How to Decorate an Antebellum Home

Hang appropriate art on the walls. Choose early to mid-nineteenth century-style landscapes or portraits in ornate frames.

Hang long, heavy draperies with ornate tiebacks in the living room, dining room and bedrooms.

Furnish the living room with antiques or mid-nineteenth century reproduction pieces if possible. Or choose a small sofa, settee and love seat with velvet or floral upholstery trimmed in dark wood. Enclose entertainment centers in a dark wood cabinet. A piano would add a special touch if you have the room for it.

Choose four posters or beds with a heavy oak headboard and foot board. Headboards can also feature ornate wood carvings. Large armoires in the bedrooms will provide extra storage in antebellum homes that have no closets. Add wooden chests for extra storage.

Use a dark wood table in the dining room. Surround the table with solid wood chairs with ornamental backs and arms. Place a long table runner on the dining room table and add an ornate stand in the center to hold a display of fruit and nuts.

Add large storage pieces in the kitchen. Deep, glass-fronted cabinets, storage hutches and sideboards provide additional storage. Display decorative plates and pieces such as pitchers and tureens.

Add a large accessory over each fireplace mantel, such as a large oval mirror in a gilt frame or a painting. Decorate the mantel with accessories such as a vase filled with dried grasses, a period-style clock and a small statue or bust.

Place furnishings on the porch. The porch was a place that encouraged socializing in the 1800s, so create conversation areas with the addition of chairs, tables and small sofas.

Add period-appropriate light fixtures. Chandeliers are appropriate for the entryway and the dining room. Sconces on the walls can provide extra lighting in bedrooms and the living room. A vintage candelabra can also be used as an accessory for a mantel.

Set large Persian or oriental-style area rugs over the hardwood floor in the living room and foyer. Place hooked rugs in bedrooms.