I’m sharing one of my latest obsessions – modern georgian interior style, and a tour into this Georgian mansion turned hotel in Britain. Let’s explore what Georgian style is in the modern interior world and how we can take some ideas and use it for our own home.
Can Georgian be an interior style?
We have heard so much about Farmhouse, Contemporary, Cottage, Bohemian, as trendy interior design styles. But what about Georgian interior style or Georgian style homes? At least I hadn’t heard much about it.
Then I encountered Heckfield Place, a Georgian home restored and turned into a beautiful hotel in England. The interior matches the exterior, not only with the Georgian period history, but also it has so much harmony with Georgian architectural style.
So what exactly is the Heckfield Place’s interior style? Well, I’m sure each person would interpret it differently. In my mind, I like to refer to it as “Modern Georgian style”.
It is classic, but not extravagant. It has a formal living vibe, but never too grand or fancy, rather more on the practical side. More importantly, it looks modern and relevant which can go well with modern homes, like you and me.
Modern Georgian interior design – A field study of Heckfield Place
I’m so in love with how Heckfield Place interprets Georgian style in a modern interior setting. And there are so many takeaways for me to learn interior design by taking a virtual tour with their beautiful Georgian house.
So here’s a breakdown on its Modern Georgian interior characteristics that I have observed from Heckfield Place. I’m taking so much note from its beautiful and unique interior design style and I hope you do too 🙂
Modern Georgian style – Use of color
The first thing that jumps to my mind is the use of color – so bold but also so neutral!
This sounds contradictory right? The thing is they have made such smart paint color choices which made the color go so harmonious within the space, and at the same time add a lot of personality.
One thing I’ve always been interested in is using colors as neutral. What does that mean? Well, that is when you use a similar hue for the wall and the furniture, and some decor pieces, so that they just blend in together. This is sometimes called tone-on-tone.
In this bedroom, the wall is in a muted salmon pink. They have painted the cabinet a lighter pink color. The floor is a light and muted orange tone which has some what a similar peach tone.
All of these 3 big color blocks work so well together because they are in a very similar hue and tone. So even though the wall and cabinet individually may look like a color that really stands out, putting them all together makes the space look harmonious – and it just works!
In this living / dining space they have chosen a bold color of a deep olive green for the walls. I would be terrified if I received a can of paint in this color and was asked to paint it right away. However, even though this can be a terrifying color, it works so well in this space.
Now look at this space: with the dark wood accent throughout the room, the dark paintings on the wall, this bold color actually blends in with the environment so well that you don’t even register this paint color as something unusual.
I think my takeaway here is to always choose paint colors in relation to what’s in a room, rather than choosing it by itself. If you are building a brand new space, maybe paint color can be the jumping off point and choose furniture around it. If you are repainting walls of a finished space, then think about what paint goes well with your existing furniture.
I also love that they added a pair of orange pillows to add some accent color. Because the entire space is based on a yellow tone so nothing really looks jarring, even though there are quite some bold colors within the space.
Another note I’d like to make: instead of choosing any bold color, choose historical colors that you can see in old buildings or rooms because they have been tested by time and proven to be timeless.
Modern Georgian style – The traditional influence
Something so charming about the modern Georgian interior is that the traditional influence. You can see a lot of classic historical elements in this space.
I love that this Georgian style bathroom below is using classic console sinks with polished nickel legs. Using a console sink at the hotel is definitely a smart choice since guests don’t need to store a ton of items during travel.
For a home though, it might be a good idea to try this in the powder room, instead of a small bathroom where you need a lot of closed storage for all sorts of skin and body care.
The arched sconces on the wall also helps to bring elegance and sophistication to this bathroom.
Additionally, they have paid a lot of attention to the layout of what’s in the room. In this photo below, the table, tablecloth, chairs, cabinets andsette are positioned in a very classic setting. The traditional armchairs aged the space in a beautiful way.
Modern Georgian style – Architectural details
Another thing that really stands out about modern Georgian interiors is highlighting architectural details. In this dining space you can see that they have highlighted the vaulted ceiling by planking it and keeping the beams in wood finish. Together, it draws our eye up and notice the ceiling before the dining set below.
A lot of Georgian houses have vaulted ceiling because of the architecture style. So if used smartly it can really bring wow to a space. Sometimes architecture details are more impactful than the furniture within.
Another way of adding architectural detail is the use of moldings. In this little office nook they have added box moldings to the wall and painted it with a blue gray color to make it look like it was from hundreds years ago.
If you are looking to add molding to your house, think about what period your house is from or what period you want your home to look like. Then you can plan out the mouldings and other architecture details according to that.
There are tons of books about architecture features that you can reference, such as this book Architectural Details.
I’m so obsessed with this living room corner. The warm hue combined with fresh greeneries just make it so dreamy. I especially love the paint color of the wall, which is a light grey with a green undertone. Green paint color can sometimes look old or dated but they made it look so chic in this space.
Georgian interior design ideas
Besides these three emerging themes to achieve modern Georgiann style, there are some other ideas to lean to the classic side of Georgian interiors while still making it look current.
Modern Georgian style homes are usually based on traditional design, but leveraging modern taste. For example, this home office corner has a lot of traditional design elements such as the spindle chair, wainscotting, herringbone floors.
At the same time, it has a modern taste that you can observe by the use of dark moody color for almost the entire space. The bookcase on the back has very clean lines which is very contemporary. The decor choice also lean more on geometric, such as the floor lamp on the left and stool.
Another classic bone with a modern taste example is this kitchen below. This kitchen interior is a combination of Georgian and farmhouse style – it feels traditional and cozy.
Often using wood as kitchen cabinet finish can look quite dated, but definitely not for this kitchen. Instead of using a vibrant wood tone, they are using muted organic looking wood finish which has been quite trendy these days.
Combined with clean shaker details, it really present a modern farmhouse inside a traditional home with a lot of coziness.
Other favorite interior styles
Modern Farmhouse Interior Style
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