Breaking the mold - interior decoration - Brief Article

Decorative treatments that customize your house

Bigger isn't necessarily better if one house is indistinguishable from its neighbor. At upscale developments throughout the West, interior designers face the challenge of personalizing the spacious but rather generic subdivision house. The high ceilings and unbroken expanses of wall in such a house can make the rooms seem awkward and ungainly.

"It's a question of scale and proportion," explains interior designer BJ Peterson, who transformed this three-bedroom house. Homes in such communities, she says, "tend to be good value for the money in terms of size and light, but very often the furnishings don't look right and the interiors lose their human scale."

In this house, the living room had a soaring 25-foot-high ceiling, French doors, and clerestory windows that seemed to float in space. With nothing at eye level, the height of the ceiling made the room seem intimidating, as if it were meant for giants.

"My client wanted her home to look spacious but cozy," says Peterson. The designer added crown molding below the clerestory windows to give them something to rest on. New casings around the doors and lower windows, plus large pilasters between the French doors, help define and anchor the living room.

"The investment was well worth it," says Peterson. "Paint-grade molding isn't expensive, and homeowners can upgrade with special finishes at a later stage."

DESIGN: Peterson.Arce Design Group, Los Angeles (323/653-5133)

BJ's decorating tips

1. Molding breaks up an expanse of wall that extends well above eye level. However, ifs important to make sure the size of the molding is in proportion to the size of the room. For walls of 20 feet and higher, it should be at least 6 inches high. The farther up the wall it's placed, the larger it needs to be.

2. If you're using molding in more than one area, vary the type so ifs not too uniform.

3. Small furnishings will "disappear" in a large room. In addition to using larger pieces, you can add built-ins to reduce the exposed wall space.

4. Put plants on pedestals and stands to break up a large open space.

5. Add color in large rooms to visually reduce the size and warm up the space.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Sunset Publishing Corp.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group