[This is part of Our Molding Makeover series]
When Jennifer called and said she wanted to spend the evening reviewing the moldings we think we want in our Tucson townhouse, I suggested we also celebrate our recent milestone of surpassing 1000 page views in a single day!
She loved the idea, so when she walked in the door dinner was on the table and the living room was ready for an evening of looking through our historic home books. We took lots of notes, stuck post-its to favorite pages, made sketches and did a whole lot of daydreaming while standing in each room.
Wait for the Pause
If you’re new to decorating with moldings, and unfamiliar with the nuances between the different period styles, there is a simple technique you can use to help find your style; you wait for the pause.
You will need your partner or some other interested party to watch you look through many different molding patterns. Flip through the pages of a book or scroll through the pages of a website while your partner watches your reaction to the designs. In the places where you pause, even for just a moment, take note of that design. Mark the page and take notes. Like taking tests in school, the first answer that comes to mind is usually the correct one — in this case it’s your correct molding answer. Repeat the process over and over until you’ve honed your style down to something specific.
This is what Jennifer and I did during our design date. Time and again Jennifer paused at the solid, simple moldings of Greek Revival style homes, just like she had during previous planning sessions.
Getting Specific
With Jennifer confident in her choice of period style, it was time for me to select the specific molding patterns that:
- Can be made in line with my Seven Design and Installation Principles;
- Can work with any limiting factors in our home, like air vent and electrical outlet locations;
- Can transition from one room to the next without looking awkward or forced;
- Would look great with the color combinations we have in mind;
- Have a unifying design element that can be applied in every room.
We had a wonderful evening planning our molding makeover. By the time the bottle of wine was empty and the tealights flickered and dimmed, we had made concrete decisions about the overall design theme, made rough sketches of the patterns we want in each room, settled on which rooms will have architectural ornaments like rosettes and scrolls, and came up with some workable color schemes.
Remodeling projects don’t have to be stressful. Weave some romance into the whole project and you’re sure to have fun the whole way!
Do you have any special tips for keeping your home improvement project stress-free? We’d love to know your techniques. Share with us in the comment form below!
Cheers,
Ken
