For a Victorian terrace, choose a display cabinet that is narrow, relatively shallow and tall enough to suit the ceiling height, and place it in a chimney breast alcove or along the party wall where it will not block the flow between front and back rooms. Terraces tend to be long and narrow, with doors, fireplaces and bay windows taking up most of the wall space, so a cabinet has to fit neatly into the spaces the house already gives you. Measure alcoves carefully, check your route through the front door and up any stairs, and choose a finish that sits comfortably beside original floorboards and fire surrounds.<\/p>\n
Our range of display cabinets UK<\/a> includes slim glass, wooden and painted designs that suit the proportions of terraced homes. Below we look at the particular quirks of Victorian terraces and how to work with them.<\/p>\n Most Victorian terraces follow a familiar pattern. On the ground floor, a front reception room, often with a bay window, sits beside a narrow hallway. Behind it is a second reception room, then a kitchen in the rear extension, sometimes with a side return. Many terraces have had the two reception rooms knocked through into a single long room.<\/p>\n Each layout suggests a different approach. In separate rooms, the front room tends to be the more formal space, and a display cabinet often sits well there. In a knocked through room, a cabinet can help define two zones, a sitting area and a dining area, without the need for a physical divider. Thinking about how the cabinet relates to sofas, tables and other storage will help it look settled; our modern living room furniture UK<\/a> collection is a useful reference for pieces that sit well together.<\/p>\n Chimney breast alcoves are the natural home for a display cabinet in a Victorian terrace. They were designed to be filled, historically with fitted cupboards or shelving, and a freestanding cabinet in the same spot feels entirely at home.<\/p>\n Victorian alcoves vary widely, even within a single room. Plaster may have been patched over generations, walls may lean, and the two sides of a chimney breast are rarely identical. Measure each alcove:<\/p>\n Use the smallest width measurement as your limit, and allow a little clearance either side so the cabinet can slide in without damage.<\/p>\n A cabinet that fills most of the alcove looks built in. One that is noticeably narrower can look lost, so if the alcove is wide, consider a cabinet with a matching bookcase or a pair of narrow pieces. Our modern bookcases UK<\/a> can sit in the opposite alcove to balance a display cabinet, with one holding objects and the other holding books.<\/p>\n Terrace hallways are typically too narrow for a full display cabinet, but they can still contribute to the overall scheme. A slim console table in the hallway, in a finish that echoes your display cabinet, creates a sense of continuity as you walk through the house. Our console tables UK sale<\/a> include narrow designs suited to terrace hallways, where every centimetre of width matters.<\/p>\n Ceiling heights in Victorian terraces vary depending on the age and status of the house, and on which floor you are on. Ground floor reception rooms are usually the tallest, while upper floors and rear extensions are often lower. This affects how tall a cabinet can be before it looks out of scale.<\/p>\nHow a Victorian Terrace Is Laid Out<\/h3>\n
The Alcove Question<\/h3>\n
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Making the Most of the Hallway<\/h3>\n
Ceiling Heights and Proportions<\/h3>\n