Crown Molding Ideas

For some homeowners, crown molding can feel like an outdated piece of home decor or something that only fits in an older home.

However, crown molding is a great way to add a touch of elegance, dimension and visual interest to any room. Learn more about the different styles available and get inspired by some of our crown molding ideas to use in your home.

What is Crown Molding?

Molding itself is any trim, whether found around your doors, windows and floors. Crown molding, specifically, is trim that is placed around the top of the wall where it meets the ceiling. Originally, crown molding was used to hide the gap left between building materials, but as the molding options became more ornate, it became more design-focused rather than installed for practicality purposes.

When crown molding is installed correctly, it helps draw the eye up, making ceilings feel higher and the walls cleaner, disguising the connection between the wall and ceiling. Other molding styles can also be used to add warmth, protect your walls from damage and more.

Is Crown Molding Out of Style?

Any home decor idea can quickly feel outdated when it’s not done right, and crown molding is no exception. Choosing the right style to fit your home and space will ensure your crown molding ideas are brought to life in a way that will have you enjoying the look for years to come.

What Styles of Crown Molding Are Available?

From traditional to modern, decorative or functional, there are several styles of crown molding available. Depending on your design taste and home’s aesthetic, there’s an option that’s right for you.

1. Crown

True to its namesake, crown molding covers the connection between the walls and the ceiling, surrounding the room like a crown. It adds height by drawing the focus upward and highlights the room’s details.

2. Baseboard

Baseboard molding is found in most homes and conceals the area where the floor meets the wall. Baseboards create a cohesive look while protecting your drywall from floor messes, like dirt, spills, kicks and more.

3. Casing

Casing serves a functional purpose while lending style to your home as it covers and camouflages any unfinished gaps in your walls, doors or window frames. These can be purchased in a variety of styles and can even be customized to match more unique architectural styles.

4. Chair Rail

Adding a chair rail to areas such as a dining room is a great way to add sophistication that also serves a purpose. Installed around the room, typically close to the center of the walls, chair rails can actually help prevent damage to your walls by furnishings, such as dining chairs. It also creates a beautiful backdrop for wall art or can simply add subtle detail to the space.

5. Cove

Older homes are subject to years of shifting and expanding that can leave your walls with blemishes, cracks or gaps in corners or along the floors and ceilings. Cove molds offer an inexpensive way to hide these imperfections. Because cove mold is less ornate than other molding options, it’s a great fit for rooms that aren’t terribly modern in design.

6. Batten

Batten is a thin strip of trim with rectangular cross-sectioning that is used to cover seams in siding or paneling. It can also be used when installing under-cabinet light fixtures to help create a barrier from glare. Batten is an inexpensive way to add character without overdoing it and is a molding option that has become a popular choice with farmhouse and cottage decor.

7. Picture Rail

If you love to hang art but don’t want to damage your walls – especially if you have plaster walls – picture rails offer the perfect solution. Picture rail molding is a thin piece installed horizontally on the wall up to 20 inches below the ceiling. Using picture rails presents a nontraditional solution to enhance a space while allowing you the freedom to regularly refresh your wall art without a hammer and nails.

8. Egg and Dart

Egg and dart molding is a design that is typically incorporated with chair rails or crown molding. It offers a stately and regal look inspired by ancient Greek design with a repetitive, delicate pattern for a more detailed embellishment. The egg and dart design can be created using plaster, milled wood, foam or polyurethane.

9. Dentil

Dentil molding is usually incorporated into crown molding for a classic, historical look. Associated with Greek, Roman and Neoclassical designs, dentil uses small, evenly spaced block patterns that create an attractive, ornamental look. Dentil is only offered in stone white and is ideal for rooms that you want to appear elegant, lofty and regal.

10. Wainscoting

Wainscoting is installed between on the wall, separating a piece of furniture and a picture rail or baseboard. For a unique design, it can also be used to split walls and create sections to add rich texture and enhance the room’s structure or provide more warmth to rooms or areas with high ceilings. Wainscoting is both functional and decorative when properly installed.

11. Bead and Pearl

Bead and pearl are actually two different types of molding. However, because of their similarities, they are often used together as a decorative addition to crown moldings. Each consists of strings of small circular objects that add sophisticated visual interest without taking away from your home’s decor.

What Rooms Should Have Crown Molding?

Although crown molding is an excellent way to improve the look of your home, it’s not ideal to install everywhere. The main rooms of your home, such as the living room, dining room and kitchen, are the areas that will see the most benefit from adding crown molding. Adding crown molding is an investment that you want others to see, so the spaces where you spend the most time entertaining guests is where you should look to install. Add more elegance, highlight the furniture in the room and even frame the upper cabinets in your kitchen with crown molding.

Most bedrooms can do without crown molding, but it isn’t necessarily something to avoid altogether, particularly if you are designing a room that is more upscale and elegant. In other words, your spare bedroom or kids’ rooms can probably do without crown molding, but it can easily elevate the master.

Bathrooms are another area where people spend a lot of time and guests may also see, but is another room that could be considered optional when it comes to crown molding. It can help a small powder room appear larger or make the ceiling look higher, but if you’re working with a budget, the bathroom can be left off your crown molding to-do list.

Give Your Home a Refresh with Crown Molding from CertaPro Painters® of San Francisco

Regardless of the crown molding style you choose, you can rest assured that the experts at CertaPro Painters® will put together a custom project plan for your unique home. Let us help with all of your crown molding needs, including paint, repair, installation and design services. Reach out today to schedule your free design consultation and let us help you select the crown molding option that will best suit your home.