Crown Molding

Whether you love traditional decor or lean more contemporary in your style preferences, I think that crown molding has a place in any design.  Most people think that you can only use intricate decorative trim like this paired with more classic architectural detailing, but I actually love it incorporated into more contemporary interior design.  This university-inspired library is a great example of how you can combine both decor styles with crown molding being the glue the holds it together. The furniture looks quite modern and would not necessarily blend well with the very traditional style bookcase unit and beautiful arched windows. However, with the addition of a simple crown trim along the ceiling and a nice thick upgraded baseboard molding, the two design styles become more ambivalent and blend together nicely.

When we first viewed our house a few months ago while we were looking for a new place, the one thing that struck me was the gorgeous crown molding in bedroom. I have always been enchanted by traditional colonial style homes because they feel so historical and like you can take a trip back in time as soon as you step inside.  In my opinion, beautiful and intricate archectural  detailing used on wall molding, chair rails, or wainscoting is one of the big style elements that gives a home that historical feel. I couldn't wait to get inside our house and start revamping the master bedroom to take advantage of the stunning trim work. Right now we haven't done much other than to paint the crown molding, fireplace mantle, and lower 8 foot of the walls in this lovely yellow color.

Who knew that picking out ceiling molding would be such a complicated process. I found this inspiration picture months and months ago, and showed it to our builder as something we wanted to incorporate in the kitchen and adjoining living room. The project seemed simple enough until I was faced with the decision of which crown molding ideas I actually wanted to use. There are so many different sizes, shapes, and styles of pieces that it can be really hard to pinpoint the exact design that, not only will create your desired look, but that will also coordinate with the rest of the trim you already have in your home.  We learned that very intricate crown molding designs may not necessarily match existing pieces like your baseboards, door frames, and stair case.

Ever since I was little and designing my future home in my head, I knew that I wanted all of my rooms to have crown molding. It always seemed like such a grown-up and high end touch, one that only the nicest homes that I had been to featured.  Now that I just purchased my first home, I tried my hand at installing crown molding myself in the living room. I must say, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be! At first it seemed like it would be an easy weekend project -- get the molding cut at Lowe's, buy a nail gun and go for it.  It is definitely more complicated than that, especially when it comes to figuring out what to do with the crown molding corners.

One of the easiest upgrades to quickly revamp the look of an outdated kitchen is to add cabinet crown molding.  For much less money than replacing cabinetry, you can drastically change the look of the units (as well as your entire kitchen).  This is not necessarily a project for the amateur DIYer unfortunately. It does take some time and skill to design, measure, and cut your crown molding to fit the style and size of the cabinetry perfectly.  You could easily higher a handyman or cabinet builder who has experience in this area to complete the project over a few days. If you are going to do this, first make sure that the kitchen crown molding you select is the same overall style as your decor and the look of your cabinets.

I am a firm believer that crown molding can have a huge difference on the overall look of a room. I know this may sound crazy because it is only about 4 inches wide and generally looks not much different than window molding, but something about that small classic piece gives such a sophisticated vibe to a room. As you can see here, we opted to install a simple trim piece along the edge of our vaulted ceiling in the living room.  At first we weren't sure if that touch would be too much of a traditional style contrast against the more contemporary window trim ideas that we used, but I actually think the combination works quite well together. In fact, we like it so much that I plan to repeat this project in the rest of our main living areas.