How to Use Mouldings to Define and Accentuate Open-Concept Living Spaces

Almost everyone loves an open-concept home. They look large and airy and seem perfect for modern living. Decorating an open-concept living area and figuring out how to use undefined spaces to their fullest can be a challenge. What do you do with all that open square footage now that you have it?

As much as homeowners enjoy open-concept living, there is still a desire to define separate spaces. Decorative moulding is one way to meet that goal while adding an upscale design touch to your home.

Moulding adds color, texture, and visual interest. These elements will help you accentuate the separate spaces in your open-concept home without compromising design.

What Is Open-Concept Design?

Design trends come and go, but open-concept living is more than a mere fad. Open-concept design is as much about lifestyle as it is about style. This design eliminates non-load-bearing walls that divide public spaces, mainly the living room, kitchen, and dining room.

Parents often prefer open-concept because they appreciate the added safety of clear site lines between the busiest rooms in the home. Homeowners who love to entertain are also fans of open-concept.

The open flow can make even a smaller home seem grand. Without walls to close off spaces, guests and hosts have more room to move around and can see and hear everything happening around them.

The absence of interior walls leaves more space for large panoramic windows that fill the open room with natural light and provide stunning views that connect the interior to the exterior. Most people today have forgotten that iconic designer Frank Lloyd Wright is credited with popularizing open-concept design.

However, even Wright could not predict how future homeowners would someday want all the pros of open-concept design while still desiring a way to define separate spaces. Custom mouldings are an easy and creative way to do just that.

Moulding can bring color and texture to almost any area of your home. It allows homeowners to accentuate different living spaces while maintaining the beauty of an open space.

Use Baseboards and Chair Rails to Define a Space

Combining baseboards (which are at floor level) and chair rails (which are placed around one-third of the way up the wall) creates architectural interest. This can help set a living room or dining room apart without interrupting the flow.

You might choose these mouldings in a natural wood shade, such as curly maple. Alternatively, you could decide on a less decorative material that you intend to paint.

Combining a baseboard and a chair rail creates a space at the bottom of the wall that can be accentuated with a contrasting paint color. Consider installing shadow box trim between the chair rail and baseboard to further elevate the space.

While they once provided layers of protection between a wall and the back of a chair, today, chair rails are considered more decorative than functional. They can be used in any room to add a designer touch, especially when combined with other mouldings.

Add Crown Moulding for Subtle Boundaries

Crown moulding is one of the most versatile tools in a designer’s work belt. Whether you’re trying to restore the elegant beauty of a gothic revival home or define zones in your contemporary open-concept ranch, crown moulding can help. Crown moulding draws the eye upward and subtly creates borders that define the boundaries of a room.

You can put this power to use in your open-concept room by connecting different crown mouldings to frame separate areas. Blind corners provide the perfect places to make a transition from one style of crown moulding to another. Choosing mouldings with subtle differences is key for creating a harmonious look.

Conjure Creative Ceilings With Custom Mouldings

Custom moulding designs for the ceiling may be the most beautiful way to define the spaces in an open-concept home. By combining elements like picture-frame moulding, cove moulding, casing, and even tongue-and-groove moulding, you can create a one-of-a-kind ceiling that accentuates any area in an open-space design.

Moulding on the ceiling could help you transform a simple dining space into a formal dining room — just without the walls. Custom ceilings give kitchens an instant upgrade, and moulding on the ceiling of a living room tells guests that it’s a special space to gather in.

Make Picture-Perfect Zones With Picture Rail

Picture rail moulding is similar to chair moulding, but it’s placed near the top of the wall rather than the bottom. Like chair moulding, picture rails were once functional. They were used to rest pictures on so that nails weren’t needed. They were also good for hanging heavy textiles, mirrors, and other art objects.

Installing a picture rail is a great way to define a zone within an open space. You could use a picture rail to help create a gallery wall or simply let the beautiful moulding stand on its own. You could also combine a picture rail with other moulding pieces, such as a chair rail, to define the horizontal space.

Subtle and Serene or High Contrast? It’s All in the Paint

Decorative moulding can be the attention-getting design element in any room, or it can add a subtle touch. Paint your mouldings in the same or a similar color to the walls if you want them to add soft definition. Choosing contrasting colors or painting the walls a different color between rows of moulding will make a stronger design impact.

Are You Ready to Explore the Versatile Design Options of Moulding?

Moulding is functional. It helps make a home more airtight and keeps moisture and insects from finding their way inside. However, with so many types and designs of moulding available, it also goes far beyond just function.

Moulding is like the perfect accessory to your outfit. It adds the final touch that makes a room feel finished and polished. Using moulding to define and accentuate the different zones in an open-concept floor plan is a simple and budget-friendly way to customize your home to fit your lifestyle.

To learn more about moulding styles and installation, contact Mouldings One today and speak with one of our experts.