Georgian-Inspired Elegance Lives on in Today's Homes
Classical design from a bygone era gives today's homes beautiful proportions, subtle color palettes and decorative architectural features
Houzz Contributor. Based in Cambridgeshire, U.K., Julia Pockett is founder Director of Sujiivana Design Ltd (http://www.sujiivana.co.uk), an on-line emporium of home accessories and of interior design services. Specialising in affordable design, Julia has worked on projects including full property refurbishments, individual room designs and home staging.
Houzz Contributor. Based in Cambridgeshire, U.K., Julia Pockett is founder... More »
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Many of us still admire the elegant proportions and soft colors that dominated English homes of the early Georgian period — the 18th-century reigns of George I and George II. King George III was succeeded by his son, who was first prince regent and then became George IV when his father died. This later period is more commonly recognized as the regency era.
English Georgian homes were inspired by the strong classical designs of early Romans and by Italian Palladian and Pompeian ornamental details. They had light rooms with beautiful proportions, large windows and a subtle but sophisticated palette of soft blues, dusky pinks, pale grays and whites. This era has even inspired whole ranges of heritage paints today, helping create a historic elegance that so many modern homeowners admire.
English Georgian homes were inspired by the strong classical designs of early Romans and by Italian Palladian and Pompeian ornamental details. They had light rooms with beautiful proportions, large windows and a subtle but sophisticated palette of soft blues, dusky pinks, pale grays and whites. This era has even inspired whole ranges of heritage paints today, helping create a historic elegance that so many modern homeowners admire.
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The typical English Georgian facade with a portico took its design from the ancient Greeks and was used to grand effect in the Pantheon in Rome. A porch is still a practical feature today, although we may or may not choose this formal design.
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The bowfront Georgian with large windows created rooms of great proportion, with highly decorative plasterwork for additional elegance. While people in the Georgian period dressed their windows with sumptuous curtains and pelmets, the absence of these allows for a very contemporary aesthetic with a Georgian backdrop.
Georgian properties had an abundance of moldings, and decorations included ribbons, classical figures and urns. We may not be lucky enough to own a period property, but the decorative nature of the design has been used to create many wallpapers, replica moldings and updated takes on classic pieces — such as chandeliers.
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Josiah Wedgwood was famous for his pottery and specifically for his jasperware — for which he, like so many of his Georgian design counterparts, took inspiration from the classics. Taking the shapes of Roman vessels, his pieces included classic scenes in white on a background of the colors typical of the era.
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Whether or not you like the traditional Wedgwood design, it has inspired generations of color schemes with while moldings — in particular, white on Wedgewood blue. You can see this classic scheme here in a beautiful room with Georgian-style light and proportion. Note also the wooden floor and Oriental rug, also typical of the era.
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Thomas Chippendale, another Georgian designer and cabinetmaker, hardly needs an introduction, as his work continues to inspire furniture design today. His unique style has an underlying simplicity with exotic Chinese influences. Nowadays his work is often used in the styling of balustrades and railings.
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In the Georgian era, furniture was made from wood, such as walnut; mahogany was also introduced, first from Spain and then from Central America. Today many of us still love rich, dark wood. Here it adds warmth and elegance to a softer Georgian color palette.
Ideabook updated on Nov. 27, 2012.
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super georgian room what terrible interior design
"contemporary aesthetic" like a waiting room at a dental surgery
classic example of where old and new do not mix