Most interior design concentrates on the walls, floors, furniture pieces. Yet the fifth element hovering overhead gets ignored. Look up! See blank boring ceilings? Transform any room from predictable to spectacular by framing it with ornate crown moldings, ceiling trim, decorative corners and cornices. Want to add elegance to your home with ornate cornice? Much easier than you think too.
Define the Architectural Landmarks
Before exploring ornate options, let’s define key ceiling trim terms.
Crown molding – Decorative border where the wall meets the ceiling
Ceiling coving – Curved trim that creates a concave joint between ceiling and walls
Ceiling cornice – Projecting ornamental molding along top edges, concealing construction features or lighting
These frame the “canvas” that is your ceiling and define visual flow. Well-designed trim morphs blank overhead planes into another layer of architectural interest. Your eye travels upwards, taking in beautifully embellished perimeter lines. Furnishings and flooring palettes echo ceiling details, achieving an integrated room scheme.
From Subtle Elegance to Opulent Over-the-Top
Ceiling trim ranges tremendously in terms of complexity and decorative possibilies:
Minimalist trim – Simple, thin lines for clean modern or industrial spaces
Classic crown molding – Understated yet defined architectural framing
Elaborate, custom-carved trim – Think Versailles’ mirrored galleries, Italian palazzo frescoes overhead
Most homeowners fall somewhere between basic and boldly ostentatious. So beyond classic crown molding what ornamental options await? Here’s a taste:
Ceilings With Character:
– Cross sections featuring bead molding, block patterns, pearl accents
– Intricately peaked designs, built up layer by layer
– Flourishing scroll shapes, foliage motifs
– Dental, modillion or bracketed trim
Don’t overlook ceiling corners and edges either. You can define these with:
– Embellished decorative plasters like anatomically correct plaster leaves
– Turned spindle-like details
– Fan shapes overhead in relief
– Three dimensional curved corner trim pieces
Echo other room features like fireplace mantels or bookcase crown treatments for a tailored made ceiling. Create faux architectural arches overhead through clever cornice placement. Defining the ceiling perimeter becomes akin to framing out a mural – highlighting a center medallion or crystal chandelier perhaps.
Attaching Ornate Ceiling Trim Affordably
Here’s the good news. You need not undertake messy ornate plasterwork trims to achieve these embellished ceilings. Prefabricated polyurethane crown moldings make it simple. These dentil moldings, cornices, ceiling medallions and more attach right to your existing overhead framework.
Benefits of these “easy up” decorative ceiling trims include:
– Lightweight for simple installation
– Streamlined corner joining pieces
– Pre-primed and ready to paint
– Intricate detailed designs not achievable through wood
– Grooves and shapes mimic carved plasterwork
– Affordable opulent-looking results
Check manufacturer catalogs and websites to appreciate the extensive ceiling trim collections available. Fluted neo-classical looks, regal hierarchies of crown layers, Victorian inspired molded panels or Megayan floral cornice shapes – the sheer range inspires!
Perhaps start by framing the crown molding perimeter or accenting the corners. Then evaluate adding bolder ceiling cornices or central focal medallions later. Creative touches like indirect rope lighting concealed behind projecting trim completes the transformation from mundane to magnificent. Who would imagine what visual impact merely looking up and framing out the fifth ceiling element makes?
Elevate ordinary rooms into grand ceiling showcases through easy-to-install polyurethane ornamental trim pieces. Achieve custom ceiling treatments at a fraction of bespoke cost and labor. So look up from the predictable horizontal planes of floors and walls. Discover overhead possibilities limited only by your decorative vision and audacity!