Many consider trim an embellishment, designed to accessorize a space. However, incorporating trim during the planning stage of renovations can make it an extension of space that adds interest, texture and character to your home. “When we do any plan, we’re thinking about it,” said Jim Rill of Rill Architects. “We’re thinking about trim in the beginning and throughout the entire remodeling process.”
Whether coffers, chair rails, wainscoting, stair rails, beams, crown molding, mantles, baseboards or window casings, trim helps define spaces.
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“It adds a sense of hierarchy within a plan,” Rill said. “When you design a home, you want it to have rhythm, highs and lows. You can’t have one solid tone. You want momentum to build as you walk through a house.”
Creating momentum and rhythm with trim begins with the exterior. Rill coordinates exterior trim on porches and porticos with the interior to create flow. This includes using beaded board porch ceilings, columns, window casing and exterior door trim.
Inside, Rill leaves no wall untrimmed. This includes the ceiling.
“The ceiling is just as important as the floor or any wall,” Rill said. “Ignoring the ceiling is a missed opportunity.”
Coffers or wood beams on the ceiling bring coziness to cavernous rooms. Sometimes Rill coordinates ceiling treatments with other elements in the house. In one home he used stained wood on a ceiling to complement stained cabinetry in an adjacent room. In a Craftsman-style home Rill used the same stained maple on the ceiling in the family room that he used for kitchen cabinets.
As a general rule, the higher the ceiling, the more trim you can use.
“Some of the mass-produced homes you go into have two-story foyers with no trim. It feels cold,” Rill said. “Trim can really create a sense of warmth and scale. It makes the room more comfortable. And that’s what you want a space to be, comfortable.”
With windows, Rill said the type of trim to use depends on the view. To highlight a scenic view outside, Rill suggests using simple trim around large windows. To minimize a less desirable view, use more ornate trim inside.
In the kitchen, trim can be used on cabinetry to make it look more like standalone furniture. However if you have cabinets with decorative or embellished doors, eliminating trim helps them stand out.
Ned Overton, owner of FW&D Remodeling in Arlington, has many clients who live in pos/world/ War II homes in Northern Virginia. Some properties, like those in the Shirlington or Fairlington area, were once military or public housing and lack interior architectural features.
Overton considers trim essential for adding character to these otherwise “boxy homes.” “With some of these McMansions, you need trim to break up the big, tall box,” said Overton, who suggests replacing skinny poles with columns, installing wainscoting or chair rails in dining rooms, and crown molding throughout.
Although most trim is painted some shade of white, using natural finishes can add an Arts and Crafts feel to a room. “If going with a natural finish, you want to use a hard wood like pine because of the grain,” Overton said. “Otherwise most trim is made from soft woods like poplar.”
