Open space or warehouse?
I like open floor plans as much as anybody. But really, builders should learn some restraint.
Do you really want to walk through your front door into a vast, ill-defined furniture warehouse?
But if a warehouse is what you have, then you can subdivide the room with moldings like I did in this foyer and living room great room combo.
Define open floor plans with moldings.
Decorating Great Rooms with Moldings Tip
Look for areas that lend themselves to some stand-alone molding treatment.
In this foyer there was a blank ceiling that lent itself to a simple paneled/coffered ceiling with a few ornaments applied, tall wall frames that stop at the wood flooring with a pilaster on one side (left of picture behind glass cabinet) and a declining stair wall on the other.
I cheated on the door trim: rather than replace all of the door trim going into the dining room, I instead added a simple entablature on top of the existing trim.
I would prefer more mass to my door surrounds, but this was an acceptable alternative given the project budget. The front door with sidelights, however, got the full treatment with lots of ornaments.
I’ve got hundreds more before and after molding pictures to post. To keep up with them all, why don’t you subscribe to TheJoyofMoldings.com via RSS or email?
