When one thinks of a "Victorian" home today, one thinks of a large, grand dwelling, with gables and lofty ceilings and loads of architectural detail. For an actual Victorian, however, home was where you hung your hat. Victorian "homes" ranged from flats and lodging houses to, yes, grand dwellings with lofty ceilings. In Britain, a "Victorian" home might not be Victorian at all, but Georgian or Elizabethan or even older. Newer "Victorian" construction was more common in America than in Britain, and magazines like Godey's and Demorest ran regular features on houseplans and architectural designs (like the "surburban residence" at left). But whatever type of home a Victorian lived in, it was still very much his "castle," and the desire to make that home elegant and comfortable inspired many, many how-to articles!

Architectural Plans from Godey's Lady's Book: 1860 • 1863 • 1867 • 1868 • 1873

Architectural Plans from Demorest: 1879 • 1880

Portable Swiss Chalets (Art Journal, 1858)

English Homes: As They Are, and May Be, in Furnishing and Decoration, by John Stewart (Art Journal, 1859)

Decorative Art and Architecture in England, by M.D. Conway (Harper's Monthly, 1875A)

Modern Dwellings: Their Construction, Decoration, and Furniture, by H. Hudson Holly (Harper's Monthly, 1876A)

Modern Dwellings: Their Construction, Decoration and Furniture, by H. Hudson Holly (Harper's Monthly, 1876B)

The Home of the Future, by William Lacey (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1880)

Though this purports to be about the "home of the future," it's actually an interesting overview of how a Victorian household ought to be run, with tips on linens, supplies, housecleaning, and more.

Our Life in a Flat (Girl's Own Paper, 1885)

Design for a Summer Cottage (Demorest, 1888)

Little Homes, by Ruth Hubbard (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1889)

Our Seaside Cottage, and How We Built It, by James and Nanette Mason (Girl's Own Paper, 1893)

Living in Lodgings, by Josepha Crane (Girl's Own Paper, 1895)

Some Differences Between English and American Homes, by Elizabeth L. Banks (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895)

The English seem to believe that Americans know nothing of the comforts of life, while Americans believe they alone possess the secret of a happy home...

To Let, Furnished, by Elizabeth L. Banks (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895)

On the benefits and hazards -- to tenants and landlords alike -- of renting a furnished residence in London.

The Wage-Earner's Interest in Improved Housing (Century Magazine, 1896B)

"Perhaps the most eloquent testimony to the desire of wage-earners for a decent living environment is the prosperity attending model housing enterprises wherever they have been established."

Our Homes: A Series of Interiors (Windsor, 1897A)

Photographic feature.

"Glorified" Workmen's Dwellings (Girl's Own Paper, 1898)

How to furnish even the meanest of dwellings.

Life in Women's Chambers: A Mother's Impression (Girl's Own Paper, 1898)

A look at women's chambers at a university.

Two-Acre Farms or Villa Estates: The Homesteads of the Future, by Dora de Blaquière (Girl's Own Paper, 1898)

Village Homes for Ladies, by H.B.M. Buchanan (Girl's Own Paper, 1898)

"I have noticed... the large number of ladies, with little or nothing to do, who become submerged in flats, boarding-houses and hotels in London. As I watch them, lost in London, with little aim in life, of no importance, position, and in many cases, of little or no value to anyone, I imagine how different their lives might be, and how much happier they might be, if, by living in the country, they tried to bring amusement, culture and life into the villages."

Three Girl-Chums, and Their Life in London Rooms, by Florence Sophie Davson (Girl's Own Paper, 1899)