Just as trends in the fashion world are cyclical – several generations of us have worn hot pants or platform shoes – there are cycles in home decoration too. Reclamation yards are seeing huge numbers of visitors, and many people love hunting out bargains there, enjoying the pleasure of scouring the collections of cast iron gates, real wood original floorboards, roof tiles, or any other treasures.
Period features are listed on property details because they’re so important to potential buyers. Who doesn’t get excited at the prospect of real sash windows, for example?
Period features not only look beautiful but they can also add value to your home, as the Daily Mail outlines.
If a property doesn’t have features like a ceiling rose in place, there are companies now, like Creative Cables https://www.creative-cables.co.uk/2648-ceiling-roses, who make very good replicas.
Real fireplaces
There is something wonderfully romantic about a real fireplace that goes beyond the physical warmth it produces, and a gorgeous period fire surround is just one of the key features that can add value to your home. Whether they are cast iron, marble, or wood, the key is that they are present and not covered up.
Dado rails
Dado rails in their original form are back. They were originally intended to prevent chair-backs from damaging walls, and might have had wood panelling below (also a key period feature in its own right) and either paint or wallpaper above. That look is back, though thankfully the 1990s look of bold clashing paints either side is not back. Perhaps like shell-suits in the fashion world, they have been confined to the past, never to return again!
Plasterwork
We’re not talking about smooth plaster – though that obviously does have a place – but rather, the exquisite decorative plasterwork that the French do so well. Think stunning coving, with an otherwise Scandi-inspired minimalist scheme, or intricate ceiling roses that draw the eye. There is plasterwork present in Georgian, Victorian, and more deco styles, so there is lots of scope to include it in your project.
Of course, there are lots of other period features that will add not only value but beauty too to your home, so take some time, plan your décor so you know what you’re looking for, and then hit the reclamation yards!