How to decorate a Georgian house
‘Let the attractive, harmonious proportions speak for themselves and leave great piles of furniture to the Victorians,’ writes architectural historian Oliver Gerrish, referring to the elegant style of typical a Georgian house. Built between 1714 and 1830, during the reigns of Kings George I, II, III, and IV, these most handsome of buildings are characterised by their symmetry and classical restraint, marrying beauty with practicality and comfort. As such, Oliver is of the belief that ‘Georgian interiors are often the easiest to decorate and restore’, providing the perfect backdrop for decorative schemes of many descriptions.
‘Although grey has become ubiquitous in modern day historic interiors, don’t be afraid of strong and vibrant colours – the cool and serene proportions can take them,’ he continues. ‘The wealthiest Georgians tried to be positively shocking with their palettes. One only has to enter the Ante Room at Syon, with its thrilling gaudiness, to feel transported into another realm. Later Georgian interiors, otherwise known as Regency, can be daring and colourful or simple and light.’
The Georgians were also pretty experimental when it came to their decorative influences, as Oliver explains, ‘The architects from this period experimented with a wide range of styles, including Egyptian (as seen in the dining room at Goodwood House), Indo-Chinese (the Royal Pavilion in Brighton) and heavy Greek. This approach works well today with Art Deco pieces and well-proportioned, plain furniture.’
So when it comes to decorating a Georgian house, there are few hard-and-fast rules, but the most successful schemes allow the building itself and its interior architecture to remain the focal point. It is all about striking that perfect balance between aesthetics and practicality, just as the Georgians themselves did when these houses were first built. Luckily, the House & Garden archive is filled with many very beautiful – and very well decorated – Georgian houses, which offer an excellent source of inspiration for anyone embarking on a similar project, be it a Palladian country pile or a smart London terrace. Here, we have gathered some of our favourites to highlight the decorating lessons we can take from each one.
Dean Hearne1/16Gardener Henrietta Courtauld’s Cornish farmhouse started life as a Tudor dwelling before being turned into the Georgian house we see today, with its sash windows and well-proportioned rooms. Surrounded by such beautiful gardens and land, it seemed only natural that the decoration should bring the outside in. This began with hand-printed wallpapers by designer Marthe Armitage and her daughter Jo Broadhurst, which feature flora and fauna. Here, in the sitting room, the walls are lined with sunny yellow ‘Tobacco Plant’, which is balanced by tongue-and-groove panelling below, chairs and sofas in simple white linen loose covers and plain rush matting over the stone floor. It is a world away from the grandeur of a Palladian or Regency country home, but still exudes a similar sense of restrained elegance (just look at the fireplace and panelled ceiling) and practical comfort.
Boz Gagovski2/16Just as the Georgians took their design cues from different periods of history and different parts of the world, interior designer Tom Morris found himself inspired by the work of artist Giorgio de Chirico when decorating this late Georgian house in north London, not far from the Estorick Collection of modern Italian art. ‘Looking at de Chirico’s paintings helped outline a main palette of terracotta and dark orange, teal and smoky blue – with bursts of primary reds and greens,’ he explains. Once the palette was established, it was then a case of sourcing the right furniture, art and textiles to complete each room. ‘Although the proportions of the house are wonderful, it’s relatively small,’ he adds. ‘So we had to make sure that everything served a purpose and that each piece sang in some way.’
Owen Gale3/16Will Fisher and Charlotte Freemantle, the couple behind Jamb, have created an interior of great beauty at their Georgian house in Camberwell, filling it with period-appropriate fireplaces and antiques. Their drawing room, which occupies the full width of the house, shows how well pale blue works as a colour for such a light-filled space (three floor-to-ceiling windows occupy one wall). The colour is ‘Fenching Blue’ by Papers and Paints. Chimneypieces, which are one of Jamb’s specialities, are hugely important for getting the feel of the room right, and the grandeur of this space is matched by the elaborate Portland stone chimneypiece in the drawing room, which dates to the mid-18th century.
Owen Gale4/16Will and Charlotte have retained the hierarchy of spaces throughout their Camberwell house, and the kitchen and downstairs dining area are much simpler rooms. The walls are painted in ‘Hardwick White’ by Farrow & Ball, and an early 20th-century dining table and benches occupies one end of the room. The early 18th-century fireplace in this room is, by contrast, much more austere than the example in the drawing room.
Paul Massey5/16Such is the appeal of Georgian architecture, that many houses have been built in that same style since – and there are decorating lessons we can take from these too. When approaching this 1930s Georgian-style country house, Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay showcased its fine interior details, such as the original columns seen here that are now painted in a marble effect, while bringing the house up to date with an eclectic mix of pieces and a distinctive palette of colours and materials. The result is a space that feels sympathetic yet fresh and unstuffy.
Christopher Horwood6/16Designer Carlos Garcia is behind the harmonious interiors of this Georgian townhouse in north London. The drawing room is particularly beautiful, with its pale blue walls (the colour is Edward Bulmer’s ‘Welmish Blew’) and classical allusions, such as the elegant pedimented bookcases at the back of the room. Pattern makes its way in through the curtains and the rug, but the other fabrics in the room are much more restrained. There are some more formal pieces of furniture, while others are more relaxed.
Christopher Horwood7/16Living in a Georgian house, even one of great significance, does not mean that you need to be slavish to history. When Peter Sheppard and Keith Day restored the grand Palladian Wolterton Hall in Norfolk, they installed this beautiful contemporary kitchen, which became the joint winner of the 2020 Historic Houses Kitchen Award.
Alexander James8/16Not all Georgian houses were grand or highly decorated. The famous weavers’ houses in Spitalfields are elegant in their proportions but were designed as commercial premises as well as residences, and their restorations do best when they reflect these relatively humble beginnings. The owner of this example was careful to keep things simple and pared-back. She has painted most of the walls white or pale grey, and used reclaimed early-19th-century floorboards from a Welsh chapel for the floor.
Hugo Rittson Thomas9/16In perfect Georgian style, the pale blue dining room of Beckside House has a cluster of prints and medallions hung above and around the chimneypiece with its distinctive carved frieze.
Paul Massey10/16The fine proportions of a Georgian house can also take stronger colour, as this hallway in the West Country house of tech entrepreneur Rose Hulse shows. The colour is ‘French Blue’ by Edward Bulmer, which acts as a perfect foil for the rich reds of rugs found at Woolley & Wallis.
Lucas Allen11/16In the drawing room of print maker Cameron Short’s restored Georgian house, a lamp with a ‘Varx’ shade made by Cameron sits on a restored 18th-century oak table, which was unearthed in a barn adjoining the house. The carpet-covered ottoman and chair were both auction buys.
Sharyn Cairns12/16Ben Pentreath’s former parsonage in Dorset is one of our favourite examples of how to blend tradition with modernity. ‘Although we did a lot of rescuing, it doesn’t look over-restored,’ the designer says. ‘The kitchen floor, for example, needed replacing. As there was a patch of old stone flagging, I had hoped there would be more beneath the linoleum. Of course, there wasn't, so we simply glued wooden boards on top of the existing floor and painted them dove grey. It looks really nice and happily maintains the fiction that nothing much has happened here in the past 200 years.’
Paul Massey13/16Pastel and candy colours feel just right for the grander Georgian houses, like the charming Bradwell Lodge in Essex. The front entrance leads into a domed neoclassical vestibule, built around 1780 with access to the Tudor wing to the left and, up the steps to the right, the Georgian wing. The pale peach of the walls is eye-catching and makes the most of the room's beautiful proportions.
Paul Massey14/16Simple panelling in the Georgian style can be a gracious way to decorate a room, and we love the symmetry of this fireplace in the dining room of gilder Claire Mosley’s south London house.
Paul Massey15/16Such panelling can also be the backdrop for a contemporary interior. In this modest Georgian cottage decorated by Henry Prideaux, the same clean-lined panelling features throughout, but the furniture is largely contemporary or mid-century. In the bedroom, the walls are painted in Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Sea Nor Sky’, while a bed by Pure-Ex, a Vaughan wall light and a bedside table designed by Henry complete the scheme.
Simon Upton16/16Cornicing is one of the most crucial aspects to get right when restoring a period house of any type.The owner of this 1830s London house wanted it to be restored to its original style, and had a passion for Sir John Soane, whose influence can be seen in everything from the arrangement of the rooms to the mouldings (copied from designs in the Soane Museum). Dealer and designer Max Rollitt retained its elegant idiosyncrasies, including the original dentilled cornicing in the hallway, and added a judicious selection of antiques and reproductions, including the classic 'Original Globe' lantern from Jamb here in the hallway.
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