Your remodeling options do not stop at custom kitchen cabinets, a chic new shower or fresh faucets. You can also step up your interior design by updating your home’s architectural details. Crown molding, wainscoting, window trim and other features bring flair and interest to your rooms. For many new homes, store-bought options are available, but the problem our clients often find with these premade materials is that they don’t quite match the style of their home decor or other existing architecture. As for older homes, details were handmade to begin with, and the trim or molding is not available anywhere. Perfectly fitting architectural details for new and old homes is what Marvelous Woodworking has done for many clients seeking the right look.

Crown molding is the wood trim over the seams where walls meet ceilings. Adding molding to your rooms quickly gives a plain space architectural depth. An interesting thing to do with crown is to lower it a few inches from the ceiling and install lighting behind it. Add a dimmer switch to the lighting and you get a soft effect that’s perfect for media rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms or any room where soft lighting is desirable. Crown moldings are available at various Home Depot stores, but finding a custom builder will give you that well-fitted look and more style options.

A coffered ceiling adds dimension and a bold look to any room, and is particularly nice in kitchens, dining and family rooms. Coffers in higher ceilings are especially striking. There are many options when it comes to design. The ceiling inside the coffer can be painted a different color; coffers can be outlined with crown molding that is lighted from behind; and grid patterns can be small or large. Again, custom may be the way to go if you have a very specific look in mind, or want an exact match with your existing home decor.

Drastic change is not needed to bring architectural interest to your design. Adding wainscoting up a staircase or corbels to your fireplace mantel are simple ways to achieve a detailed look. Corbels are decorative pieces that provide shelf support, and are also used in exterior architecture to soften angles. 

When crafting architectural details, our goal is to always match the house’s style as closely as possible. This approach is especially needed in older homes, where you have to hand make anything that breaks or wears out in order to match the rest of the house. One of Marvelous Woodworking’s first jobs was to replace some deteriorated trim for a Broad Ripple bungalow house built in the 50s. Their choice was to either replace all the trim in the house with a new store-bought style, or find a custom woodworker like us who could replicate the trim. We took the same approach when we were asked to come back and create a custom built-in cabinet. We not only incorporated the trim, but other architectural details of the house so the cabinet looked like it had always been there.

One of the oldest homes we ever worked on was the Parry Mansion. The house was built early 1900s, and we really had to do our research to accurately recreate the architecture in the period style. The door and window frames we built stay true to the old world feel of the entire home.

You can read and see more about the Parry Mansion project here.

Architectural detailing adds dimension and richness to your rooms. We at Marvelous Woodworking have been able to provide custom solutions for homeowners looking for the right design to compliment their style perfectly. If you would like to discuss a project with us, send us an email or give us a call at 317.679.5890 to set an appointment.