Along with swing arm wall sconces, I have an unnatural fascination, adoration and passion for mouldings and millwork. They set the stage for great interior style- whether ultra traditional or hip + cool transitional. The fastest way to dress up a box is to "trick it out" with moulding. Wainscot paneling, base mouldings, chair rails, crown mouldings, window casings, ceiling plans....the possibilities are endless. There are, of course, times when mouldings and fancy millwork are completely uncalled for- such is the case in a Mid-Century Modern house I'm currently working on. However, the majority of my projects are suitable for classic architectural details, and I am only too happy to design them for my clients.

(Let me insert two sidenotes here: 1) fixtures and finishes looks better in a room that is appointed with mouldings. Its sorta' like when people say a beautiful girl can wear a potato sack and still look stunning....well, beautiful millwork can wear the equivalent of potato sack furniture and still look pretty nice. Just something to remember when you are first moving in/building and you aren't sure where to put the money. Put it in mouldings and millwork first. Your property value will likely go up (don't quote me on that in this market!), your style quotient will go up, all your furniture will look better, and perhaps best of all- you won't have to live through the sawdust and noise of putting up mouldings after you're already moved in.) 2) I realize that for you people on the East Coast and parts of The South, you all "get it" already....but for the people who grew up west of the Rockies, its a different ballgame out here (sadly). Anything goes in the Wild West and out here, houses are a mixture of mostly Contemporary/Modern/Fast and Cheap Construction (which means mouldings and millwork are not included with the house, and it was quite possible the house was designed to look okay without mouldings- hence the "mod" conglomerations of  various styles that only evoke a sense of style, if any, on the outside). Thank goodness for the peppering of custom houses and old neighborhoods that haven't been destroyed in hilly enclaves and coastal cities- that's where the good stuff is!) Okay, back to the post at hand...

This is a design for a powder bathroom that gets pretty heavy use on a daily basis. I only mention heavy use because if it were to get "light use" and it was tucked away never to be seen my anyone other than the cleaning staff, I would probably just have specified a gorgeous paint for it and called it a day. But because this water closet is off the main living area, it needed to reinforce and respond to all the rest of the millwork in the home's public areas. I came up with cutting beadboard sheeting on the bias to create chevrons. I allowed a small degree of human error by also specifying stiles (little strips of wood placed vertically) flanking each chevron. The meeting with the carpenter was interesting, he told me he had ever done anything like it (I could tell he was a bit nervous when I gave him the drawing below). Of course he had no problems doing it (really, he is fantastic!). In the end- he was really proud of the work he did (as was I! It turned out exactly how I envisioned!) and the client loved it (music to my ears!).

This drawing was originally a sketch on some flimsy (design-world lingo for trace paper on a roll). When the client liked the idea, I went to the drafting baord to design it and draw an elevation to communicate my idea and the specifics needed for fabrication.

In progress shot...

A close up after paint. The paint finish is glossy- both because I love glossy mouldings, and because its really easy to clean. The rest of the wall was finished with navy blue grasscloth to bring in a textural element and accentuate the crispness of the millwork design.

After the wallcovering, but before installing the mirror and art. (This is why professional photographers are important! Not the best photo, I know.)

(The before photo)