Before & After: A Dated Victorian Living Room Gets a Bright, Elegant Update

Written by

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
published Aug 13, 2016
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Some thought Christina, who runs the blog Christina’s Adventures, was taking on a bit too much when she decided to buy and restore a 1902 Victorian house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her husband. Not only was it quite dated and run-down, but they had a very young kid and another on the way! But Christina saw the potential in this house’s bones, and her restoration has created a modern, bright home with a family-friendly, farmhouse feel.

Old wallpaper, grimy carpet, golden brown curtains—wow! The “before” was a little scary. But check out the after:

(Image credit: Laura Olivia )

Though it wasn’t exactly “easy” to finish this home, you can see from the after photo, the living room’s fresh new farmhouse feel is a huge success, all while still respecting the home’s original architectural spirit. Christina has advice

“Realize that buying a fixer upper isn’t for everyone. You have to have a passion for it, and there will be so many times you’ll want to give up. Take lots of “before” pictures so you can remind yourself just how far you’ve come when you feel like you want to quit.”

Thank you Christina!