Today’s real estate market channels more people toward home improvement than new home purchases. Beyond larger projects like finishing basements and renovating kitchens, homeowners are tackling smaller projects like updating architectural details.
A popular home improvement, molding—also known as trim—defines space and extends homeowner personality into the home. Crown molding, bead board, shadow boxing, and coffered ceilings greatly enhance the look and feel of a home. Although many larger projects require a skilled trim carpenter and scaffolding, some smaller ones are fair game for ambitious homeowners.
So, where do you begin? Walk your home and ask which rooms seem complete? Which lack inspiration? Did your builder only install 4" single-piece crown molding in your two-story great room? Have you been dreaming of a coffered ceiling?
If you want a do-it-yourself project, tackle something small. Adding decorative shadow boxes below your current chair rail is a relatively simple project because it is ground level. Remember to lay them out in a pattern both proportional and symmetrical to your room. Either paint everything below your chair rail trim color or highlight the shadow boxes by only painting raised portions.
Crown molding is another way to go from “Just fine” to “Fantastic!” in a weekend. To beef up current single-piece crown molding without taking down what your builder originally installed, apply a second piece of trim, typically picture mold, approximately 2-3" below the original crown molding. By painting both the wall and new trim the color of the existing crown molding, you give the illusion of a much larger piece of crown, drawing the eye up and through the room.
Trim material for interior projects is virtually endless, since exposure to the elements is limited. Both wood and medium density fiberboard (MDF) work well, but consider using real wood in any area with high humidity or dampness. In addition to wood products, foam and polyurethane molding pieces are used in virtually the same manner.
Classical Greek and Roman architecture has always used pediments on edifice exteriors to convey importance and presence. This architectural style does well on the inside of buildings and homes. Typically, pediments are used to define the entryway of the home, and around doors and windows. Many homes have two-story foyers with double-entry doors below a palladium window. Although these items are significant architectural features of your foyer, tying these together using trim greatly impacts their aesthetic value. As always, when adding decorative elements, be certain to consider the whole room versus individual items.
Coffered ceilings—filled with bead board, tongue-and-groove, or left as sheetrock—are particularly dramatic when used in two-story rooms, but are equally beautiful in rooms with ten-foot ceilings. The sunken panels in a coffered ceiling are most often square or rectangular but can be made into any geometric design that works with the shape of your room. Coffered ceilings often appear as beamed ceilings, but such molding is decorative and not structural as are true beam ceilings.
Cedar beams make a huge statement in a room and can be constructed with solid cedar posts or thinner cedar material as boxed beams. This design feature can compliment the craftsman architecture of your home or make your keeping room a cozy spot for the entire family. Whether the beams are stained or left natural, they bring the ceiling down so that it becomes a major focus in the room.
Define the scope of your project and plan accordingly. If you do so, no matter what you plan to tackle, trim updates can add value to your home as well as please the senses. A little architectural TLC goes a long way!
For more information:
Smith Jackson Properties, LLC
678-528-3726
www.smithjacksonproperties.com
