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 Mouldings and trim can make a blah room a va va voom room. (Courtesy of Cheryll Gillespie) |
Mouldings and trim can make a blah room a va va voom room, and in just a few hours. It always amazes me what trim work and detail can do to a space. I suppose we can liken it to accessorizing an outfit - the way in which the perfect hat, a fabulous tie or a stunning piece of jewelry can leave you with your jaw dangling. The same can be said of trim in a room, and the best part is that trim can be very inexpensive and you can easily do it yourself.
What does it take to trim up a room? A Japanese style hand saw (they work for just about every little project I do around the house); a miter box; finishing nails; a level; a hammer and some glue or silicon. Not a lot of materials for a whole lot of impact.
This is the perfect DIY project, start small like a powder room or bedroom. For a simple country-inspired space install vertical 1x1’s on four walls, add a simple crown moulding then give the entire space a coat of paint. You’ve taken the room from square box to seaside retreat in less than one day.
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Looking for something with more elegance? No problem, you’ll find all sorts of ‘fancy’, paintable trims and detail at your local do-it-yourself centre. Scrolled corner pieces, sculpted trims and mouldings all ready made and just waiting to be installed. Look for design inspiration in magazines and then using a pencil (no pen as it will show through your paint) draw the design on the walls. Add or subtract as taste dictates. Once you have the design/layout penciled onto the wall go for the real thing and start trimming your walls.
To keep the proportions esthetically pleasing, remember that a chair rail should be installed at about 36 inches from the floor, approximately one third of a nine foot ceiling. Designers love to work in thirds and with odd numbers, with respect to proportions. Why? Because it brings a sense balance to a space. If your room has the old builder grade, two and half inch baseboard, this is the perfect time to upgrade the molding to a wider, more substantial base.
You have several options but today most of us prefer at least a five inch baseboard. If you are installing vertical moulding on the walls then you will certainly need a crown moulding as well as base to give the walls the required ‘finished’ look, but if the moulding is horizontal then you can choose to not install the crown moulding although personally I believe that a room looks best with crown.
Trim, the icing on the cake when it comes to room design - might just be the perfect rainy day project.