Trim Molding Styles

Trim moldings used to decorate most homes are usually a combination of a couple of different styles and not strictly one or another. For example rosettes, generally considered a Victorian feature, will go well with Colonial and Neoclassical styles.

Choosing a trim style for a particular room is mostly a matter of personal taste, but a couple of rules should be observed. The size of the room, for instance, will dictate molding size with regard to width and depth. As a basic rule of thumb, rooms with a low ceiling of about 8 feet will accommodate baseboards no wider than 4 inches. Ceilings of 8½ feet can accommodate 6 inch baseboards and in rooms with higher ceilings, baseboards can be 8 inches wide and more.

The other moldings in the room, door and window casings, chair rails and cornice or crown should be kept in proportion to the baseboards. Don't for instance, use a 5 inch casing molding with a 4 inch baseboard, use a casing of 3½ inches or less.

Colonial Style Trim

Trim molding in the Colonial style is generally basic with not a lot of frills. Coming from the 17th century when the typical early american home was small, this trim style is suited for average rooms with lower ceilings of about 8 feet. Other features that characterize Colonial style décor are exposed ceiling beams, wall frames and built–ins around windows and hearths.

The trim in this style tends to be smaller with casings from around 2½ to 3½ inches and crown in the same range. Baseboards are a plain 1by with a modest base cap trimming the top and quarter–round shoe mould along the floor.

Neoclassical Style Trim

Coming from the mid 17th to the mid 18th centuries when homes began to get larger and their owners more affluent, Neoclassical style trim is very ornate and wide, it is well suited for large rooms with high ceilings of 9 feet or more.

Inspired by Greek and Roman architecture, tall double doors and deep window surrounds are typical of the style as are elaborately decorated pediments over doorways and crown moldings with lots of urns, garland and swags in relief on the surface.

Victorian Style Trim

Coming from the mid 19th to early 20th centuries, Victorian style trim is typified by excess. Driven by the industrial revolution and the ability to mass produce moldings and other decorative features, the Victorian era saw an explosion of decoration in home décor including elaborately carved rosettes, Gothic features and gingerbread.

Victorian style trim is typically wide and deep making it suited to rooms with high ceilings. Thick or deep casings around doors and windows, wainscot and baseboards can overwhelm small rooms with lower ceilings, but some feature of the style can still be used in the average room. For instance, try using brackets at doorway corners or rosettes in door and window casings in small rooms with low ceilings.

Arts and Crafts Style Trim

An early 20th century trim molding style, typically only found in north america homes, consisting of straight lines and geometric shapes. Also called Craftsman and Mission style, this trim emphasized the wood grain as opposed to ornately carved and shaped edges. A natural finish is typical rather than paint making imperfect joint easily seen.

Simplicity is the theme of this style with flat boards trimming doors, windows and walls common. When embellished, bevels, stained or leaded glass, and inlayed geometric designs are the extent of decorative features used. Other features of the arts and crafts style include wainscot with recessed panels, window seats and bookcases.