Craftsman Molding adds a little bit of subtle PIZZAZ to plain openings!

SIMPLE CRAFTSMAN MOLDING MAKES A SUBTLE DIFFERENCE IN THESE PLAIN OPENINGS.  THESE WILL NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE!

This home is only a year old yet a few areas were lacking some simple moldings that visually made all the difference in the world. Hundreds of years ago, homes were crafted with moldings everywhere. Moldings on doors, ceilings, walls, windows and even on the exterior.  These days, when you buy a home, beautiful moldings are usually only available as an upgrade or previously installed by the homeowner.  Anytime I design a space, my first focus is window, door and walkway openings.  Eventually, all the openings in my home will match this one. 

How do you come up with a design to use throughout your home?  There are so many styles and designs to choose from.  Each era of design has had a different types of "casing" around the door or window. 

The era of design I chose for these moldings is CRAFTSMAN.  The American Craftsman Era was from 1905-1930. This style followed the very ornate Queen Anne Style.  The trim patterns became extremely simplified and more geometric with fewer rounded designs. Baseboards and casings were often finished natural or stained to reveal the natural wood color.  (Love simple casings painted bright white. I just love the simplicity of this style and it just doesn't go out of style.   

-This top entryway took the following pieces of wood- 

- Five 1 x 4 x 10 (sides)

- One 1 x 4 x 6 (middle of header)

- Two 1 x 2 x 8 (bottom of header)

Two 1 x 3 x 8 (top of header)

- One piece cove  (under the top 1 x 3 x 8 piece to look like crown)

Each walkway has the molding on BOTH sides

I found a wonderful video on the pieces and how to assemble this molding here:  Craftsman Molding Tutorial .  This guy gives very thorough directions if you have a handy man at home.  The only difference is that mine were openings and I also used Poplar wood on the inside of the openings since it is a walkway there is about an 8 inch opening. 

All in all, this was a very cost efficient project.  It also added a lot of visual interest and depth to each room. I calculated all my own measurements and purchased my own wood from Home Depot. I wrote the exact amount of wood down for each opening and picked up each area at a time double counting as I added it on the cart.  We had a carpenter come for installation time.  The best advice is to get multiple quotes from multiple people.  I had one quote for two openings not painted for $900 and I ended up with getting three openings plus two coats of primer for $700.  I always bargain and it always works.  In this case the carpenter did not have to bring or purchase the wood, all they had to do was what they do best!  

     Start Small, Great Design Takes Time. - Enjoy!