Adding Architectural Interest to the Interior of Your Northern Virginia Home with Molding
Paint is always a great way to transform a room, but sometimes you want a little more than a fresh color to make your home feel new and exciting. If you’re looking to update your Northern Virginia home in a way that adds beauty, dimensional interest, and increases its resale value, installing decorative molding is the perfect solution.
The Right Decorative Molding for Your Home
One of the most important considerations to make when selecting molding is making sure it fits the style of your home. For example, elaborate crown molding might look out of place in a contemporary rancher. That is not to say you can’t have crown molding installed in a more contemporary style home, but you will want to be careful to choose something that fits the more restrained architecture.
Thankfully, molding is a varied as styles of homes, and with nearly endless options of molding combinations and ways to install, there are plenty of great options for your home.
Chair Rails
Most often seen in dining rooms, chair rails are as functional an addition to your walls as they are beautiful. Installed at the proper height they will save your walls from dents and scuffs when chairs are pushed back after a meal. Chair rails also create a great opportunity to use multiple paint colors on your walls or experiment with painting your trim a color other than white.
Wainscoting
Wainscoting involves a combination of layered panels and molding to create some truly breathtaking architectural detail. You may think of wainscoting as being installed strictly in traditional homes due to some of the more elaborate possibilities, but it is actually highly adaptable. By leaving out extra molding or paneling for a pared down design it can look at home in cottages, country homes, or even contemporary living spaces. Of course, if you do live in a traditional or historic home, feel free to use wainscoting to add incredible drama and interest to any room of your house.
Crown Molding
Crown molding is an incredibly popular molding choice as it works in so many different styles of homes and creates an attractive transition from a room’s walls to the ceiling. Just like with wainscoting, you’ll want to be careful to match the intricacy of your crown molding with the architectural style of your home. But you will also need to consider the height of your ceilings when selecting crown molding as anything too large will look out of place.
Picture Frame Paneling
Whether you add this picture frame paneling to a single wall to flank a focal point like a fireplace as was done in the home above or install it in a repeating pattern over every wall in a room, this type of decorative molding adds instant elegance to a space. You can paint the molding to match the wall color for a subdued effect or highlight it by painting it a different color from the wall. Of course, picture frame paneling isn’t only for the walls. Installed on the ceiling it can draw the eye up to highlight soaring ceilings or frame a beautiful light fixture.
Your Next Decorative Molding Project
Installing decorative molding in your home is a project that can range from simple to incredibly involved. There are plenty of great resources available if you want to take on the task yourself, but you may want to get a quote from a professional installer before you head off to the hardware store. No home’s walls are perfectly straight and measuring corners to get angled cuts just right is a skill that can only be learned from experience. A high-quality, professional carpenter will be able to complete your project quickly with less material waste and will take care of all the details like caulking and sanding that ensure a flawless finish.
Do you live in the Northern Virginia area and need help with your next carpentry project? Contact us today to find out how our expert carpenters can add beauty to your home with decorative molding!
