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Wall Finishes
Wallpaper
Textured or patterned wallpaper can add warmth and dimension to a room as well as soften living spaces. Unsurpassed for hiding imperfections and creating detail in a space that lacks it, wallpaper can produce optical illusions suggesting better proportions in rooms that are too long or too boxy, or whose ceilings are too low or too high. Most papers are relatively simple to install.
Traditional styles are available in updated hues, and coverings such as linen look-alikes and grass cloth can add subtle texture while providing a muted backdrop for furnishings. Embossed wall coverings designed to look like stucco, pressed tin, or plaster fresco can impart a sense of history to a contemporary home.
Wall coverings containing or coated with some sort of vinyl will be the sturdiest and easiest to install. But alternatives abound, including silk and other natural fibers that provide a neutral backdrop. Uncoated choices such as hand-screened papers are gorgeous but may be difficult to hang. The same is true of foils, which can brighten up a dark space, and brown craft paper, at once simple and sophisticated. You will probably want to seek professional help if you decide to use one of these.
Architectural wall treatments
From the most elaborate crown molding to the simplest baseboard, millwork can lend architectural interest to almost any space. You can even use it as you would furniture arrangements, to divide a large space into smaller areas -- with chair rails to define the dining area, for example. When selecting the style and scale of millwork at your lumberyard, consider your home's architecture as well as its proportions. An elaborate cornice molding would enhance a room of grand, classical proportions, yet look out of place in a smaller, low-ceilinged room.
Solid wood paneling -- natural, stained, bleached, or painted -- provides a warm ambience in country decorating schemes. Wainscoting is traditional, with a chair rail separating the wood paneling below it from the painted or papered wall above. Installing wood paneling is not a difficult undertaking, since paneling boards generally have edges specially milled to overlap or interlock. Hardwood boards are most often milled from oak, maple, birch, and mahogany. Common softwoods include cedar, pine, and fir.
Moldings are back in vogue. You'll find basic profiles at lumberyards and home centers. Specialty millwork shops are likely to offer a wider selection and will often custom-match an old favorite. Prefinished pine or hardwood is fine if you want a stained look, but if you plan to paint your molding, medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is less prone to warping and takes paint better.
Also consider architectural accents such as pediments, pilasters, decorative friezes, and ceiling medallions. New pieces are stocked at home improvement centers, vintage originals at architectural salvage yards and specialty stores.
Textured or patterned wallpaper can add warmth and dimension to a room as well as soften living spaces. Unsurpassed for hiding imperfections and creating detail in a space that lacks it, wallpaper can produce optical illusions suggesting better proportions in rooms that are too long or too boxy, or whose ceilings are too low or too high. Most papers are relatively simple to install.
Traditional styles are available in updated hues, and coverings such as linen look-alikes and grass cloth can add subtle texture while providing a muted backdrop for furnishings. Embossed wall coverings designed to look like stucco, pressed tin, or plaster fresco can impart a sense of history to a contemporary home.
Wall coverings containing or coated with some sort of vinyl will be the sturdiest and easiest to install. But alternatives abound, including silk and other natural fibers that provide a neutral backdrop. Uncoated choices such as hand-screened papers are gorgeous but may be difficult to hang. The same is true of foils, which can brighten up a dark space, and brown craft paper, at once simple and sophisticated. You will probably want to seek professional help if you decide to use one of these.
Architectural wall treatments
From the most elaborate crown molding to the simplest baseboard, millwork can lend architectural interest to almost any space. You can even use it as you would furniture arrangements, to divide a large space into smaller areas -- with chair rails to define the dining area, for example. When selecting the style and scale of millwork at your lumberyard, consider your home's architecture as well as its proportions. An elaborate cornice molding would enhance a room of grand, classical proportions, yet look out of place in a smaller, low-ceilinged room.
Solid wood paneling -- natural, stained, bleached, or painted -- provides a warm ambience in country decorating schemes. Wainscoting is traditional, with a chair rail separating the wood paneling below it from the painted or papered wall above. Installing wood paneling is not a difficult undertaking, since paneling boards generally have edges specially milled to overlap or interlock. Hardwood boards are most often milled from oak, maple, birch, and mahogany. Common softwoods include cedar, pine, and fir.
Moldings are back in vogue. You'll find basic profiles at lumberyards and home centers. Specialty millwork shops are likely to offer a wider selection and will often custom-match an old favorite. Prefinished pine or hardwood is fine if you want a stained look, but if you plan to paint your molding, medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is less prone to warping and takes paint better.
Also consider architectural accents such as pediments, pilasters, decorative friezes, and ceiling medallions. New pieces are stocked at home improvement centers, vintage originals at architectural salvage yards and specialty stores.
