architectural details
Architectural Wall Decor
Wall decor in your home should begin with you and your family and the ninety-five percent of your time spent without visitors. You build from there, wall by wall, room by room, bringing refinement and harmony through your use of architectural products.
The goal in architecture and interior design is to achieve a structure where the exterior and interior echo each other. Interior architecture should be at best a continuation of the exterior. When this marriage occurs, the integrity of the house will shine through.
Today, most private houses have a less rigid line drawn between public and private rooms. They are integrated into a seamless whole, reflecting the inhabitants throughout. You may live in an apartment with as few as one or two rooms, so the distinction between public and private space doesn’t exist. Regardless of the number of your rooms, you want your guests to experience the warmth and intimacy of your love in every space, right down to the laundry room. When you are in a space that houses love, no matter what function it serves, you are uplifted by the harmony and spirit of place.
Architectural wall decor, the blend of science and art, is needed even in the spaces no one sees but you. You don’t want to give your guests better treatment than you give yourself. Some of the greatest refinement in your house may be in your bedroom closet where the lines are lacquered smooth and the edges rounded and sensual, although no one ever spends time there but you.
Wall decor in your home should begin with you and your family and the ninety-five percent of your time spent without visitors. You build from there, wall by wall, room by room, bringing refinement and harmony through your use of architectural products.
To relieve the flatness of the wall, you can install a traditional chair-rail. The appropriate height depends on the room size and height of the ceiling, but on average, it should range thirty to forty inches from the floor. At this level, a molding is comforting and satisfying to the eye.
To serve its practical function of preventing the back of a chair from damaging a wall, it should never be higher than the chair. The traditional architecture includes a chair-rail in most rooms, with elaborate paneling installed beneath the molding to the baseboard. If you decide you want a chair-rail, select one that is compatible with the cornice molding in projection and design. Rather than purchasing expensive wood paneling, consider painting the chair-rail and space below it white and the space above the chair rail a tint to break the monotony. If you love striped wallpaper, the most elegant place to hang it is in the space above the chair rail in a room.
Creating a Polished Look
