A comprehensive guide to every aspect of style and decoration for owners and admirers of Victorian houses. It gives information about the appropriate fireplaces, door furniture and colours for a semi-detached villa, terraced house or mansion flat. Robin Guild, an interior designer, believes that a sympathetic updating of a Victorian house can only be done with a full understanding of what Victorian designers and builders were trying to accomplish. This book combines professional design guidance for stylish living in the 90's with highly informed explanations of why everything is the way it is in your house. Robin Guild gives advice on all aspects of improvement and decoration: choosing materials, furnishings and wall coverings for every room in the house; fixtures and fittings, including plasterwork, tiles, fireplaces, brassware and lighting; exterior details and paintwork; and a tour of the Victorian garden. At the end of the book there is a practical section covering structural repairs, conversions, extensions, plumbing, damp proofing, adaptation of old fittings and many other aspects fo restoration. The book concludes with a list of 400 selected manufacturers and suppliers.