I used to live in a renovated, de-consecrated Catholic church in the downtown of a small Virginia town. It was one of the most beautiful and special places I've lived.
Several sites have posted in the last couple of months about a couple who have painstakingly restored a church in Northumberland in the U.K. for their home (pictured left, also here and here).
There's also a restored church home from the Netherlands and a Dutch bookstore in a former medieval church that are great examples of modern uses for historic church spaces.
Looking at these pictures and remembering my old church home got me thinking about how you could use furniture to re-create the feeling of a restored church home.
To re-create the feeling of a restored church home using furniture and accessories, you'd have to have 3 important things.
1. The right mix of old and new.
Part of what's so special about living in any historic building is that sense of the past and the present right next to each other.
To re-create the feeling of a church home, pick one very formal style from the past and one less formal style from the present and mix them together.
For example, you could choose 18-century French as your formal style and "cottage" as your more casual modern style. Both styles are a little romantic, plus the neutral colors and natural materials of cottage style would provide a fresh, calm backdrop to elegant details inspired by royal French style.
Other possible combos: gothic with arts and crafts; American colonial with shabby chic; 19th-century English with Bauhaus.
The Dutch church home pictured above has very stark, modern style. But the building itself has the gothic historic details. By including a few select pieces that have the feel of a certain historic period, you can give you space the historic feel of a church home interior.
2. Height and drama.
The best renovated church spaces have high windows and ceilings, which create drama.
To capture that sense of drama in a non-church space, select a few tall, dramatic pieces in your formal period style.
A tall armoire with French details might do the job. Or if you chose England under William IV as your formal, historic period, you might choose a large china cabinet or armoire for that height and drama.
You could also create that sense of height and drama with floor-to-ceiling curtains, especially if you use a dramatic print that fits with one of your styles.
For some really creative ideas about height and ceilings, Life In A Venti Cup looked at some amazing ceilings last summer.
3. New Meaning.
Part of the allure of a church home is the sense of holiness. Even if you're not religious, church spaces don't feel ordinary.
The Dutch bookstore in a medieval church (left) is a shrine to books.
Whether your home is a shrine to rock music or impressionist paintings or the lives of your grandchildren, that sense of meaning and importance is a crucial part of giving a space the special resonance that restored church homes have.
By the way, if re-creating the feel of a church home isn't enough . . .
You can buy your own church home in England.
Comments