The Gothic Look

How to recreate a Gothic period look to your house; your period home needs to have its 21st century comforts, but you may like to have at least some rooms decorated and furnished in a Gothic style.

Bricks & Brass has a lot of information to help you achieve the Gothic look. Look in these sections:

Design by Style	This has an overview of Gothic style, and a feature-by-feature description.
Design by Room	Visit the pages for each room and pick out the information for this period.
Design by Element	This has more detail than in Design by Style. Visit the pages for each element and pick out the information for this period.
Paint Colours	In Design by Element, this is a palette of typical Gothic colours.
DIY	This section will tell you how to do many restoration tasks yourself.
Products and Services Directory	Look for the technical advice, architectural salvage, doors, tiles, glass, baths and paints that you need.

Basic Principles

In mid-Victorian houses, avoid bright white paint; instead use off-whites or pale creams.

All woodwork in soft woods such as pine should be grained or else painted. Hardwoods such as oak or mahogany should be varnished or polished.

Plaster and wood mouldings should be fairly simple in public rooms. Utility rooms such as kitchens do not need plaster coving.

Door furniture should be of black iron in Gothic designs of houses.

Use unfitted carpets and furniture.

Most mid-Victorian houses would have been furnished with some early Victorian furniture, as well as some older items and also contemporary pieces.

Bed design from 1869