Romantic Victorian Porches

Protected Outdoor Living

• Victorian porches provided the ideal romantic spot for outdoor living. During the Victorian era, home designs made a departure from boxlike shapes and were designed with asymmetrical interiors. Elaborate exterior features like gables, arched windows and decorative eaves added to the romantic ambiance. Steeply pitched roofs became popular, especially on the well-known Queen Anne Victorian-style homes. Roofs provided shade and coolness in warm summer months and protected porches from weather elements like wind and rain.

Porch Variety

• Covered Victorian porches were often placed at the front of the house near the entry. Some porches began at the front and wrapped around one side of the building, or even the entire home. Other porches were located on the second story of the house and were referred to as balconies. Small balconies were sometimes open at the top, but larger second story porches were generally covered by the roof. These second-story balconies were frequently stacked on top of the main floor porch and featured elaborate ornamentation like the main porch. These romantic porches became a prominent feature of the Victorian home ,and the trim was often painted white to accentuate them even further.

Gingerbread Ornamentation

• A hallmark of romantic Victorian porches is the "gingerbread" ornamentation. To give the porch an elaborate feeling, spindles, brackets and running trim were used. Running trim was placed between porch posts and employed repetitive scrollwork, fan design or spindles. Decorative brackets were often placed at the top of the porch posts and at the corners of the windows to enhance the design of the Victorian porch even more.

Balusters, Columns and Railings

• Romantic Victorian porches generally include decorative railings, columns and balusters. Columns and porch posts come in a wide range of styles such as turned wood designs, fluting and rope designs. Railings featured a top handrail and a bottom rail with balusters or spindles of turned wood to add an open appearance to the porch.