Make Dramatic Changes to your Home
with Decorative Molding
with Decorative Molding
The use of decorative molding in your home can have dramatic results and actually change the character of your home.
Molding
options might include crown molding,
door and window trim, chair rails and plate rails and wainscot and wall
panels.
There are many reasons to add molding to your home’s interior and just
as many
ways to use molding.
Details,
Details,
Details:
Famous 20th
century architect, Mies van der Rohe,
coined the phrase “God is in the details” and he is so right. Simply stated, he was
pointing out that small
details will always improve the bigger picture.
This holds true for any interior design project and would include things like the exquisite trim on a pair of draperies, contrast welting on upholstered furniture, rich linen mats framing a painting, thick crown molding encasing a room or a beautifully paneled wainscot.
The
opposing phrase
“the devil is in the details” would describe a room that, at first
glance looks
beautiful, but a closer look shows the lack of detail that would give
the room
character. For instance a room with unadorned throw pillows, cheap
upholstery or lackluster
baseboard and door trim. The addition of decorative molding to many
areas of
your home is a relatively small detail that carries a big “wow”
factor.
Raise the Roof:
Raise the roof or lower the ceiling.
Proper use of decorative molding can accomplish both of
these things for
you.
Many homes today have open floor
plans with very high
ceilings. The
volume in these rooms can
make the space feel cold and uninviting.
Visually lowering the ceiling by adding a chair rail,
wainscot, or wall
panels not only adds some architectural interest to a large, empty
space but
will make the room more innviting.
On the other hand, older homes, small
tract homes or condominiums
often have low ceilings that make you feel a bit hunched over when you
walk
into the room. Decorative
molding
that include
pilasters, columns and vertical trim can help eliminate the
claustrophobic feel
by visually “raising the roof”
Nothing is Perfect:
If you have attempted any type of home improvement project then you know that there is no such thing as perfectly aligned, perfectly plumb or perfectly straight home construction. Walls will be a little crooked, window frames will be slightly uneven or drywall taping and texturing may be sloppy.
All
of these problems can be masked through the use of decorative
molding
techniques that would include door and window trim, baseboard
and crown
molding
and wall treatments such as wainscoting or wall panels.
Crown Molding-The Royal Touch:
Crown molding is the Queen of decorative molding.It is available in many different styles from sleek and unadorned for a contemporary space to heavily detailed dentil molding for a more traditional look.
It
is
relatively easy to apply and new technology now offers molding made
from
synthetic material such as polyurethane which is lighter in weight and
requires
less maintenance than wood molding.
Don’t forget
the Pedicure:
What does a pedicure have to do with
decorative
molding? Imagine
getting a manicure and
leaving your toes in their natural, unadorned state; not a pretty
thought. The
same holds true when it comes to molding.
We often pay a lot of attention to the crown molding but
ignore the
baseboard or floor molding.
Most baseboard molding consists of
tiny little half round
molding nailed to the wall as a barrier between the flooring and the
wall. For proper
balance it is imperative that the
baseboard be proportionate in size and scale to other molding in the
room.
Creating a more substantial baseboard can be done by adding
different
sizes of
trim to your existing molding or replacing the entire baseboard with a
larger
and more proportionate piece of decorative molding.
What is a:
Chair rail —
a horizontal piece of trim
applied to the wall
roughly 30-36” from the floor.
Casing — refers to the trim that surrounds windows and doors
Column — a large round pillar, sometimes used as a means of support, to separate rooms or identify openings. Smaller versions can be used as support for countertops and islands.
Medallion — round, decorative trim most often applied to ceilings
Pilaster— a vertical piece of trim similar to a column but is flat on one side for a flush application.
Wainscot — trim that is installed between a baseboard and chair rail.
Wall panel—trim that is applied to
the wall in square or
rectangular shapes mimicking frames.
Regardless of whether you are looking
to add door and window trim or crown molding to your home or you're
just in need of a unique ceiling
medallion, all
your decorative molding needs can be met at
www.wishihadthat.com.
Most of us desire a home that is warm, inviting and unique to our own personal taste and style. The creative use of decorative molding throughout your home can help accomplish this goal.
Decide which room you want to enhance with decorative molding.
Take a look at how decorative
corbels can also add beauty and detail to your home.
