Molding is more than just room trim these days. Interior designers are getting creative with it.
Shanon Munn, owner of Ambi Design Studio in McLean, uses molding to create interesting elements out of construction dilemmas. In a recent project, a bedroom had an unsightly bump-out. To make it more attractive, Munn created faux columns, one on each side of the bed.
“Sometimes you find architecture problems,” she said. “What I decided to do was to make a niche for the bed. I boxed it out using plywood.”
Typically, there are three types of trim: polyurethane, wood and plaster.
Andrew Sices, a designer and sculptor for Monumental Construction and Moulding in Washington, uses plaster when designing molding for his high-end customers.
One of his specialties is curved molding.
“If you have a curved wall or dome, you can put curved trim around the bottom of the dome. You can create light troughs that draw light up,” Sices said.
Where to find it:
Andrew Sices, Monumental Construction and Moulding
202-745-0658
Shanon Munn, Ambi Design Studio
703-597-8401
When deciding to add decorative molding, first take into account the style of the home. “Look at the architecture of your home. If you have a Colonial-style home, you might want to go with traditional shapes in molding,” Munn said. “If someone has a ’50s rambler, maybe you should go with more of a clean Midcentury Modern look.”
Also, size does matter when it comes to typical trim molding. The rule of thumb is that molding should be one-16th the height of the wall.
“In a room that’s standard height, you do not want anything more than six inches,” Munn said. “Anything else will look too big; you don’t want a tiny crown either … keep molding proportional to the space.”
Homeowners also draw attention to a space by adding ornamental molding to just one room or a focal point in a specific area.
“The public spaces [like] the foyer, the living, the entryway, the dining room, the kind of areas where guests are entertained, the molding can really be embellished and give a good environment and good feeling in a house,” Sices said. “Fireplace mantels and the area above the fireplace can also be done quite elaborately [as a way to] enhance a certain area to make it the focus of a certain room.”
