This post is sponsored by Metrie, North America’s largest solid wood and MDF moulding company. Since 1926, Metrie has transformed spaces with exquisitely crafted architectural trim. They were previously known as Moulding & Millwork.
As I have mentioned many times on the blog over the years, there is nothing like adding trim to walls to take a basic box of a room from bland to beautiful. As you may recall, that’s what I did in my bedroom using Metrie interior finishings (panel moulding, chair rail and crown) to create the look of a Parisian hotel room.
This is usually what comes to mind when you think of Parisian rooms – intricate mouldings and herringbone wood floors. Although I love the look of the mouldings as shown in the photo below, creating something similar would have been a bit too much for my 8′ ceiling, suburban bedroom.
Source: A+B Kasha
So here are the steps I went through to create a similar, but less ornate look in my own bedroom:
- Choose the style and size of trim:
With Metrie’s Then and Now Finishing Collections, it is very simple to choose the style of moulding and trim that best suits the look you are trying to achieve. Each collection contains a series of coordinating moulding profiles called Scenes. Within each scene are various wood species, sizes and designs so you can choose the one that is right for you.
I pored over the Metrie catalogue, selecting the crown, chair rail and moulding that I liked best and had the right proportions. Even though there is a French Curves collection, I found it a bit too ornate for the vision I was going for. I honed in on the Pretty Simple collection but chose pieces that were substantial in size.
I like that the chair rail is twice the width of the panel moulding. My thoughts on including a chair rail is that it gives the walls more definition rather than having what could end up looking like boxes/frames on the wall. (Also, my preference is that the moulding and chair rail be painted the same colour as the wall. 🙂 )
2. Map everything out on the wall with pencil:
You can tackle this yourself if you have the time and inclination but I decided to leave this to an expert. Even though I gave a lot of direction as to the height of the chair rail, how many panels on each wall and the placement of the panels, the installer is experienced with this and may think of things that you may not.
3. Determine quantities of each product:
Once everything is mapped out on the wall, it is very easy to come up with total quantities of each product.
4. Install
This is #superallen (referred to me by my friend Christine) installing the moulding and chair rail meticulously on the wall. One small miscalculation, and the moulding will not look thought out or professionally installed. You need equal spacing between the panel “frames” and the chair rail.
And then when it is all painted, you end up with this:
Part of the planning included ensuring that the moulding hit the curve of the headboard in the right place – the things we designers do!
The image below shows the Before which is typical of most undecorated bedrooms – very blah. What a difference the moulding makes!
So, if you are looking for a simple house project to tackle during the summer, why not think about installing trim like I did somewhere in your home. It doesn’t have to be a bedroom, it can be a hallway, living room, bathroom – any room that can use a transformation. It will change your space from bland and boring to elegant and luxurious. And you don’t even have to travel to Paris! Check out Metrie’s blog for ideas and inspiration to jump start your project and you can read about adding moulding to bathrooms here.
Have a great week!
Martha
June 28, 2016I love the look you created with all that trim. What sheen level did you use on the walls, trim and doors? I usually use an eggshell for walls and semi gloss for trim and doors, but I’m guessing you simplify and use different rules for a treatment like this.
Vanessa
June 28, 2016Thank you. I used Farrow and Ball paint and I honestly don’t remember the sheen name but the walls were more flat than eggshell and the trim and doors had more of a semi gloss sheen.
Shannon
July 6, 2016Beautiful room! Where is the floral lumbar pillow from? Thanks, Shannon