Victorian-Style Home Ideas

Victorian-style homes often boast richly complex color combinations, as seen here. Additional visual interest is added to this home's facade through the repetition of the porch spindles on the front gable.

The exterior walls of Victorian-style homes are often textured with decorative shingles, as seen between the first- and second-story porches that extend across two sides of this home.

Stick-style Victorian homes, such as this one, are characterized by their tall, narrow structure, linearity, and emphasis on wood as a building material.

Chimneys are a key visual element of Victorian-style homes. Traditionally, they are tall, brick, and have elaborate caps. The two grandiose chimneys of this contemporary Victorian-style home are given a fresh look with natural stone.

Round towers characterize many Victorian-style houses and can contribute to a charming asymmetrical design. All four sides of Victorian homes can be quite different.

Ornamental details, such as decorative spindles and brackets, characterize many Victorian-style homes. Note the design on this home's porch gable.

Wide, flaring, and quite steep, the roofs of Victorian-style homes are generally covered with wood shingles, as seen here. Sometimes, decorative slate shingles are used instead.

A bold and vibrant landscape design reflects the ornamental detailing of this Victorian-style home. Sometimes a grand garden is needed to play off the dramatic features of the home's architecture.

The various textures on this home's exterior are defined by the yellow, green, and cranberry color combination. The colors also emphasize clean lines along the home's deep eaves.

Elaborate front porches often mark main entrances of Victorian-style homes. The pediment on this portico mimics the home's front gable.

Not all Victorian-style homes are lavishly decorated or boldly colored. While its embellishments are restrained, this Victorian still features many of the style's favorite qualities, such as the sweeping front porch.

Decorative spindles, combined with flowers in hanging baskets and rail boxes, dress up the rounded front porch of this Victorian-style home.

When painting a Victorian home, don't be afraid of bold colors. Use one color for the main part of the house, another for the trim, and a third for decorative accents.

Decorative bargeboard trim laces the eaves of this Victorian-style home. All dressed up, the outdoor scheme includes historically-accurate paint colors and a new landscape plan of cottage-garden plants and red brick.

Bold brackets under the eaves--a characteristic of Victorian-style homes--add architectural detailing and help anchor the roof to the home. The light-colored trim creates clean lines that strengthen the vertical design of this classic Queen Anne Victorian home.

Landscaping adds curb appeal to this charming Victorian cottage. Two arbors--one at the beginning of the front walk and the other beside the home--invite visitors to pass through. Vibrantly colored flowers match the home's ornamental detailing.

San Francisco definitely embraced Victorian-style homes, as seen here in the famous Victorian row houses, often called "painted ladies."