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You’ve got a gorgeous Victorian home with all those original features — the cornicing, the fireplaces, the gorgeous bay windows — and you want to knock through and create an open plan kitchen living room without it looking like a renovation disaster. Sound familiar? I’ve been there, and honestly, getting this right is equal parts exciting and terrifying.
Victorian homes have such strong bones that the open plan look can either feel absolutely dreamy or weirdly disjointed. The good news? With the right ideas, you can nail that perfect flow. Let’s get into it.
Why Victorian Homes Are Actually Perfect for Open Plan Living
Here’s the thing people don’t always realise — Victorian homes were built with generously proportioned rooms. That means when you open them up, you get real space to play with, not just a slightly bigger box. The high ceilings alone make an open plan layout feel airy and luxurious in a way modern builds just can’t replicate.
The challenge is blending the old and new without making it look like a Pinterest fail. IMO, the secret is respecting the original architecture while confidently introducing modern elements.
1. Keep the Original Chimney Breast as a Focal Point
Don’t rip out that chimney breast. Seriously, it’s tempting when you’re opening up the space, but keeping it gives the living area a natural anchor. Paint it in a bold colour like deep teal or forest green to make it pop.
A wood-burning stove or a modern log burner in the original fireplace opening creates instant warmth — both literally and visually. It tells the story of the house while working perfectly in a contemporary open plan layout.
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2. Use a Kitchen Island to Define Zones
In an open plan space, you need something to signal “kitchen ends here, living room starts here” — and a kitchen island does exactly that. A waterfall island in Calacatta marble or a painted shaker style works beautifully in a Victorian home.
It also gives you somewhere to perch with a coffee while someone else cooks, which is honestly the dream, right?
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3. Match Your Flooring Throughout
One of the biggest mistakes people make is using different flooring in the kitchen and living areas. Consistent flooring — whether engineered oak, encaustic tiles, or polished concrete — visually unifies the whole space and makes it feel intentional rather than cobbled together.
For Victorian homes specifically, wide plank engineered oak in a warm tone feels period-appropriate without being stuffy.
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4. Install Bifold or Crittall Doors to the Garden
If your Victorian terrace or semi has a rear garden, Crittall-style steel-framed doors are an absolute game changer. They nod to industrial heritage, flood the space with light, and blur the line between inside and out during summer.
They’ve become the go-to choice for Victorian renovations for good reason — they look like they were always meant to be there.
5. Choose Shaker Cabinets in Period Colours
Shaker kitchens and Victorian homes were basically made for each other. Deep greens, navy blues, warm greys, and dusty pinks all feel at home here. Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue or Mizzle are popular choices, and for good reason — they’re rich without being oppressive.
Pair them with brass or unlacquered bronze hardware and you’ve got a kitchen that looks genuinely considered.
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6. Add Coving and Cornicing to New Extensions
If you’ve extended to the rear to create your open plan space, don’t neglect the ceilings. Adding period-style coving to a new extension is a small detail that makes an enormous difference. It ties the new space back to the original house seamlessly.
You can source reproduction Victorian cornicing affordably — it’s one of those finishing touches that separates a “nice renovation” from a “wow” renovation.
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Victorian Kitchen Style Quick Comparison
| Style Element | Victorian Touch | Modern Update |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinetry | Shaker doors | Handleless insets |
| Hardware | Brass / bronze | Matte black |
| Flooring | Encaustic tiles | Engineered oak |
| Lighting | Pendant clusters | Integrated LED + pendants |
7. Use a Large Pendant Light Cluster Over the Island
Lighting is where so many open plan spaces fall flat. A single recessed spotlight situation looks clinical and cold. Over your island, hang a cluster of pendant lights — rattan, smoked glass, or aged brass all work beautifully in a Victorian context.
Layer that with under-cabinet lighting and a couple of floor lamps in the living zone, and you’ve got a space that feels warm at every hour.
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8. Install Open Shelving for Character
Open shelving in a Victorian kitchen isn’t just practical — it adds personality. Style your shelves with a mix of practical items (nice jars, oils) and decorative pieces like vintage ceramics, trailing plants, or collected objects.
FYI, open shelving requires you to actually keep things tidy, so honest self-assessment required here 🙂
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9. Create a Reading Nook in the Bay Window
If you’re lucky enough to have a bay window in the living section of your open plan space, build a fitted window seat with storage underneath. Add cushions and a couple of throw pillows, and you’ve created the most coveted spot in the house.
It also subtly defines the “living” zone without using a wall or partition.
10. Go Bold With a Statement Ceiling Colour
High Victorian ceilings are crying out for drama. Painting the ceiling in a deep hue — dusty rose, sage, slate blue — adds depth and cosiness without making the space feel smaller. It’s unexpected, it’s bold, and in my experience, it always gets compliments.
11. Incorporate Original Floorboards Where Possible
If you’re not extending, you might have original Victorian floorboards hiding under carpet. Sand and seal them rather than replacing. The natural variation, the slight imperfections, the warmth of aged wood — it’s irreplaceable and it immediately grounds the whole space in history.
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12. Use a Freestanding Dresser Instead of Full Upper Cabinets
For a more relaxed, less fitted feel, consider replacing upper wall cabinets with a freestanding painted dresser. It adds character, breaks up the kitchen wall, and feels more like a room than a kitchen showroom.
Pair it with open shelving on the other walls and the whole kitchen feels curated rather than installed.
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13. Add a Butler’s Sink
The butler’s sink (or Belfast sink) is almost non-negotiable in a Victorian open plan kitchen. A deep ceramic sink in white or cream anchors the kitchen with period authenticity. It’s practical, beautiful, and ages wonderfully.
Team it with a bridge tap in brushed brass and you’re winning.
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14. Zone With Rugs in the Living Area
In an open plan space with continuous flooring, a large area rug in the living zone does enormous work. It defines the seating area, adds warmth underfoot, and softens the acoustics of what can otherwise feel like a noisy, hard-surfaced room.
Go for a vintage-style Persian or a natural jute — both sit beautifully against period architecture.
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15. Choose Vintage or Vintage-Inspired Furniture
A button-back sofa, a Chesterfield, a worn leather armchair — these all feel right at home in a Victorian open plan space. Modern furniture can work too, but there’s something about pieces with a bit of age and pathos that genuinely suit these houses.
Mixing periods always works better than strictly sticking to one era, by the way.
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16. Install Period-Style Radiators
Column radiators in white or anthracite are the obvious choice for a Victorian renovation, and for good reason. Modern panel radiators look incongruous against beautiful cornicing and stripped floorboards. The column style nods to the original heating while being fully functional and efficient.
They’re a small detail, but details are everything in a house this considered.
17. Use Glazed Internal Doors for Light Flow
If your open plan space connects to a hallway or utility room, glazed internal doors keep the light moving through the house without fully sacrificing separation. Go for a four-panel door with original-style glazing bars and you maintain the Victorian character throughout.
18. Plant the Space Generously
Seriously — plants do more for a Victorian open plan space than almost any other decorative element. Large fiddle leaf figs, trailing pothos, olive trees in terracotta pots, clustered trailing plants above shelving… they soften the architectural edges and bring the whole room to life.
Consider a trailing plant above your kitchen shelves and a large statement plant in the corner of the living zone. Trust me on this one :/
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Key Design Principles at a Glance
- Respect original architectural features — coving, fireplaces, floorboards
- Use consistent flooring throughout to unify the space
- Layer your lighting — pendants, under-cabinet, floor lamps
- Define zones with islands, rugs, and furniture placement rather than walls
- Mix old and new — Victorian bones, contemporary function
FAQ
Q: Do I need planning permission to open up a Victorian terrace? Most internal structural work requires building regulations approval rather than planning permission, but always check with your local authority — especially if your home is listed or in a conservation area.
Q: What’s the best flooring for a Victorian open plan kitchen living room? Engineered oak in a wide plank, warm tone is the most versatile option. Encaustic tiles work brilliantly in the kitchen zone if you want to add pattern.
Q: Can I keep original Victorian tiles in an open plan kitchen? Absolutely — if you have original floor tiles, build around them. They’re a genuine asset and add enormous character.
Q: What kitchen cabinet colour works best in a Victorian home? Deep greens, navy blues, and warm off-whites consistently work well. Farrow & Ball Hague Blue and Railings are enduringly popular for good reason.
Wrapping It Up
Victorian open plan kitchen living rooms work so well because the houses themselves have incredible bones to build on. Get the fundamentals right — consistent flooring, period-appropriate details, layered lighting, defined zones — and the space practically designs itself. The key is confidence: commit to your choices, respect the architecture, and don’t be afraid to mix old and new freely.
Now go pull up those floorboards and see what you’re working with. You might be sitting on something gorgeous.