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by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for The House Designers®
When you walk into a completely empty house, you can clearly see just how plain or outstanding it is. Some interiors look very stark and flat, while others have style and dimension. Finishing materials create this effect, and while you can attribute some of it to the shape of the rooms, the flooring, and window shapes and layouts, many homeowners overlook another crucial variable: decorative details like millwork. There’s a reason why real estate agents mention crown moulding as a selling point! Here are some ways to give your interior design a beautiful backdrop from the walls to the ceiling.
Dress Up a Blank Canvas
Does it ever seem like you have blank spaces and no way to fill them? In lieu of artwork or patterned wallpaper, you might feel like a wall is design dead space. Flat ceilings often leave much to be desired, especially in large rooms. Luckily, there are a number of opportunities to install a little visual interest. Whether you want to keep it simple or go ornate, your standard trim selection answers the call around windows, doors, and cased entries, and along the floor and ceiling in the form of baseboard and crown moulding. All of these pieces come in a variety of widths and styles to frame and define rooms, and to embellish all kinds of home architecture, so they might be enough to address your needs.
If you want something more, look for something that creates a pattern to draw the eye. Patterns built with structure alone can do the job—no need to take a risk on colors that could age or look too busy. This is where beams and wainscoting transform boring to extraordinary. Whether smooth or woodgrain, applying beams to the ceiling opens a multitude of possibilities. Lay them straight for a neat look reminiscent of ceiling supports, cross them for a luxurious coffered pattern, or radiate them around a hexagonal, octagonal, or bowed nook for a unique design. For a wall, you might consider wainscot panels to provide contrast. Wainscoting covers the lower portion of a wall with the repeating pattern of your choice—beadboard, tongue and groove, recessed panels, etc.—and instantly adds classic appeal. While preferred in kitchens and dining rooms, where the extra panels protect walls at higher risk of damage from foot traffic, scooting chairs, and dropped dishware, wainscot is adaptable and can fit in anywhere. With plenty of choices, don’t be afraid to ask an expert for design advice!
Add Natural Color and Texture
It doesn’t matter whether you’re going for a rough and rustic vibe or a neat, traditional one—natural tones and textures are a major asset. Consider flooring; everybody loves a hardwood floor, but the type depends on the home and the preference of the owners. Similarly, decorative pieces come with a variety of woodgrain and processing details, and you can choose a stain to create the perfect look. There’s ample opportunity to incorporate these details inside, whether you’d like to see large timber beams or simple flat trim with subtle graining, a bold natural highlight for contrast or a design filled with wood elements.
Texture is the most important variable. Take a look at each woodgrain to get a feel for its vibe; in general, straight patterns are refined and suitable for classic designs, while swirling and knotted graining evokes a rustic ambiance. To keep the look of luxury, stick to a clear, smooth texture that suggests careful milling. If your interior needs a rugged touch, a hand-finished texture with rough notches and other visible evidence of manual wood shaping is just what you’ve been searching for. A wide spectrum of nuance exists between the extremes so you can find the right texture, and then you can color it to match your vision. Consider staining to show off natural depth and character, or paint if you want a crisp finish.
Decorative details guide and support the décor you put into the room, giving you a fuller and more cohesive design overall. You don’t want to shirk on this area after all the effort you put into constructing your dream home! Fypon® offers a free takeoff service to help you select pieces that fit the style of the house and help you achieve a gorgeous design that’ll make your spaces come to life before you even move in. And because they manufacture durable polyurethane products, you’ll never have to worry about maintenance or water or insect damage—even on pieces that look remarkably like solid wood. Find a local dealer to see what they can do for you!