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Am I making a mistake

14 years ago

My home is a contemporary post and beam. It is an open floorplan. All of the windows on the first floor have the same molding. I would like to remove the molding in the kitchen and just have a simple drywall return.

Is this a terrible mistake?

What do you think?

Comments (21)

  • 14 years ago

    I don't see anything wrong with that, do you have pictures?

  • 14 years ago

    Heck no, do it.

  • 14 years ago

    Thank you,I don't really have a picture to post since currently my kitchen is a moldingless, cabinetless, shell.
    I spent the day spackling and sanding and started to doubt everything I was doing.

  • 14 years ago

    I don't see why you shouldn't do that. I would second guess it if there was an original window nearby, or if the molding is stained, or otherwise prominent and/or elaborate (which it probably isnt). otherwise. No big deal.

  • 14 years ago

    Where are yoyr kitchen windows? The only thing that occurs to me is, if it's a window over your sink, how will it be protected from moisture?

  • 14 years ago

    Thanks for the excellent point bronwynsmom. I think I am OK on moisture. While the sink will be under one of the windows, I will have a stone backsplash behind the sink and up to the sill, the sill will be wood, not drywall.
    This picture, which is terrible because we are in full demolition mode, shows a bit of our sunroom which has the same window molding as the rest of the house, although everywhere else it is painted, and the bare bones kitchen.

    From GW Photos

  • 14 years ago

    I think it will provide a note of dissonance in an open floorplan where every other window will be done the same.

  • 14 years ago

    Just wondering why you don't want the same moulding? Just drywall no tile?

  • 14 years ago

    I want the kitchen to be a very calm space. I thought a simple drywall return around the windows would provide a cleaner, less busy line. I feel like our house does not need the ornamentation of a lot of trim due to the predominance of the exposed post and beam structure.
    I tend to keep furnishings and decoration minimal and simple, no clutter/no frills.
    Here is a fairly accurate layout of the kitchen.

    From Kitchen Planning

    The details in the rendering which are not correct are: The cabinets will be slab doors and drawer fronts, the perimeter in natural walnut and the island painted a dusky light olive, the countertop is Madre Perla. The hood style is inaccurate, though it will be stainless it will not be curvy. There will be no shelves to the right of the stove, though there will be a clock hanging there. There are small wall lights above each window centered on each pane.
    The walls will be SW Alabaster- which is throughout the house on the trim and walls(except for the sunroom, the sunroom will be re-painted a lighter shade of the island color and its trim(not beams) is to be painted alabaster.)
    I think it is OK to go without the trim, my KD thinks it is a great idea, two close friends who are interior decorators both concur, but I am a little nervous about it which is, of course, why I posted for feedback.

  • 14 years ago

    IMO when window trim styles do not match it looks as if there was a lack of planning or a poor reno. It would be a red flag for me in a house I was thinking of buying. I'd be searching for other design/construction oddities.

    With the style of your house I think having only one window without trim will look strange as the moldings and wood posts and beams are so dominant.

    I'd love to hear what the experts who have concurred really think about it.

  • 14 years ago

    I agree with you. I love the look of drywall return and no window trim.

    In this case, since the rest of the walls and window trim are same color, the trim probably doesn't stand out. Thus the contrast (between the kitchen windows and the rest of the windows) won't be that great.

  • 14 years ago

    My home is a custom home that was originally a builder's showcase home. The builder put in extra woodwork -- lots of crown, window mouldings, fluted door mouldings with built up crowns in the main living areas. My kitchen window and an arched window in my bathroom do not have mouldings. Those rooms both had wallpaper originally but do not now. The rest of my house doesn't have a tile backsplash or a marble sill either. The kitchen is a unique workroom and has a lot of other things going on (wall cabinets, appliances, splash -- likely the busiest room in the house from a visual standpoint).

    I think it can work to have the mouldings, but I also think it can work to go without them. Actually, in my kitchen, the wall cabinets are too close to the window to allow the same molding as the rest of the windows without looking cramped. Wrapping the splash tile looks better.

    Your kitchen is set back so it is different, but it still has beams and other wood trim so that it won't look like someone bumped it out years later and didn't think about tying it in. Your sink wall might be able to handle mouldings, but the window between the hood and fridge looks like it would look cramped and cluttered with mouldings. I think the wood would be distracting -- just a bit too much going on where you have an already busy wall. Trust your idea. I would go for the simpler, cleaner look with that wall being the deciding factor for me.

  • 14 years ago

    Gorgeous home.

    To my eye, it will look better without the moldings. The moldings would make it too busy. You still have lots of woodwork carrying into the kitchen area and I think that will help to keep it cohesive with the rest of the space.

    Keep posting pics as you go. Would love to see progress.

  • 14 years ago

    Are you doing any kind of backsplash? Without moulding you could run the backsplash to the edge of the return or even wrap the return with the material and it would be a very clean look.

    I think this is a different situation than the typical house with matching millwork, because it is contemporary and it is post and beam and shows some structure. The location of the window also plays into the way it is treated, and I think if it is executed well it won't look like a short cut.

  • 14 years ago

    This dilemma has caused me to lose some sleep.
    I had hoped that my original plan for the simple dry wall return would let the organic elements of the kitchen; the natural walnut, the lovely madre perla, the posts and beams, shine through. I didn't think I needed the element of window trim, I thought it would be too much in the kitchen. I felt that letting the organic elements shine was in keeping with the feel of the house.
    Admittedly some of it is also construction driven; the fridge needs to fit under the knee brace that is unseen and behind it in the renderings (another knee brace can be seen separating the sunroom and kitchen) with that space constraint the matching window trim looks crowded to my eye. Also I want to do lights above the windows(I cannot do ceiling mounted light as there is no ceiling per se just drywall mounted to the flooring above). The sconces over the trim and between the ceiling beam is very crowded.
    Palimpsest: to answer your questions about backsplash I plan to continue the madre perla up behind the sink, even with the length of that window. My slabs do not have enough stone to do both sills, and I think only doing one would be wrong. I can paint the wooden sills or I could do walnut sills.
    Behind the stove, I am undecided: I may tile that whole wall between the fridge and the post in the corner in a simple subway tile in a tone to compliment the madre perla. I may tile just from the window over to the post. I may just do a stainless splash. I may try to find a scrap of madre perla and do that.
    The other element I am undecided on is the open shelves to the left of the sink; floating shelves, walnut shelf brackets, stainless brackets, no shelves and a piece of artwork painted by my FIL for which I have been seeking a great space.
    I really appreciate all the feedback and opinions. I value your advice and hearing all the comments is helping me to solidify my own ideas and plans. Keep 'em coming.

  • 14 years ago

    I think that, so long as you let the sills match the rest of the woodwork, you'll be fine with a drywall return. Just be sure your builder's rockers make a perfect smooth join with the corner bead and the mudding at those points.

    One of the purposes of trim at intersections is to allow a little wiggle room in the fitting of the drywall. Unadorned corners need to be finished perfectly, particularly when they are in your sightlines every day. If they are, you will love them. If not...not.

  • 14 years ago

    I LOVE your house! I like a cleaner look too. Can you just match the sills for now and allow the space to add wood trim later if it really doesn't look right? If it weren't for that one window in the green wall, I don't think anyone would notice, but with that window having so much wood around it, I think the eye might travel across the space and notice that it's missing. But with enough wood cabinets beside the windows, maybe not.

    I'm no help at all, am I? lol

  • 14 years ago

    marti8 you are so sweet. Thank you for loving my house, I love it too and you are a help. Thank you for your comment.
    I think I am going forward with my original plan. I like your point about being able to add trim later. Of course, I can do that.

  • 14 years ago

    Good choice!

    When we redid another kitchen, we pulled the trim off the sides and top of the window over the sink, which was one of three windows in the room, and replaced it with a much narrower molding to make more room for the open shelves on either side, and the Roman shade that hung over it. It was painted like the rest of the trim, and looked just fine.

    Coordinating, not matching, can be even better when it suits you better.

  • 14 years ago

    I can totally see your dilemma. A friend has a post and beam home and I love it. And I love yours. I like your idea of being able to add some trim later if you don't like the results without. I was thinking you should at least try adding the top trim over the windows which would coordinate enough with the rest of the windows. And it wouldn't overpower, which I sense is what you are trying to avoid.

  • 14 years ago

    I would just add, make sure your drywall person uses plastic cornerbead not metal if the window is near the sink. Too much moisture can cause the metal cornerbead under the mud to rust and leach thru to the surface. Speaking from experience here.