Nothing works like millwork to infuse luxury and craftsmanship into a residence.
It lends an understated, classic feeling that anchors a room and leaves an impression on most everyone who enters.
The detail found in woodwork flourishes like crown molding, wainscoting, baseboards and trim. Wood inlays, paneling on walls and ceilings and carving on interior doors all signal a bespoke house and the care that goes into creating one.
Given the relative permanence of millwork features, they aren’t as trend-driven as other design elements. Still, some styles are emerging as top choices as they’re installed in new and renovated homes alike as carpenters, designers and homeowners discover new ways to give their interiors the ultimate finishing touch.
Shiplap
It’s been just a decade since Joanna Gaines let the shiplap show in one of her fixer-uppers and transformed it from a protective layer for home exteriors and interiors into the apotheosis of country and comfort as modern farmhouse became the ideal.
This makes the plank panels a relatively new entry into the millwork category, one that adds a layer of quiet sophistication to any rustic-inspired interior.
Some design style mavens have begun to rule shiplap as passé, but the classic-yet-contemporary style is hard to top.
Panel Molding
The use of carved wooden strips to simulate the look of wall paneling has endured for centuries and can create any look you want, from wainscoting on the bottom third of a wall to a complete wall covering or even across the ceiling.
It can be used on doors, stairways, fireplaces and in every room of the house to give it a somewhat formal appearance while giving walls a chance to shine rather than recede into the background.
Sustainable Materials
Sustainability is here to stay as a factor to consider when building homes or anything else.
Homeowners and builders value reclaimed and repurposed wood, as well as products sourced as locally as possible. Aged beams are being attached to new ceilings to add character and history and trim can be pried away from walls for use in new structures.
Old and New
More homes are mixing traditional millwork features with modern touches to create arresting contrasts.
Crown molding is spotlighted by track LED lighting and used to conceal wires and speakers, while exquisitely detailed molding or paneling can ground a room filled with modern furniture, when carefully planned.
Accent Walls
Those who don’t want millwork to dominate a room but still appreciate its ability to highlight architectural features are gravitating toward accent walls.
Shiplap installed in a chevron pattern can draw the eye up to a vaulted ceiling, and molding or paneling hung in a traditional or contemporary pattern can set the tone for the rest of the room better than almost anything else.
Even a ceiling can become a beautiful accent wall, whether bordered by crown molding or highlighted by wooden beams.
