration, plumbing, and drainage to make sanitary conditions much better. A kitchen could have a cook stove as opposed to an open hearth, and an icebox that preserved food so it’s safe to store anywhere. The historic Victorian kitchen of a wealthy family would often be a flurry of activity as prep work to entertain guests and prepare the family’s evening meal took place.
The wealthy household would have employed a butler, cook, and possibly other staff to run the kitchen and home. In many homes, there was an additional storage space used as a kitchen outside of the kitchen called the butler’s pantry. It typically housed quills or ink to record wine consumption and a wine logbook. This was also the last way dishes were staged before being placed on a family’s dining table. Before houses had plumbing and water pipes, bathing would have taken place in the kitchen. This would have been the warmest room of the house, and it would have also allowed for heated water to be more easily placed in a tub. Bathing habits and rules varied during the time period.
Bathing was not only limited to hot water, but it also required taking into account the hours between eating and whether or not they bathed certain parts of their body. During the height of this era, most people did not have indoor bathrooms in their homes. Ones that did exist were typically on the first floor for the ease of carrying water, but as plumbing developed, the baths could be placed upstairs. Lavatories in the majority of Victorian homes were missing the toilet of more modern day bathrooms. These would have still been outside in the majority of cases. However, there is one hallmark feature of a Victorian era bathroom. That feature is the porcelain clawfoot bathtub.
Kitchens from this era were plain and simple. Every feature had a use or purpose. At the turn of the 20th century, kitchens and homes were detached. The kitchens were by design utilitarian, meaning their focus was on utility. If something didn’t have a use, it wasn’t included. Utilitarian is similar to minimalistic. In modern times it’s a choice that helps reduce stress. In the Victorian era, it was the norm. In the pre-WWI era, servants were common in the US and Europe. Cooks would work away in the kitchen and guests wouldn’t step foot in there. Kitchen duties weren’t emphasized on appearance. Bedrooms, parlors, and foyers were more attractive to guests. We should make every room appealing to ourselves.
While you can go off looks and style, Victorian kitchens had unique components that completed them. Here are a few items that can help you make your kitchen look Victorian Age. The original refrigerator was an icebox. Thomas Moore, an American farmer, came up with the idea in 1802 as a way to keep food fresh. The word “refrigerator” was also Moore’s idea. Today, older people refer to fridges as iceboxes. As metal is a conductor, the icebox was insulated with wood. Oak was chosen because it doesn’t conduct heat, while zinc or tin plates were used on the internal walls and shelves.
Hoosier cabinets were very popular in the early 1900s. They were a luxury that replaced most kitchen cabinets and consisted of lower cabinets, a bar for preparing food, and an upper cabinet. Cabinets were used to store food. Similar cabinets were hutches, pie safes, and Welsh dressers. China cabinets weren’t popular as they were primarily for displaying dishes.
There were two ways to cook food when life was like this. One was a stove that used either coal or wood. Soups were prepared on top of the stove where bread was baked in a compartment. Gas ranges are a Victorian Era invention, but many homes didn’t use them. It wasn’t until the Victorian age began to fade away that they were introduced to middle-class homes. They were emerging in wealthy homes. If you add one item to your Victorian kitchen, make it a cookstove. They make a huge impact and don’t need to be operating to have an impact. If you do hook them up and vent them, have a professional do it.
The two most authentic Victorian kitchen floors are historic tile and a real wood floor. The most authentic would be authentic tile inspired by the 1800s. However, the cheapest option is to get laminate that looks like a real wood floor. Stray away from geometric designs or linoleum floors. They are too modern for a Victorian kitchen and will take away from the integrity the other items are building on.
A butcher block is a feature in kitchens that usually act as a counter. Butcher blocks come from a time where people didn’t have counters and needed one for home. The tops are square and are made of wood. You can top your butcher block with a dough bowl. It is not the same as a bread bowl. A dough bowl allows you to knead the dough and is a cheap addition to Victorian kitchens.
In Victorian times, indoor plumbing was rare. People had wood sinks with simple ads on the page. By the 1900s most sinks were attached to walls and replaced intrusive bowl and basin sinks. “If your kitchen sink is worn out, replace it with a steel or graniteware sink. They are clean and sanitary. Our price is right.” The Toronto Star advertised in 1902. Yes, before this time, most people had wooden sinks!
You can decorate your kitchen without spending anything if you have old objects around. For example, a phone from the 1800s will give it an industrial look, and a calendar from 1800s will give it a homey feel. You can find inexpensive items from that time period, even if it is just a small touch. You can find valuable things at flea markets and trade centers, but you’ll need to do research ahead of time before spending money on them.
Wainscoting is a popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms. Adding this could hide removable items or provide a waterproof or fireproof shield. Add paneling to the lower part of your walls for an authentic vintage feel. If you search for “wainscot paneling” when shopping for paneling, you will see that it has grooves in the shape of rectangles or squares and is brown or white.
During the Victorian Era, in rural areas, the farmhouse was popular. In Victorian times, kitchen design came to symbolize social order. The vast majority of kitchens were in wealthy homes, which had large kitchens that were akin to those seen in “Little House On The Prairie”, and most cooking was done by the house’s inhabitants. Due to this, kitchens were not kept apart and instead were open spaces. The dining room wasn’t separate but instead was included. Most Victorian kitchens were owned by the wealthy, rather than being an era. After WWI, art deco emerged in the 1920s and focused on artisanship, crafts, and architecture. Modern art emerged between WWI and the Great Depression. Design styles became similar to what we see today with Victorian kitchens becoming popular in Ohio. Before the changes, it was easy to see what life is like before artisan and eclectic designs became popular.
Victorian kitchen styles, and home decor styles in general, were widely influenced by England. More specifically, the English monarchy and aristocracy provided much of the influence. Design for everything from textiles to tiles and wood was ornate and opulent. Typically, wood stains have been dark to complement the rich jewel tones of patterns on wallpaper and textiles. Wood furniture has also been decorated with scrolls and cornices and they looked sturdy and heavy. In Victorian times, dark colors were popular and functioned as a way to disguise dirt and coal dust. Wealthy Victorian homeowners would have servants in their kitchens, so the rooms and furniture would be designed specifically for function, not beauty. Unlike kitchens of the past, which were constrained within the walls, modern cabinetry can be moved around and reconfigured to be nearly any shape. This furniture is typically adjacent to a large work table that would provide a space for the daily meal prep.
Our kitchens today are designed with an outward orientation. This means that the work stations are on the perimeter and the center is open. Victorian kitchen style would have been of an inward orientation where a large table in the middle would have housed much of the prep and work space and the moveable cabinets featured more storage capacity with less workable surface. This inward orientation of the historic victorian style is set up for multiple cooks in a kitchen at once. As the Victorian period neared the 20th century, people from this time started to switch from cooking in hearths and using heavy metal cookware to more modern cooking methods. This would typically involve a new type of stove that did not rely on firewood for heat.
These new stoves were marketed as being more efficient and easier on the environment. They could burn coal, wood or gas and many were large with fancy hoods. These stoves also had the ability to dry clothes near them; this is accomplished by a pulley system. Cabinets were free-standing, not attached to walls; they could be moved when needed. Cabinets were used less for food preparation and more as utensils or tool storage. Middle-class families would sometimes have cabinets on hand, as they are not used for eating at the large center table in the inward-centered kitchen. Plumbing was rare in the early Victorian times, but as the period progressed, plumbing, sewage, and draining became more common.
A sink would have faucets for both hot and cold water. Drains could be connected to sinks and tubs to remove dirty water from the house safely and efficiently. Hand cranks on items like grinders, dryers, and telephones made small chores more convenient. Many renovators of today try to copy the style of a historic Victorian kitchen. This can present challenges as the modern day layouts and products available are not Victorian in design. Renovators looking for ideas to recreate a historic Victorian kitchen should include a center large table, dark cabinetry, and a replica cookstove.
Now let us look at these beautiful Victorian Kitchens that fit modern life.
The first one is this freestanding kitchen. One of the main features of a Victorian kitchen is that, unlike our modern kitchens where everything is built-in, the focus is on freestanding cabinetry and furniture. This can be for the look, or to save space. A great kitchen item that’s freestanding is this little sink unit from The Olive Branch Kitchens. This allows you to have an additional workspace where there is room, while also adding to the vintage feel of your kitchen.
Another one is this blue victorian style kitchen. This lovely kitchen from blakelyinteriordesign feels very modern, but incorporates some Victorian-era elements. This sleek, modern kitchen feels inviting and warm, and it has a Victorian flair to it with the intricate molding around the stove and the large range cooker. Victorian kitchens were lavish without skimping on flourishes and often became ornate and extravagant.
They also have this kitchen that faces inwards. Victorian kitchens were designed with the primary workspace in the middle of the room. There is open space on the perimeter with Victorian-era kitchens, unlike modern ones that focus on perimeter kitchen design. Citrineliving proves that this is a Victorian-era design we should definitely revive.
When it comes to kitchens, Victorian homes often featured a formal dining table with seating arranged in the center of the space. This design by jacksondesignandremodeling provides a perfect place to eat and entertain, right where everything else is going on.
While you would have expected to see a clothing pulley system above the range cooker in the Victorian era, an antique range cooker is a great way to bring a Victorian feel to any modern kitchen. Whether you opt for a cool green version, like this one from agaaustralia, or something a little more rustic, range cookers are usually oversized and perfect for cooking for large families.
Here’s a Victorian-era element we can definitely get behind. Victoria’s kitchens often had a butler pantry dedicated to food preparation away from guests. This stunning example (from itchenandbeyond.se) is built-in, but it’s also a beautiful reminder of how things are always new again.
The Victorian era brought with it the introduction of indoor plumbing, a modern amenity we can all agree was one of the best inventions of the past 200 years. Most Victorian sinks were porcelain, like this one from tap.warehouse, and featured brass or iron faucets.
If you compare late 1800s kitchens to modern kitchens, you will find that less is usually stored in the kitchen. One reason for this is because dishes and other products were freestanding and homeowners had a lot more open wall space. Open shelving was an important design element in these older kitchens.
Look at this grand victorian style kitchen from historicalconcepts. Here, you can see the dominant features of Victorian homes. The grandeur and warmth that is a feature of longtime favorites such as leaning antique ladders and oversized kitchen islands are present in this kitchen.
This vintage kitchen from showtime_essential_kitchens features built-in cabinetry that lends the same look and feel of Victorian-era freestanding furniture. Because of the fact that the cabinets do not sit flush with the ground, the kitchen gives off that freestanding vibe that feels rustic and antique.
The Victorian kitchen often had a full-sized dining room table in the center of the space. Modern kitchens are more compact and sometimes don’t have a lot of space for a table. But there are many options: you can use two or four seater tables or standalone pantries to achieve that Victorian feel. While Victorian kitchens were often large enough to hold a full-sized dining room table in the center of the space, modern kitchens can be on the more compact side. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring a vintage table, like this one from doesnttalktostrangers,.
Though the Victorian time period is long gone, its style of kitchens can still be implemented in modern homes. With some minor updates, a Victorian-style kitchen combines the beauty of this era with convenient functionality. If you like the Victorian style but feel it’s dated, look at designs from the 1900s. The easier use of modern day appliances in this decade makes it more applicable today. When you want to create a personal style that is uniquely yours, there are no rules. You should mix and match until you find that perfect fit. You can also study photos of kitchens in order to identify which ones speak to you.
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