A Truly Southern Design

If you're one of those interior design enthusiasts who has a fondness for Antebellum homes, this article is perfect for you! If you're living in one, I envy you! For some others who want to know more about Antebellum homes, these are houses built thirty or forty years before the start of the Civil War in the Southern United States. If you're into classic movies, you would have seen this kind of southern home. An Antebellum home is huge, elegant and to relate to contemporary style, a grand mansion.

The characteristics of this type of home are Greek/Classic Revival or Federal in design, however many of the opulent architectural features do have a practical purpose. The pillars, sweeping porches and balconies, gabled roofs and evenly spaced windows both gave the home a grand style and also aided in relieving some of the oppressive Southern heat by creating cross-winds in a time before air conditioning.

The home interior includes features like grand entryways, long and sweeping staircases and spacious rooms. The display of art is ostentatious with ornate chandeliers, antiques, European decorations, marble mantelpieces and intricately-designed woodwork. Amazing, isn't it?

When refurbishing one of these grand estates it is important to stay true to the original design. These types of homes are usually protected by an historical society, which means even though you are the owner of this property, the city or town where it is located does have a right to restrict some modern design elements to keep at least the outside of the home historically accurate.

The historical societies will expect you to maintain and upkeep the condition of the house. The external part of the house is also regulated to preserve the historical accuracy of the place. Decorating an Antebellum home might prove to be arduous because of its size, but other than that, no major repair work is usually necessary. These houses have been well-kept and protected so the quality is still something to be admired even if they were built decades ago.

If you're interested to purchase, lease or move to this kind of home, it's best to get in touch with the local historical societies before deciding on any major renovation work. As mentioned, these homes are protected and the history of the region is a priceless part of the people's lives.

When you purchase this type of home, you are truly purchasing a piece of history. While the challenges can be great when the project is completed you will have a one of a kind example of an exceptionally romantic period in history. This is an experience that is suppose to be enjoyed and when completed the whole community will appreciate the fruits of your labor.