Upgrade Your Home with Architectural Details

February 19, 2016
Use architectural details to make your remodeling or building project stand out. These ideas add timeless appeal throughout your home.
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Eye-Catching Entryway

Add interest and texture to your doorways with trimwork. Define arched doorways with detailed trim to create graceful entrances throughout your home.

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Wow-Worthy Walls

Dress up wide-open wall space with decorative molding. Suggest panels by applying thin strips of molding to walls. This technique, known as picture framing, is an easy way to emphasize artwork. For a bold look, paint the inside of the frame a different color.

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Fancy Flights

Make an entrance worthy of any starlet with a well-designed staircase. To give your stairs a simple facelift, consider replacing the newel (the vertical support at the center of a circular staircase or the post that supports a handrail at the bottom of a straight staircase) to anchor the landing.

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Wake Up Your Walls

Create visual interest with wainscoting, which comes in many different patterns to suit any style. Beaded board adds a cottage persona, while paneled wainscoting is well-suited for a traditionally decorated space.

Design Tip: When installing wall panels in a damp area such as a bathroom, consider using urethane beaded board, a low-maintenance material that won't rot or warp when exposed to moisture.

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Overhead Treatment

Don't forget to look up when designing your space. In this kitchen, the box beams on the ceiling are a sunny shade of yellow to match the cabinets. Exposed ceiling beams make a space with a high ceiling feel more welcoming.

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Spotlight the Ceiling

Spice up a plain ceiling with beaded board panels. The simple touch gives the ceiling a distinctive prominence in this dining room.

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Decorate with Trim

Decorative trim adds an instant stamp of personality to any space. Consider adding decorative details such as this cornice and arch treatment to soften the abrupt transition between a curved entryway and the adjoining wall.

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Integrated Design

Don't let a clunky range hood be an eyesore in your kitchen. Blend it into the rest of the room with decorative appliques and trim that mimic the surrounding cabinetry.

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Scene-Setting Ceiling

Architectural elements can quickly convey a specific style. The sturdy reclaimed wooden beams lining the ceiling of this kitchen prevent the space from looking washed out and create a rustic, lived-in feel despite the large, open space.

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Furniture-Style Features

Make your kitchen feel more like living space by adding furniture-style details. Decorative legs on an island or details at the base of cabinets give the kitchen a cozy character.

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Define the Fireplace

Let the fireplace set the pace for the rest of your space. This fireplace has classic appeal, thanks to a pair of columns flanking each side of the fireplace, a mantel on two corbels, and a brick surround. A large mirror installed above the mantel also directs attention to the hearth and adds a casual layer to the fireplace.

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Creative Cutouts

Looking upward from the foyer, this circular cutout resembles a skylight. Adding an architectural detail like this one was the perfect way to make a small, short space look larger by allowing the eye to see space above the entryway ceiling.

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Beautiful Curves

Spruce up an ordinary hallway with a graceful barrel-vault ceiling. The gentle curve of the ceiling prevents this all-white space from looking cold and harsh.

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Sun Soaked

A classic window seat provides the perfect opportunity for both comfort and storage. And with or without the window seat, a large bank of windows is great for filling a room with plenty of natural light and allowing fresh breezes to cool the space naturally.

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Stylish Shutters

Interior shutters on the lower half of the window offer the perfect combination of privacy and sunlight for a bathroom.

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