The framework Windows, doors, moldings, and fireplaces are all a part of the architectural framework of a room and when in proportion with each other, and with the walls, they help to create a sense of order and balance. Shallow skirting looks mean with high bedroom lacking in architectural detail has been given a simple treatment, introducing features in the form of cupboards with fine moldings and a symmetrical arrangement of pictures and accessories. Subtle stenciling below the cornice and fabric ties behind the pictures are less intrusive than elaborate panels or friezes and this minimal scheme enhances what space there is in a small room.
STRU TURE & STYLE ceilings, which may look all the higher in the absence of a deep cornice or picture rail
An open- tread staircase or picture window looks out of place in a home with intricate cornices and ceiling centers. Conversely, elaborate paneling and a picture rail are inappropriate in a cottage where a plain skirting and color washed wainscot with a plate rail will be more in keeping with its rustic idiom. In a modern apartment, ornate details are equally incompatible; keep to clean, classical lines and wide expanses of sheet glass or maximize the architectural bones of a room by emphasizing natural materials such as brickwork and wood.
Change of use
There is no rule which says that the living room should be downstairs or beneath the bedroom. Indeed, in a tall terraced house the first-floor rooms are often brighter and have a better view than those on the ground floor. If ground-floor rooms are gloomy, keep them for evening occupation - as a study or dining room, perhaps- or for use as a guest bedroom, which will not be in constant use (ground-floor rooms are particularly beneficial where visitors are likely to be elderly).
Kitchens and bathrooms often require restructuring. A small scullery can be amalgamated with a small kitchen to create a kitchen/dining area, while a box or dressing room can be opened up to enlarge a tiny bathroom. But think carefully before you tamper with the original layout of a house. It may seem a good idea to knock two rooms into one to provide more light and space but remember that a heavy joist will almost inevitably be needed to support the ceiling, and as front rooms were often built to a different scale and style to those at the back, you may be left with a room that has different ceiling heights, or two disparate styles. If there are two fireplaces, you will either have two focal points or, should you remove one, a fireplace at the extreme end of the room.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR HOME
Alternatively, in open-plan homes you may want to make sub-divisions that will create more personal spaces, or that relate to particular functions. Perhaps an extension is the answer to your problems rather than structural alterations. This needs sympathetic handling, using materials appropriate to the overall style and design of the house and should not overwhelm the original layout. On the following 12 s, there are many examples of ways to restore, renovate and create structural and architectural details in the home. In some cases, you may decide to disguise them and reduce their significance in the decorative scheme of things. In other cases, the fireplace, window or staircase, for example, might become a focal point.
