STRUCTURE & STYLE DOWS
Let in light and are usually a prominent focal point in any room. They are also seen from the outside and so, whether covered with fabric or not, they are just as important to the exterior design of a house as the interior.
ABOVE The traditional shutters are still in place at this window. They fold back into the alcove during the day and shut out the darkness at night. The Roman blind affords privacy and screens the sunlight.
RIGHT Attic and dormer windows are usually a challenging shape for the home decorator. Privacy may not be a problem at the top of a house as in this attic bathroom, but in cold weather, some form of insulation may be necessary. The hexagonal shape of this deep recess has been accentuated by a wallpaper border and the fixed curtains are held back at the sides with tie-backs.
STRUCTURE & STYLE
CEILINGS are all too often disregarded and yet they are one of the largest surfaces in a room and therefore, cannot be ignored. There are many ways to reduce or increase their height visually- either structurally or by careful choice of color, for example. Many ceilings have a wealth of decorative detail in the cornice and ceiling roses, or in the rich texture of exposed ancient beams. ABOVE The original beam in this kitchen has been painted white to reduce the effect of the low ceiling height.
The beam over the fire place however, has been. Left unpainted in keeping with the rustic idiom of the room.
RIGHT A magnificent deep cornice was often a standard feature in houses in the past. This molded plasterwork cornice extends down to the picture rail in its detail. In the absence of the original cornice, try to maintain the dimensions of the room in correct proportion with a frieze or wallpaper border.
STRUCTURE & STYLE
WADE PA ELLING AND ARCHITRAVES are an integral part of some period homes. Today, if plasterwork is uneven or you prefer the paneled warmth of a wood wall, tongue and groove boards can be used to cover a ceiling, the wall below the dado rail or the entire room. When restoring or adding architraves: remember to take into considering the dimensions of the room. Unadorned walls look appropriate and suitably stark in modern, open-plan room, but try to replace missing architraves and panels in older houses with the correct pattern.
This run of cupboards along a landing has been matched to the doors of the adjacent room by the detail in the molding 18 and panels. The paneling becomes even more of a feature on the cupboard doors when it is picked out in contrasting colors.
Ad framework 1 outlines the elements OJI walls in this room. 'Pam paper create the effect as woe expense - a lends a wall plain paint.
