Two ideas are often repeated (and often wrong) when people talk about Victorian upper floors. The first is that second stories—and especially bedrooms—were always plain because they “weren’t public.” The second is that guests would never be brought upstairs, as if those halls and rooms were strictly off-limits. While upper floors were generally more private than the formal rooms downstairs, it’s misleading to treat that as a hard rule. Overnight visitors stayed in guest rooms on the second or third floor, which immediately meant these spaces could be seen and used for company. And billiards, hugely popular in the 19th century, was frequently tucked into upper levels as well—billiard rooms on second and third floors were not unusual.

Of course, some households did follow a more rigid, utilitarian model: bedrooms kept strictly functional, and certain areas effectively forbidden to guests. But the existence of those examples doesn’t make it a universal rule, and it shouldn’t be treated as one. Just as important, the assumption that “private” automatically meant “simple” doesn’t hold up. It suggests Victorians only cared about impressing others and didn’t value comfort or beauty for themselves. But period photographs of bedrooms often show the opposite: ornate bedsteads, rich wallpapers, ceiling papers and/or stenciling, and personal decorations—handmade artwork included—displayed with care. Yes, some homes observed stricter boundaries than we might today, but it’s a mistake to push that into the exaggerated, one-note version we often get in films. These were real people with individual tastes and pride in their surroundings. In personal journals, you’ll even find mentions of a wife eager to show a friend a new bedroom suite. With that in mind, let’s head up the second-floor hall and step into a guest room.

Special thanks to Katie Blank, University and Digital Records Archivist, for her help with permissions and documentation.