Give Your Plain House a Lift With Add-On Architectural Detail
There's no need to refinance your mortgage to make over your home – these easy fixes will give it designer good looks at a discount
Most of us know the kind of house we’d love to live in, but often we have to settle for what we can afford and make the best of it. Fortunately, there are plenty of tricks that give the illusion of age, character, or design flair, without having to spend a lot. Whether it means breaking out a paint brush and tricking the eye, choosing wallpaper to give a featureless room flair, or adding timber moulding in all the right places, these tips will give your house the architectural detail you deserve.
Paint and moulding
Of course, a picture rail makes the job even easier. Moulding for picture rails in a variety of profiles can be found at your local hardware store – paint them first in a glossy finish before nailing them on (and don’t forget to fill the nail holes for a professional finish).
TIP: Painting your walls in two tones first before adding the picture rails will save you having to cut in too precisely.
Of course, a picture rail makes the job even easier. Moulding for picture rails in a variety of profiles can be found at your local hardware store – paint them first in a glossy finish before nailing them on (and don’t forget to fill the nail holes for a professional finish).
TIP: Painting your walls in two tones first before adding the picture rails will save you having to cut in too precisely.
Chair rails can have just as big an impact as picture rails if you’re looking to give a room a finishing touch. Designer Greg Natale has balanced the proportions nicely in this room, with a low-set sofa and sideboard ideal choices for the white-painted wall under the chair rail.
TIP: If you covet decorative cornices but your budget won’t allow for it, why not extend your white ceiling down onto the walls to create the illusion of cornices? In this room, moulding enhances the effect. Adding timber moulding can be a far less expensive option than plaster cornices, and it’s an easier job to DIY.
TIP: If you covet decorative cornices but your budget won’t allow for it, why not extend your white ceiling down onto the walls to create the illusion of cornices? In this room, moulding enhances the effect. Adding timber moulding can be a far less expensive option than plaster cornices, and it’s an easier job to DIY.
All kinds of detail can be added with the help of moulding, and it isn’t hard to do. Framing other features in the room draws them into the limelight and takes attention away from the less appealing aspects the room may have – yellowing or worn floorboards, for example.
In a dull hallway, moulding can add interest and elegance, and don’t forget the skirting boards. Wide skirting boards not only make a home look more upmarket, they can also add age and character. Whether you do it yourself or get someone in to help, don’t forget to add similar detailing to the doors to help the look hang together.
Even the most modern of homes can benefit from a wider skirting board. Narrow versions tend to make a home look less ‘expensive’.
TIP: Paint skirting boards first before putting them on for clean, crisp lines, and consider MDF skirting boards instead of solid timber for big savings – once they’re painted, no one will know the difference. If you’re opting for MDF, just be sure there are no moisture issues affecting the room; otherwise they’ll warp.
TIP: Paint skirting boards first before putting them on for clean, crisp lines, and consider MDF skirting boards instead of solid timber for big savings – once they’re painted, no one will know the difference. If you’re opting for MDF, just be sure there are no moisture issues affecting the room; otherwise they’ll warp.
Historic inspiration
A ceiling rose, plantation shutters, a picture rail and an ornate mirror painted the same colour as the walls combine to add serious character and detail to this bedroom. Could yours benefit from some of these features? Architectural detail from the past helps add soul to plain or newly built homes lacking a lived-in atmosphere.
A ceiling rose, plantation shutters, a picture rail and an ornate mirror painted the same colour as the walls combine to add serious character and detail to this bedroom. Could yours benefit from some of these features? Architectural detail from the past helps add soul to plain or newly built homes lacking a lived-in atmosphere.
TIP: Just because you’ve added architectural detail doesn’t mean you have to turn back the clock throughout the room. A modern light fitting can work just as well with a ceiling rose as a period pendant from yesteryear.
Black doors
Whether inside or out, doors painted a glossy black have the power to elevate a home to new heights. Consider painting your wardrobe doors black, as well as interior doors. In a white hallway, black doors can be a revelation (even if you paint just the outside black and leave the inside white).
Read more: 11 Reasons Why You Should Paint Your Interior Doors Black
Whether inside or out, doors painted a glossy black have the power to elevate a home to new heights. Consider painting your wardrobe doors black, as well as interior doors. In a white hallway, black doors can be a revelation (even if you paint just the outside black and leave the inside white).
Read more: 11 Reasons Why You Should Paint Your Interior Doors Black
Black and white paintwork also manages to turn this outdoor area into a class act. Imagine the same exterior in all-white, or even ’70s brick, and it fades into forgettable. Match external light fittings to your black paint, along with outdoor furnishings, and you’ve just turned up the heat at your house.
A black front door and matching window trim gives this house an upmarket edge and highlights the shapely detail this home already has.
Read more: Give Your Front Door a Statement Paint-Over
Read more: Give Your Front Door a Statement Paint-Over
Ceiling work
If a ceiling rose and fancy cornices would look out of place at your house, work with what you have but style it up with a bold splash of paint – the more surprising the shade, the better.
If a ceiling rose and fancy cornices would look out of place at your house, work with what you have but style it up with a bold splash of paint – the more surprising the shade, the better.
A black ceiling looks effortlessly stylish, but if your ceilings are on the low side, consider breaking up the expanse of black with white battens. “This way people can’t get a sense of how tall the ceiling is as the battens trick the eye – if you can see through something it looks further away,” says architect Emilio Fuscaldo from Nest Architects.
Already have ceiling detail? Make the most of it and turn it into a feature – these beams stop this near-white room feeling too box-like.
Wallpaper
If your ceilings aren’t quite as high as you’d like, use wallpaper to your advantage and you can add height as well as a designer edge. Vertical stripes are an instant fix in this room.
If your ceilings aren’t quite as high as you’d like, use wallpaper to your advantage and you can add height as well as a designer edge. Vertical stripes are an instant fix in this room.
This clever wallpaper adds texture galore to this refined bedroom, to the point that from a distance the wall seems to have elaborate – and very expensive looking – moulding attached. Geometric designs can work wonders in any room – they can trick the eye into height, width, depth and everything in between.
This wallpaper perks up the room while adding height…
And how about this daring use of wallpaper? Paired with an angular, oversized light fitting, this entryway is designer gorgeous.
Cole & Son wallpaper in ‘Circus’ (93/6020)
Cole & Son wallpaper in ‘Circus’ (93/6020)
Curtains and accessories
Don’t neglect the curtains when you’re thinking of how to upgrade your bedroom or living room – compare these floor-to-ceiling inset curtains to mass-produced curtains threaded onto a curtain rod screwed on above a window or door. If you’re thinking of putting more beautiful cornices in anyway, entertain the idea of running them in front of the curtain fixtures. It will add both architectural detail and a five-star feature in one.
Don’t neglect the curtains when you’re thinking of how to upgrade your bedroom or living room – compare these floor-to-ceiling inset curtains to mass-produced curtains threaded onto a curtain rod screwed on above a window or door. If you’re thinking of putting more beautiful cornices in anyway, entertain the idea of running them in front of the curtain fixtures. It will add both architectural detail and a five-star feature in one.
If you get the accessories right, that can be enough to draw attention to your home’s best angles and attributes. The Twiggy floor lamp in this minimalist living room accentuates the ceiling height, a feature enhanced with floor-to-ceiling sheer curtains and low-set sofas.
Read more: Weekend DIY Project: How to Make an Ugly Interior Door Elegant
Read more: Weekend DIY Project: How to Make an Ugly Interior Door Elegant
Provided they’re not flimsy or cheap looking, a screen can add the detail your room may be lacking. A Japanese screen this beautiful steals the show in this bedroom, and allows the rest of the room to be quite plain without the space looking bland.
Wall panelling
If you dream of a country-style home, or one that’s more traditional than you have, consider timber panelling in the bathroom to add charm and character. Paint it white and pair it with pale blue or a warm grey and you can’t go wrong. This feature woodwork also creates a handy ledge to put items of interest on display.
Read more: Bathroom Inspiration: 20 of the Best Country Bathrooms
If you dream of a country-style home, or one that’s more traditional than you have, consider timber panelling in the bathroom to add charm and character. Paint it white and pair it with pale blue or a warm grey and you can’t go wrong. This feature woodwork also creates a handy ledge to put items of interest on display.
Read more: Bathroom Inspiration: 20 of the Best Country Bathrooms
Built-in cabinetry
When money is in short supply, or you’re living somewhere temporarily, going to the expense of built-in cabinetry is not really an option. But this is one feature that’s worth saving up for. Stand-alone bookshelves and storage units just can’t compete with quality cabinetry, and when the wall behind is painted in a contrasting hue, it becomes a standout feature that adds both polish and elegance.
YOUR SAY
What kind of architectural detail makes the biggest impact at your house? Tell us about it in the Comments.
MORE
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When money is in short supply, or you’re living somewhere temporarily, going to the expense of built-in cabinetry is not really an option. But this is one feature that’s worth saving up for. Stand-alone bookshelves and storage units just can’t compete with quality cabinetry, and when the wall behind is painted in a contrasting hue, it becomes a standout feature that adds both polish and elegance.
YOUR SAY
What kind of architectural detail makes the biggest impact at your house? Tell us about it in the Comments.
MORE
10 Achievable Decor Resolutions for the New Year
15 Essentials for the Entertainer’s Kitchen
Renovate Right: 6 Lessons Learned the Hard Way
Flat, plain white walls can make a room feel featureless, but there’s no need to go to the trouble of adding chair rails or picture rails when a lick of paint can achieve the same effect. Choose two strengths of the same shade or contrasting tones, and have painter’s tape and a spirit level handy to perfect a straight line. Using a darker colour on the bottom will help ground the room.