“There is a house built of stone... This is a place where I feel at home”
How many of us dream of taking on a Victorian property renovation? Social media is full of amazing before and after transformations, these inspiring projects fire up the imagination of what is possible... Would you be brave enough?
We’ve watched with admiration as our customers, Daryl and Siwan, (also known as @old.welsh.reno on Instagram) have diligently worked on restoring their 1890s Welsh vicarage, bringing it into the modern age... We’ve been living VICARiously through them!
Their story started back in 2020 when they went to see their local ‘Old Vicarage’ in Carmerthenshire - it had been on the market for years, and they had always admired it and joked about living there some day. It had been empty for almost 20 years! They instantly fell in love with it - it was full of character and potential. Their offer was accepted and they got started straight away - the plan was to complete the majority of work themselves, renovating sympathetically on a budget, whilst also creating a traditional family home for their children Jena & Cati.
Plaster Ceiling Roses were proud to be the chosen supplier for their roses and coving. After perusing our many coving styles, the perfect choice to compliment this renovation was deemed our Swan Neck Coving (code LPC017), and 55M was promptly delivered along with Plain Acanthus Ceiling Roses (code MPR061). We are excited to be contributing to the elegance of this renovation journey.
LPC017 is a large swan neck plaster coving with a drop of 170mm and a projection of 190mm, as was the fashion in Victorian times. It projects far further across the ceiling versus the length it extends down the wall; we also have smaller version of this coving identical in every detail with a drop of 100mm (MPC065).
If you are looking for authentic Victorian cornice for a period property and your ceilings are high enough (9-10 ft+) it is certainly worth ordering a sample of this. For lower ceilings we recommend MPC065, this will give you the same effect.
There have been many learnings from the renovation of the Old Welsh Vicarage. We asked Daryl and Siwan some questions regarding their coving choice - which may be insightful to fellow renovators.
What inspired you to add coving?
We decided to install coving to restore some of the character back in to the Old Vicarage. It has been important to us while renovating to keep the traditional feel of the house. We have high ceilings - however the key features you would expect to see; crown molding and ornate trims had unfortunately been removed.
When did you buy this property / what state was it in?
We bought the property in 2020. It had been empty for nearly 20 years, and had been neglected. The previous owners had taken out some of the original features, which was a shame. We are close to completing a full renovation of the house, doing most of the work ourselves.
What style is your property?
The Old Vicarage was built in 1890. We are going for a traditional style for the house. We have opted for Victorian style features, e.g. Victorian style coving and ceiling roses. The reason we chose coving from Plaster Ceiling Roses was because of the large selection to choose from and it’s handmade using gypsum.
How has coving enhanced the overall look and feel of your room?
The coving has enhanced the overall feel and look of each room as it gives a grand feeling with the high ceilings. It has transformed the rooms and they are just so beautiful! The Swan Neck cornice is a stylish and elegant finishing touch. It also avoids the décor looking unfinished.
How did you decide on the size and style of coving that would best compliment your room?
The Old Vicarage has big rooms and high ceilings, so we decided to go for fairly large Victorian style coving. We wanted to match the previous coving, that had been damaged and neglected. We ordered a sample coving pack from Plaster Ceiling Roses - this was very helpful for visualising, and we would recommend anyone to ‘try before they buy’! With a physical sample in hand, you can easily compare it to your room’s décor and make an informed choice.
Are there any specific rooms or areas in your home where you find coving particularly effective or impactful?
The coving is particularly impactful in our lounge. It is a very large room, with a beautiful bay window. We have added traditional panelling to the walls, which paired with the coving is stunning. We have painted the skirtings green to match the walls, but have decided to leave the coving and ceiling in white, to showcase the beautiful addition.
Thank you Daryl and Siwan for sharing your renovation story and your beautiful Vicarage. One of the reasons we love their Instagram account is for their honesty and for sharing their reality of a renovation, not just the pretty end results. If you want to see more from Daryl and Siwan, hop over to their instagram account, @old.welsh.reno where you will find inspiring ideas, exciting updates and progress.
