If your newer home doesn’t have the architectural elements of its older counterparts, including carved bannisters, ceiling medallions, and Wainscot details, don’t worry. With some dreaming, planning, and help from Arlington Designer Homes, you can add these elements to give your home more charm.
1. Ceiling with Coffer
This look was first used during the Renaissance to spruce up beams on ceilings. Then, they experienced their own renaissance in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in America. You can create coffers by building U-shaped beams on the floor to minimize overhead work – then enjoy your new “old” ceiling.
2. Replace a Newel Post
If your staircase is located immediately when you walk in the front door, your newel post can make a big impact. Swap out a boring, forgettable newel with an intricate and impressive one. You can make the best first impression with a detail that showcases your personal style.
3. Install Wainscot
Wainscot, especially Lincrusta, is a hard-wearing flooring that is made from linseed oil. It boasts intricate embossed patterns, and it looks lovely on walls. Install a chair rail along the top of the wainscot, and let this design fill your foyer and stairways.
4. Hang a Sconce
Electric fixtures do more than add soft lighting to a hallway or guest bathroom. They provide the look of wall-hung gaslights of days past. Hang them to add instant ambiance to a newer home.
5. Add a Medallion
Adding a medallion to the ceiling provides instant elegance and helps to show off lighting fixtures and even intricate crown molding. You can choose one in lightweight polyurethane (older ones were made from heavy plaster) and use a simple adhesive to adhere them.
