I'VE stated many times that I am partial to older homes. I take for granted the ceiling trim detail, crown moulding, wide baseboards and beefy door frames in my home. I'd miss those details if I had to move to a newer place.
The charm and character found in older homes is hard to find in new home designs. Wide baseboards, ornate door and window frames, crown moulding and other architectural touches were the norm decades ago but have fallen by the wayside due to cost and lack of interest in the 'older' style over the years.
Back in vogue
These elegant features are once again gaining popularity. Luckily, there are modern products that can mimic their wooden counterparts, making it easier for homeowners to retrofit their newer homes or replace missing or damaged original details in older homes. Adding these eye-catching elements to a plain room can totally transform the space from boring to glorious.
Details make colour pop
Our feature photograph, courtesy of Dulux Australia, boasts a bright-green wall colour from their Auqanamel line. If you can envision this room without the chair rail, plate rail or window trim detail, you'd get a sense that this strong colour would be very overpowering. In most cases rich wall colour needs contrast in order to work. In this particular space anything from deep red to dark purple walls would look smashing when set against crisp, white trim details.
The fireplace boasts an overhanging mantle shelf with large, decorative brackets and beaded edging. Between the brackets are decorative raised panels. The firebox is framed in picture frame-style moulding, which visually balances the entire facade. If your fireplace is not the focal point that it should be, there are a myriad of products that can be used to beef it up and create a look that's unique to your taste.
Even the small window in our feature room got a boost by being capped off with a decorative topper, which is in keeping with the style of the space. All of these architectural details come together to create a decor that looks rich and elegant. These touches can turn a plain, boxy room into an eye-catching one.
In a cookie-cutter home with diminutive baseboard, window and door casings, the installation of additional trim will turn your plain home into one with a custom look.
Some of these simpler trim pieces can be found in inexpensive wood at your local home renovation stores. The larger or more complex pieces -- like ceiling medallions -- come in HDP (high density polyurethane), which is lighter and cheaper than wood, and easier to work with than plaster counterparts. Companies like Chemcrest Architectural Products specialize in HDP architectural items for inside and outside your home. They have a myriad of items that can be used to add all kinds of architectural detailing to any room in the home.
Some jobs need professionals in order to be successful. Detailed crown moulding, intricate fireplace facades (like the one featured) or a domed ceiling feature, for instance, might be better left to a professional unless you're very handy with a compound mitre saw. Some of these items can be costly and one wrong cut could ruin the entire piece.
For the DIY folks who are comfortable installing elements like a plate rail, chair rail or even a window cap (as seen in our photo), this might make a great weekend project.
Other features that you may consider adding to your space are items like ceiling medallions around a centre light fixture, art niches, decorative columns, raised panels, decorative millwork (like rosettes, tassels and swags) or decorative shelves and brackets. Some of these items can be found in wood, which needs to be primed and painted or in HDP, which can be painted and is usually pre-primed.
There are various styles available in each of the product lines as well. You can get an ornate ceiling medallion that is scalloped and highly decorative or a simple, more contemporary one if you tastes run to a more streamlined decor, just as one example.
Visit the Chemcrest website (www.chemcrest.com) and check out the photo gallery for ideas. You don't know what you're missing until you actually see the finished product. If you need help with your design, you can email Chemcrest through the website as well. Their products can also be found at stores like Woodland Supply, Olympic Building Systems, Windsor Plywood, Home Hardware, and North American Lumber.
While some of the architectural products can be somewhat pricey, whether they are wood, plaster or HDP, the cost can be well worth it for the custom look. A decorative ceiling medallion may run you a few hundred dollars but it will be a permanent high-end detail in your home. In a grand entryway or formal living room, something like this can add immeasurably to your bottom line. Remember: the right touches can add to your bottom line if you plan on selling your home in the future.
connieoliver@shaw.ca
