Just as tasteful, well-chosen jewelry can turn an unexciting outfit into a stylish, eye-catching ensemble, carefully applied hardwood mouldings and trimwork can transform an interior into a more interesting, luxurious space.
Here are a few basic categories to help you understand your choices when designing your custom home:
Baseboards, which run at the foot of walls and act as an elongated pedestal, are both aesthetic and practical. They visually anchor the wall to the floor and at the same time protect it from everyday low-impact abuse such as kids scooting around in toy cars.
Crown mouldings, which run between the walls and the ceiling, soften the abrupt transition between wall and ceiling.
Casings, the trim surrounding door and window openings, define a wall opening and help connect the spaces being joined.
Custom home owners are attracted to the enduring quality and ageless appeal of hardwood moulding; for them, it’s the heart of the home – something they see and touch each day. Done right, it will last forever and always be in style.
While hardwood mouldings are appropriate in any room in the home, wood trim often makes its biggest impact in an entry hall where high ceilings allow for large-scale crown mouldings. Using stained-wood mouldings in bathrooms brings warmth to what can be a somewhat clinical space.
The size of the trimwork and the complexity of its profile will be determined by the size and style of the space in which it’s being installed; the larger and more traditional the room, the bigger and more ornate the trim. Crown mouldings in particular have a profound and sometimes unexpected effect on how people perceive the scale, proportions and character of an interior, so they must be chosen with great care. If too small and plain, they’ll look skimpy and undernourished; too large and ostentatious and they’ll overwhelm the space. If in doubt, consult a design professional.
In most custom homes built today, tastes tend to be eclectic, and whether you install an elaborately carved crown moulding featuring acanthus leaves and egg-and-dart detailing or an elegantly austere profile comprising nothing more than a graceful S-curve, will depend on personal preference and the overall style of your home.
No matter what your architectural preferences might be, you can transform a plain-Jane interior into a distinctive, character filled environment by incorporating hardwood mouldings and trimwork into your home’s design.
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