Architect's Toolbox: Tell a Home's Story With Trim
Trim speaks worlds about your home's style. Make sure yours is speaking the right language by understanding the 5 basic styles
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located... More »
How the interior of a house gets trimmed out contributes greatly to its overall character. In many ways, a well thought-out trim design can make a plain-vanilla interior into something rich and complex, as well as architecturally dynamic.
As Brent Hull of Hull Historical notes, trim is one of the ways in which you can tell your story. For example, if you're more formal and elegant, a federal or Georgian trim may be best for you. If, on the other hand, you are more of a hands-on type, a Craftsman trim would probably suit you.
And remember, using trim profiles that are stylistically incompatible with each other and the architecture of the home is a design faux pas. It would make for a strange interior indeed if the railings were Gothic, the baseboard Craftsman and the crown Georgian. And while mixing trim styles around on the interior is one thing, having a different trim on the inside from what one would expect looking at the outside creates a dyslexic design. It's as if we chose everything on the menu because we couldn't decide on the one thing that we really wanted.
So define the story you wish to tell and, for the sake of unity, clarity and consistency, use trim profiles from all the same family, to tell that story.
As Brent Hull of Hull Historical notes, trim is one of the ways in which you can tell your story. For example, if you're more formal and elegant, a federal or Georgian trim may be best for you. If, on the other hand, you are more of a hands-on type, a Craftsman trim would probably suit you.
And remember, using trim profiles that are stylistically incompatible with each other and the architecture of the home is a design faux pas. It would make for a strange interior indeed if the railings were Gothic, the baseboard Craftsman and the crown Georgian. And while mixing trim styles around on the interior is one thing, having a different trim on the inside from what one would expect looking at the outside creates a dyslexic design. It's as if we chose everything on the menu because we couldn't decide on the one thing that we really wanted.
So define the story you wish to tell and, for the sake of unity, clarity and consistency, use trim profiles from all the same family, to tell that story.
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Colonial-Style Trim
The Protestant work ethic and an agrarian, small-town society are things that are associated with the colonial style. Unlike its European contemporaries, colonial trim was simple and spartan.
Which doesn't mean it was puny and thin. In fact, this style has a boldness to it that is speaks to the boldness of the Declaration of Independence and American Revolution.
The Protestant work ethic and an agrarian, small-town society are things that are associated with the colonial style. Unlike its European contemporaries, colonial trim was simple and spartan.
Which doesn't mean it was puny and thin. In fact, this style has a boldness to it that is speaks to the boldness of the Declaration of Independence and American Revolution.
by Hull Historical
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Though simple, colonial trim still abounded with detail. So things like an acanthus leaf at the mantel and a dentil at the crown were permissible to enliven and enrich the trim. And boards butted against each other in lieu of paneling would be preferable.
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| Certainly, with its clean lines, simple styling and utilitarian aesthetic, the colonial-style trim works well for kitchen cabinetry — especially when simple shutter hardware such as strap and L-hinges is used. |
by Hull Historical
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Georgian-Style Trim
Say you don't want the stained-wood look and the colonial style is just a bit too simple for you. If so, try the Georgian style. More curvilinear and flowing than colonial, this style is ideal for larger and more formal homes.
Say you don't want the stained-wood look and the colonial style is just a bit too simple for you. If so, try the Georgian style. More curvilinear and flowing than colonial, this style is ideal for larger and more formal homes.
by Hull Historical
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Details such as large entablatures over doorways and taller and deeper crown moldings that gently flow from wall to ceiling are features of Georgian-style trim.
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As are mantels that have an elegance and grace formed by these soft and flowing forms. So rather than each piece having a clear starting and stopping point, Georgian moldings blend seamlessly into each other to reinforce the connectivity of each part and wholeness of the space.
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Gothic-Style Trim
In the mid to late 19th century, many homes and other buildings were built in the Gothic style. Echoing the great cathedrals of Europe, the emphasis on the vertical dimension and craftsmanship makes the Gothic style perfect for the romantic.
In the mid to late 19th century, many homes and other buildings were built in the Gothic style. Echoing the great cathedrals of Europe, the emphasis on the vertical dimension and craftsmanship makes the Gothic style perfect for the romantic.
by Hull Historical
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Certainly not suitable for rooms with low ceilings, this style of trimwork wants to be in a room that has a tall ceiling and spirals up to the sky and heavens, just like those old Gothic cathedrals.
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Elizabethan- or Jacobean-Style Trim
Because it could be adapted to big and small homes alike, the Jacobean or Elizabethan style was popular during the early 20th century. A reason for this popularity was that it provided an old-world solidity no matter the size of the home.
Certainly one of the most telling features of this style is the arch. Shallower and flatter than the Gothic and less round than the colonial or other classical styles, the Elizabethan arch is well suited to shorter doorways and rooms with lower ceilings.
Because it could be adapted to big and small homes alike, the Jacobean or Elizabethan style was popular during the early 20th century. A reason for this popularity was that it provided an old-world solidity no matter the size of the home.
Certainly one of the most telling features of this style is the arch. Shallower and flatter than the Gothic and less round than the colonial or other classical styles, the Elizabethan arch is well suited to shorter doorways and rooms with lower ceilings.
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Modeled after the manor houses and estates of the British aristocracy, this style relies on dark-stained wood carved into simple and massive shapes for its aesthetic.
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Though not at all common, the Elizabethan style can easily find its way into cabinetry design. The dark-stained wood and sense that the wood has been carved is ideal for an old-world aesthetic.
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| Arts and Crafts–Style and Craftsman-Style Trim Any overview of trim styles would be incomplete without the addition of these two styles. Born of the desire to create something new that was a celebration of nature, hand-crafting and an honesty of materials, these styles found their way into many homes, especially bungalows and the houses by architects like the Greene brothers. Made from simple profiles and wood stained a rich color, this trim style came to define domesticity when combined with golden yellows, moss greens and musty burgundies. |
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| The style fell out of favor with the onset of the colonial revival and the desire to have lighter and brighter interiors. The result has been that the trim profiles are still simple while the material choice now includes painted wood. |
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| The result: interiors that are as light and bright as anything expected in a modern home. |
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The Difference Trim Can Make
BEFORE: The importance of some well thought-out trim can't be underestimated. It's a real truism that adding trim is one of the most cost-effective ways of transforming a plain and boring space into one that is rich and wonderful.
Take a look at this hallway. The trim (casing) around the doorway is way too small for the size of the opening and scale of the space. And all of that wall surface above the doorway! It makes me cringe just thinking about having to traverse that portal.
BEFORE: The importance of some well thought-out trim can't be underestimated. It's a real truism that adding trim is one of the most cost-effective ways of transforming a plain and boring space into one that is rich and wonderful.
Take a look at this hallway. The trim (casing) around the doorway is way too small for the size of the opening and scale of the space. And all of that wall surface above the doorway! It makes me cringe just thinking about having to traverse that portal.
by Hull Historical
»
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AFTER: Here's the same hallway trimmed out with some thought and care. The large-scale moldings above the doors eliminate all that extra wall space and reinforce the importance of traveling from room to room. The addition of the chair rail reinforces the scale of the human body and provides another horizontal layer of space. While there was nothing but a big, cubic volume of space before, now there's a series of layered spaces all defined by trim elements.
See more Houzz guides on using trim
See more Houzz guides on using trim
Comments
patscats2 No one loves molding and trim more than I do, but it can be overdone as indicated in some of these photo's. Yes, you can overdo molding. I love that oval celing room. Lovely and in great taste.
11 months ago · Like
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trasgorshek Ohhhh how I love millwork! It's probably the first thing I notice in a home. It completely transforms a space. I have slowly been adding it room by room to our blank slate. Thank you for the beautiful examples!
10 months ago · Like
Mary Burbary_Champion I love trim work and molding as well. I've been adding it to my blank looking 1980's home and it makes such a difference.
7 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on June 26, 2012.
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