Decorating
Period Features to Love Forever: Interior Trims and Mouldings
Keep your period home in tip-top condition with attention to its finer decorative details
Interior trims and mouldings are a defining feature of a period house, and while they serve a functional purpose, they also set the decorative tone and character of the home. You don’t have to look too closely to notice that the mouldings in a Californian bungalow will vary greatly from a Federation villa, for instance – the bungalow reflecting a desire for functional simplicity and the villa being rich in ornamental detail.
Trims and mouldings help retain the character and value of a heritage home and can be added new or used to restore original detail that has been lost. Here’s the story on interior trims and mouldings in your period home.
Trims and mouldings help retain the character and value of a heritage home and can be added new or used to restore original detail that has been lost. Here’s the story on interior trims and mouldings in your period home.
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING INTERIOR TRIMS AND MOULDINGS
Profile
Trims and mouldings come in a large variety of shapes and profiles, from plain to intricate and everything in between. Be inspired by your home’s original accents.
Overall scheme
Be consistent with where and how you use the mouldings in order to achieve a coherent look throughout the home. You can create a decorative scheme using multiple mouldings but ensure they go together – start with the strongest individual heritage feature, such as an archway or ceiling rose, to guide your direction.
Profile
Trims and mouldings come in a large variety of shapes and profiles, from plain to intricate and everything in between. Be inspired by your home’s original accents.
Overall scheme
Be consistent with where and how you use the mouldings in order to achieve a coherent look throughout the home. You can create a decorative scheme using multiple mouldings but ensure they go together – start with the strongest individual heritage feature, such as an archway or ceiling rose, to guide your direction.
Colour palette
Consider whether you are going to paint or stain the mouldings, since this will affect the type of timber you will need. Also consider whether you will work with a monochrome colour palette for a subtle effect or contrasting colours for a bold impact.
Room proportions
Keep to the scale of your room so as not to visually overwhelm or reduce the size of the space. For example, a room with a high-ceilinged room can handle deeper mouldings; a smaller room should have narrower door casings; and skirting boards and architraves should be in balance.
Consider whether you are going to paint or stain the mouldings, since this will affect the type of timber you will need. Also consider whether you will work with a monochrome colour palette for a subtle effect or contrasting colours for a bold impact.
Room proportions
Keep to the scale of your room so as not to visually overwhelm or reduce the size of the space. For example, a room with a high-ceilinged room can handle deeper mouldings; a smaller room should have narrower door casings; and skirting boards and architraves should be in balance.
TYPES OF TRIMS AND MOULDINGS
Skirting boards
Skirting boards – or baseboards – form a visual foundation where the floor meets the wall. They protect the walls from scuffing while covering where the two surfaces meet.
The height of skirting boards will vary, as will the profile according to the combination of curves, grooves and layers. A Victorian home, for example, may have highly decorative two- and three-piece skirting boards.
Creative ideas for skirting boards
Skirting boards
Skirting boards – or baseboards – form a visual foundation where the floor meets the wall. They protect the walls from scuffing while covering where the two surfaces meet.
The height of skirting boards will vary, as will the profile according to the combination of curves, grooves and layers. A Victorian home, for example, may have highly decorative two- and three-piece skirting boards.
Creative ideas for skirting boards
Architrave, cornice or crown moulding
In today’s architecture, the terms architrave and cornice (as well as crown moulding) may be used interchangeably (depending on the manufacturer) to describe the timber applied to the seams where the ceiling meets the wall. These range, once again, from simple and minimalist to ornate and decorative, and can extend down the wall or along the ceiling, adding extra depth and dimension to a room.
In today’s architecture, the terms architrave and cornice (as well as crown moulding) may be used interchangeably (depending on the manufacturer) to describe the timber applied to the seams where the ceiling meets the wall. These range, once again, from simple and minimalist to ornate and decorative, and can extend down the wall or along the ceiling, adding extra depth and dimension to a room.
Door and window casing
Casing protects doors and windows from knocks and abrasions. These may be as simple as a strip of wood around all edges, or they may be detailed with grooves and curves to be consistent with the skirting boards and architraves.
Casing protects doors and windows from knocks and abrasions. These may be as simple as a strip of wood around all edges, or they may be detailed with grooves and curves to be consistent with the skirting boards and architraves.
Chair rail
Historically designed to prevent chairs from marring walls, the chair rail now serves more as a decorative wall trim. It encircles the perimeter of the room and can be used to visual effect by separating different wall treatments, such as between wood and wallpaper or paint.
Chair rails were traditionally placed at around 900 millimetres up the wall (approximately one third of the height of the room). However, today it can be common to see chair rails higher from the floor as they no longer serve the functional purpose of protecting the walls from the backs of chairs.
Historically designed to prevent chairs from marring walls, the chair rail now serves more as a decorative wall trim. It encircles the perimeter of the room and can be used to visual effect by separating different wall treatments, such as between wood and wallpaper or paint.
Chair rails were traditionally placed at around 900 millimetres up the wall (approximately one third of the height of the room). However, today it can be common to see chair rails higher from the floor as they no longer serve the functional purpose of protecting the walls from the backs of chairs.
Picture rail
Picture rails were traditionally installed for two reasons. The first being used to hang, you guessed it, pictures – and mirrors – without damaging the wall. The second reason being to balance the proportions in the room and create an ‘exhibition space’ between the chair rail and and picture rail.
The picture rail runs around the upper perimeter of a room in line with the top of the door and window frames, and often gives a sense of proportion to rooms with high ceilings.
Picture rails were traditionally installed for two reasons. The first being used to hang, you guessed it, pictures – and mirrors – without damaging the wall. The second reason being to balance the proportions in the room and create an ‘exhibition space’ between the chair rail and and picture rail.
The picture rail runs around the upper perimeter of a room in line with the top of the door and window frames, and often gives a sense of proportion to rooms with high ceilings.
Arches and capitals
Arches may serve as a transition between rooms without doors or as a visual accent in a long hallway. They give the effect of openness and spaciousness and are typically a grander addition to the home.
The style of trim around the arch is often harmonious with the skirting boards and architraves. Capitals to the side of the arch and the keystone at the top of the arch make for an elegant and stately look.
Arches may serve as a transition between rooms without doors or as a visual accent in a long hallway. They give the effect of openness and spaciousness and are typically a grander addition to the home.
The style of trim around the arch is often harmonious with the skirting boards and architraves. Capitals to the side of the arch and the keystone at the top of the arch make for an elegant and stately look.
Corbels
Even more grand is the highly decorative corbel, which protrudes from the bottom of the arch. They appear to hold the weight of the structure but are, in fact, rarely load bearing and more commonly ornamental.
They may be seen in Victorian and Edwardian period homes and are most often constructed from stucco shaped into a scroll, acanthus leaf or a combination of the two.
Take your hallway from drab to fab
Even more grand is the highly decorative corbel, which protrudes from the bottom of the arch. They appear to hold the weight of the structure but are, in fact, rarely load bearing and more commonly ornamental.
They may be seen in Victorian and Edwardian period homes and are most often constructed from stucco shaped into a scroll, acanthus leaf or a combination of the two.
Take your hallway from drab to fab
Ceiling rose
A ceiling rose is an ornamental circle of plaster on the centre of a ceiling. They were originally used as decoration, but in late Victorian times were pierced to provide ventilation for interior gaslights. Today, they will most commonly disguise where a pendant light falls from the ceiling.
Depending on the period of the home, the ceiling rose may flourish with the blossoming style of Art Nouveau; or it may express elements of Australian flora in a Federation villa.
TELL US
Does your period house have interior trims and mouldings that serve as a design feature of your home?
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A ceiling rose is an ornamental circle of plaster on the centre of a ceiling. They were originally used as decoration, but in late Victorian times were pierced to provide ventilation for interior gaslights. Today, they will most commonly disguise where a pendant light falls from the ceiling.
Depending on the period of the home, the ceiling rose may flourish with the blossoming style of Art Nouveau; or it may express elements of Australian flora in a Federation villa.
TELL US
Does your period house have interior trims and mouldings that serve as a design feature of your home?
MORE
Give Your Plain House a Lift With Add-On Architectural Detail
Ease Your Victorian Home Into the 21st Century With Grace
So You Live in a … Historic Brick Villa
Trims and mouldings are a functional and decorative way to hide transitions between two surfaces, such as a wall and floor or ceiling and light fixture. Predominantly made of solid milled timber or plaster, they provide period accents, protect walls and doors from wear and tear, and allow materials to expand and contract without unsightly cracks.
The terms ‘trim’ and ‘moulding’ are used interchangeably in many cases: the term ‘moulding’ more popular in Australia and ‘trim’ more widely used in America. However, while all trims are mouldings, not all mouldings are trims. Trim is the linear timber panels that edge doors, ceilings and walls. Mouldings includes these components as well as more decorative intricate plasterwork such as corbels and ceiling roses.