Residential Architectural Details in Home Design
Architectural details are permanent features and fixtures that shape
a home’s interior landscape. Trim work and molding usually has a
practical application such as hiding a seam between building
materials.
And while many architectural details such as columns, window seats,
built-in shelving, mantels, and trimmed wall openings, also serve
practical functions, they are valued more for what they contribute
to a room’s design or ornamentation.
They tend to play a larger more significant role in a home’s
interior design. Architectural details go beyond standard molding
and trim. They can be a design focal point or, as is the case with
ornate molding, work with other elements in the room to present a
unified design theme.
Adding Architectural Details
Adding details can improve your home in ways that standard
decorating tools cannot. For example, while a couch provides a
comfortable place to sit, a window seat connects a living area with
the outdoors; whereas a change of carpeting signal a transition into
a dining room, a passageway of stately columns creates a grand
entrance.
Decorating Basics
When incorporating architectural detail in your home, stay mindful
of the basic decorating considerations of style, size, and balance.
Most modern interiors are eclectic in style, often not by any
conscious decorating effort but because a less rigid style suits the
somewhat generic architecture of modern home design, as well as the
modern lifestyle.
Eclecticism allows for architectural details in a variety of styles,
however, it doesn’t work when those styles are totally unrelated or
incongruous.
If your taste leans toward more period decorating, the details you
choose should be appropriate for the specific historical style.
Fortunately most traditional architectural details have been around
for so long that they have been adapted for many different styles.
Columns, for example, are typically classical features but can be
found in such divergent settings as Georgian, Victorian, and
contemporary
interiors.
Other important considerations are size and proportion. The best way
to get the most out of an architectural detail is to give it the
right amount of space. Within the proper setting, a detail becomes a
room highlight that looks like an integral part of the house; in the
wrong space, even a good piece can be overwhelming and obtrusive or,
on the other hand, disproportionately small and insignificant.
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