Should We Put Crown Moulding On That?

Crowns! Maybe you are thinking of the Crowns dentists place in your mouth or the maybe the crown jewels of England, but in this blog we are talking about Crown Moulding. Now maybe you’re not familiar with what crown moulding is, so let me introduce you.

Crown Moulding was a decorative moulding used by the ancient Greeks and later Romans to space out their rooms. Originally these mouldings were made from hard stone, eventually being masterfully crafted out of plaster, and now in our modern era they are beautifully crafted out of all sorts of materials, including foam and MDF.

Enough of the history lesson, how can crown moulding benefit your interior design?  Just like the ancient Greeks and Romans you can add a bit of sophistication to your décor. These little decorative mouldings today sit at an angle between your wall and your ceiling, allowing your eye to shift easily from wall to ceiling instead of having that sharp boxed look. Of course, if you’re going for that sharp angled look you really don’t have to put moulding up, but there are modern sharp angled crown mouldings that can still give you the angled look you desire. Depending on the design and lighting in the room, it can also provide a three-dimensional art display (so to speak) by the various shadows created by the high and low reliefs of the moulding.

Picking a Style

There are hundreds of styles of mouldings to choose from; in various thicknesses and heights so how should you choose your Crown? Whether your changing your existing baseboard and casing or not, you can always go the easy route and pick a moulding that compliments them both. Here are a couple of tips.

First, think of the type of feeling you want the room to convey.

If you want to create a formal feeling or a more intimate space, then go for a thicker design. If you want to just take a way the angled box look to a room you can stick with a smaller design. Which can also be easier on your budget

Second, consider the height of your ceiling.

A taller crown moulding will bring the ceiling down visually because it makes the walls look shorter then they really are. A shorter crown moulding will make the ceiling feel higher visually because the walls will look taller.

Third, consider the height of your baseboard and casing.

If you have the currently popular seven inch baseboard or perhaps you even have the ever sophisticated look of wainscoting then prepare for a more formal look in your room if you choose a taller crown moulding. This is again because you are visually pulling the ceiling down and pulling the floor up. Besides a formal look, pulling the ceiling down visually can give you a more intimate feeling in your room.

Fourth, look what is near the top of your ceiling like vents.

Now vents close to the ceiling will not stop you from installing crown moulding, but it can dictate the size of the crown moulding. For example, if you want the look to be exactly uniform around the room then pick a size that will not interfere with the vent. Another option is to have your professional either do a return on both sides of the vent or cut around the moulding to accommodate the vent. A third option would of course be to move your vents, but it may not be friendly to your pocket book.

Fifth, go with what you like.

When you find the trim work that makes you happy then go with it. At the end of the day it is your house and you want it to have a touch of your personality to it.

High Ceilings and Crown Moulding

Crown moulding will pretty much look awesome in most spaces, but what if you have lofty ceilings? This is where you may want to think twice about installing crown moulding. The first question to ask yourself is, how tall is my ceiling? Then ask yourself, will I even be able to see and enjoy this architectural detail?

Now I say this, not to discourage you from putting up crown moulding, but to think twice on the investment value. If you can’t see this little decorative moulding then it really won’t have the impact that your looking for and your money might be better utilized if adding the impact in a unique way (see our wall moulding blog for ideas).

What if you just have vaulted ceilings and you will be able to see most of it? Then go for it. Crown Moulding can look fantastic on vaulted ceilings and will add absolutely amazing angles to your space. Keep in mind however that having it installed at an angle and having a high ceiling will likely cost you more money then in a regular room.

Trending Styles

One of the popular styles in our area is the three inch Colonial Style. This style is simple but elegant style and can therefore fit in with changing trends

Another really awesome look that is starting to get popular is adding lighting to your crown moulding. This idea not only gives your room sophistication of the crown moulding, but it also ads light that is not directly in your face. It can be great for bedrooms when you want just a little low lighting, fantastic if you want to make a themed futuristic kids room, or even add that little extra lighting that everyone always in the kitchen and dinning areas.

We hope you found our blog beneficial. Please subscribe to our blog to get more tips in the future. If you have a question or would like us to come to your home to give you a free estimate, please contact us, we would love to hear from you.