Top 10 Ways to Add Architectural Details to Your Home

1. Baseboards
Replace or enhance baseboards throughout your home. They are a visual link that travels into every room in the house.

2. Crown Molding
Crown molding is a great way to lift a room. By adding this architectural detail you make a room rich and brimming with character.

3. Chair Rail
Chair rail is a detail that has form and function. Not only does it save your walls from damage, it can be applied in many forms -- from a modern shape to a traditional style.

4. Columns and Pilasters
Columns and pilasters are a great way to separate a room without using walls. These can be used as load-bearing elements or just visual additions. Columns are either round or square and stand on their own, while pilasters are attached to a wall or part of the dwelling. Both details give your home a feeling of wealth.

5. Moldings
Moldings can be placed just about anywhere and give a room a sense of depth. They can be used on ceilings to mimic architectural details in a room, run along hallways or stacked in layers to create the illusion of length and height. You can even wrap them around columns to add texture to an otherwise drab room.

6. Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors are a must to obtain flow in a space, whether you are in a large or small area. Always run the flooring along the longer direction to achieve the feeling of an elongated room.

7. Ceiling Beams
Ceiling beams can be added to any ceiling and come in a wide variety of styles, from rustic worm-holed wooden beams to sleek and modern metal designs. Ceiling beams are also great places to install recessed lighting fixtures or hide wiring from a home theater system.

8. Lighting Coves
Lighting coves are a great way to indirectly create a warm space. With this detail you have the choice to shine up if the ceiling is vaulted, or down if there's a painting or other feature on a wall you'd like to highlight. Another way to create a great detail is to box in a lighting cover around floor or ceiling joists. These are great places to add lighting and at the same time you are creating an architectural detail.

9. Door and Window Trim
Door and window trim is a must, and the great thing with this detail is that it doesn't have to be removed to be changed! You can get a completely different look with very little work. If you decide to leave it on, add to it with more molding to create a handcrafted look.

10. Contrast
Contrast is without doubt a very important detail and is central to accenting all architecture. For example, if you choose dark floors then go with a light wall color. If you have light-colored kickboards in the kitchen, then match those with a dark countertop and soft blond cabinets. These are all great ways to achieve light and shade, which in turn creates depth.