Hints on Household Taste: The Classic Handbook of Victorian Interior Decoration

Restore your old Victorian era home to what it could have been like when it was first built.

We'd bought an Eastlake Victorian which had been restored inside and out. As we desired to furnish appropriate to period (1890), this book was a fine beginner's/general guide to style lines, detail, and what to avoid. Also helpful in choosing furniture pieces, draperies, and objets d'art. No color pictures except the cover, so one might want to purchase another similar book with pictures of restored rooms in similar homes for color guidance, trims, room set-up, etc.

Well-written and informative, but did not fill the need I had. I was looking for something with illustrations and the few line drawings included did not help. Still, I rate it four stars, because it was well-written.

Moving from a country primitive home to a 1890's Victorian home that needed restoration in every single room, this book was my bible! Charles Eastlake (credited with wonderful Eastlake style)explains how, why and where to do every room from the screens to the windows to the walls to the floors. His simple diagrams and easy to read explanations made restoring much easier. With still a few rooms to finish, the book never leaves my bedside table (which, of course, is Eastlake style!)

Charles Eastlake, (who is credited, innacurately, with the "Eastlake" style of architecture and furniture design) wrote a serialized guide to interior design concepts and theory. He's very opinionated about the evils of modern (c. 1880-90) architecture. I found this to be an enjoyable read, and got some great ideas about the decoration of several rooms in my 1903 Victorian house.