Architectural Elements
Smart Design : Episode SDN-207 -- More Projects »
Moldings, wainscoting and columns instantly add character, style and a sense of history to a home. Installing these elements creates architectural pizzazz to any interior. - Inspired by the rich embellishments found in older homes, designers are bringing these flourishes into 21st century homes in traditional and original ways. Crown molding softens the edges between the walls and ceiling and is one of the easiest ways to give a room character and personality. Style choices are infinite and it can be painted, stained, striped or covered with metallic leafing. Dress up a simple room with ornate molding to create charm and interest (figure A) or use a simpler design in an extravagant space.
- Since wood molding can be expensive, look for companies that make plaster or plastic styles to lower the cost.
- Chair rail molding was used primarily against the wall so chairs wouldn't damage the surface. Designers still get excited about it today, although its purpose now is more form than function.
When paneling extends below a chair rail, it's called wainscoting. Beadboard traces its ancestry to 19th century Victorian and cottage-style homes. Wainscoting with large recessed panels is used most often in a home's major gathering spaces where it adds clean and simple lines to the room (figure B).
Columns can be used to beautifully delineate two seating areas to create the feeling of a wall. Use columns even if you don't have a lot of space by putting them up against the wall. Square columns found at a flea market line the walls of a living room with a large shelf on top to display collectibles (figure C). Paint or stain wood medallions to complement your decor and secure them with finishing nails (figure D). This adds dimension and another point of interest in a room. Architects William Welch and Andrea Filippone live and work in an old New Jersey dairy farm they've been restoring for a decade. This husband and wife design team specializes in finding unique relics from yesterday and putting them to use in the homes of today. Some of their tips include: - Bring large carved pedestals in from the outside for end tables.
- Totally restoring some items causes them to lose a bit of their history. Welch and Filippone tend to keep things the way they find them and only do minor restoration. Leaving cracks or chips alone shows age and charm.
- Lean a carved wood panel against a wall as artwork. It's a smart way to use a piece that's too short to be built into the walls and too pretty to hide away.
Cast iron grates that once covered the basement windows of New York and Philadelphia brownstones make beautiful fireplace grates. A broken item can still function. This mantel was put back together and makes a grand statement in the dining room (figure E). The gilded frame on top doesn 't need to house a picture as it highlights the craftsmanship of the frame itself. Bringing these things into a room gives it another sense of history that wasn't there originally.
Guests Andrea Filippone
Owner, Tendenze Design
129 Pickle Road
Califon, NJ 07830
Phone: 908-879-4066
William Welch
Owner, Tendenze Design
129 Pickle Road
Califon, NJ 07830
Phone: 908-879-4066
Dina Pavel
Interior Designer, Dina Pavel Design
Phone: 610-664-5300
Also in this Episode
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2002/09/05/sdn207fig_a1_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2002/09/05/sdn207fig_b1_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2002/09/05/sdn207fig_c1_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2002/09/05/sdn207fig_d1_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2002/09/05/sdn207fig_e1_e.jpg",350,450))
