Resources For Getting Your Architectural Mouldings Right

We have all been in homes where it doesn’t feel right. We may not have the vocabulary to describe why, but visually it feels imbalanced or just weird. Part of my approach to any renovation is to consider the home’s original architectural style. I see value when we design with respect to this.

What is architectural style? This refers to the style of your home – Dutch Colonial, Craftsman, Mid-Century Modern, and many more. Within each style, there are different architectural moulding styles. Mouldings are the details like baseboard, crown, and window and door trim; the list goes on. There are various combinations of moulding profiles that can come together, but it doesn’t just happen randomly. These combinations are based on historic architecture and the importance of scale and proportion. When they are done with intention, the result is balanced, harmonious, and communicates with the exterior of the home.

Let’s do our homes, ourselves and future homeowners a favor and get these details right. Below are resources that I encourage you to utilize and thoughts to consider if you are venturing into a home renovation. Whether your house is Victorian or Mid-Century Modern, it all applies.

Get to know your home. Do a basic property search through your city or county website. Who was the architect? Are there existing blueprints? Walk around the outside of your home. Take notice of the exterior details. Has it gone through a multitude of renovations? Does the exterior communicate with the interior? Every old home has a story and learning your home’s story is a great place to start.

Research. In Portland, Oregon we have the Architectural Heritage Center and the Oregon Historical Society. They both have libraries and online resources that are available to all. Don’t be shy! Many people want to see homes restored accurately, so do not feel like you need credentials to utilize their resources. If you are not local to the Portland area, see what local groups or societies you have that support historic preservation.

Millwork Companies. Go to your local millwork company, not a big box home improvement store. Millwork companies have moulding options that you will never find in a big box store, plus they can typically customize. One of my local favorites is McCoy Millwork. Their showroom is full of mouldings, mantles, balusters, lumber, and the list goes on. In addition, they have knowledgeable staff that care about these kinds of details and are there to help you.

Some millwork companies provide an abundance of information online. One such company is Mouldings One. They clearly want to educate, and I love that. Mouldings One has great visuals in addition to explaining what makes each architectural style unique. You can find moulding styles for everything from Art Deco to Victorian. If you want to dive deeper, they provide design resources in downloadable PDFs or go on a tour of historic homes through their tab “Explore the Museum”.

I appreciate visuals when I am learning, so I included four example moulding profiles below. The Victorian and MCM profiles feel like pretty obvious comparisons to drive home the point that not all mouldings are alike. But the differences between some architectural moulding styles are less obvious. For example, the Federal and Colonial Revival mouldings (below). With all of these examples, you can see how an ornately detailed moulding would be out of place in a home that is meant to have clean lines and vice versa.

Victorian moulding profiles. Image courtesy of Mouldings One.

Mid-Century Modern moulding profiles. Image courtesy of Mouldings One.

Federal moulding profile. Image courtesy of Mouldings One.

Colonial Revival moulding profiles. Image courtesy of Mouldings One.

Books. Don’t forget about your public library! I have my share of design and architecture books because I continually reference them, but I also regularly have about five or six design books from the library on our coffee table at any given time. One book that I recommend starting with is Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid by Marianne Cusato and Ben Pentreath with Richard Sammons and Leon Krier. This is a very approachable book (with pictures!) that will guide you in your own designs.  

Old home, contemporary style. So, you live in an old home, but it’s not your style. Just because you live in a Craftsman, doesn’t mean you need to fill your home with Mission and Craftsman style furniture and fixtures. There are plenty of examples of old homes with a contemporary spin on the furnishings and fixtures. When you look beyond the furnishings and fixtures, you will notice the mouldings are consistent with the architecture of the home, not the style of the furniture. Lean into your home’s style and please, please, please consider the quality of the original millwork before you throw paint on it.

Pictures courtesy of Lisa Staton Interior Design. This interior celebrates the Arts and Craft Foursquare’s original architecture while thoughtfully integrating contemporary furnishings and fixtures.

Consider an Interior Designer. If you aren’t hiring an interior designer for full-service, consider hiring one for consulting. That is a great way to get an expert opinion without breaking your budget. Interior Designers are not a one size fits all, so do your research. Look for designers that talk about historic preservation or historic renovation in their approach and their project photos should be able to support that.

When we honor a home’s architectural style, we preserve history, culture and keep materials out landfills.