One of the most enjoyable aspects of living in a family home for an extended period of time is being able to help that home transition over the years. After all, our design tastes tend to evolve with the times, right? However, as styles evolve, many homeowners become confused about how to transition more traditional aspects of their homes into a modern look. In this vein, a traditional home finish that maintains a clear sense of popularity is crown molding.
Many homeowners have asked the question, “Does crown molding even have a place in my modern space?” The answer to this question is yes, it does. But, in order for crown moldings to make sense in your modern space you will need to rework how you go about using them. Here are some ideas:
Minimalist Crown Moldings
One of the simplest ways of making crown moldings mesh with your home’s modern aesthetic is to use them in a minimalist manner. Minimalist crown moldings represent a stark departure from their more traditional designs, which tend to incorporate layered lines and intricate detailing. Use a minimalist crown molding, such as a shoe mold or one comparable to it, as a border around the ceiling of your space for something more modern, yet still employing crown molding.
Traditionally, crown moldings were used as a border around every one of your room’s central features. This includes the ceilings, windows and doors of your space. If you plan on using minimalist crown molding in order to reinforce the modern aesthetic of your space, consider using it as a simple border around your ceiling. If not, you risk using its modern design in an overly traditional manner.
Play With Proportions
In order to take crown moldings from a classic finish to one that is decidedly contemporary, you may want to play around with their proportions. This means moving away from moldings that match and maintain crown moldings’ conventional scale. Consider instead using crown moldings that are oversized and really make a statement in the room. Statement pieces are popular in fashion, furnishings and home design, and crown molding is no exception to that rule.
Indeed, far too many homeowners try to incorporate crown moldings in their room and yet try to detract from them at the same time. This practice is counterintuitive and makes little design sense. If you decide that you want to use crown moldings in your modern space, do so with confidence by integrating simple, albeit oversized, crown moldings around your room’s ceiling.
Be An Architectural Visionary
Interior designers are adamant about the fact that using crown moldings in a contemporary manner hinges on creativity. As homeowners, we tend to want to use crown moldings as we have seen them used before, as doing so is both safe and comforting. But, in order to uphold your space’s contemporary aesthetic, and reinforce it by way of crown moldings, you will need to take certain creative risks.
This will mean using crown moldings in a less geometrically-uniform manner than expected. Consider using crown molding as an interrupted border in your space: A border with strategic and visually intriguing breaks between it. Another effective way of using crown molding in an architecturally modern way is by using it as a design element on the angled ceilings. Consider fanning modern crown moldings out from the center or even the corner of a slanted ceiling. Doing so creates both visual intrigue, as well as the illusion of additional height in the space.
Embrace the Unexpected
Fitting crown moldings into your modern home will entail using them in unexpected ways. The term ‘unexpected’ will likely be worked out quite differently depending on the homeowner and his or her design tastes. There are several ways, however, that you might want to creatively use crown moldings in a fresh, unexpected manner.
First, you may want to consider painting your crown moldings in an unconventional color or tone. One trend that has caught wind in contemporary homes is that of metallic crown moldings steeped in silver, bronze or gold. Alternatively, you may want to paint your crown moldings the same color as your room at large. This renders the finish subtle, yet geometrically interesting.
Consider other ways that you might use crown moldings in an unexpected and thus modern manner, too. For example, do not relegate this finish to your main living spaces. Instead, you might want to use it in the bathroom or the kitchen.
Without a doubt, crown moldings are one of the most classic finishes on the market. But, this is not to say that they cannot work, and in fact, work well, in your modern home. In order to incorporate crown moldings into a modern space, you will need to be as creative as possible. Think about how you might use crown moldings other than as borders in your space. Other alternatives include being creative with color, positioning and the rooms in which they are located.