Subtle Or Statement – The Impact Of Architrave In Your Home

With most interior features we look to change during a home renovation or refurbishment project, we can choose what impact we want and which style to go with. Whether we go for subtle or statement, budget and our mood. In terms of statement, you might not consider architrave in that way. In fact, have you considered architrave in ‘any’ way before? Can architrave have an impact? Do you even know what architrave is? You might not have given architrave much thought in the past, but the truth is it can have an impact and you will certainly find out the hard way if you get architrave wrong during your home improvement project.

What is architrave and how does it benefit your home?

Starting with the basics, architrave is like a skirting board for your doors and windows. It adds a decorative finish which frames the feature nicely giving a room border and balance, but in a purely practical sense it also provides an important function.

When properties are built there are often gaps and imperfections left in walls and around doors and windows. This is very common and very normal, and we never see these because they are covered up with architrave. These mouldings look nice, but also cover up flaws in home construction and hide small defects. In a safety sense, architrave also protects the door frame from impacts i.e. from a vacuum cleaner or the kids playing with toys. It also stops cold air and drafts from spreading into the home, so architrave acts as a form of insulation too.

How architrave can improve the appearance of our home

Although the practical benefits of architrave are important, in terms of design and impact, we are really more concerned with how architrave looks. Again, we maybe haven’t given this much thought before, but if an architrave wasn’t there, we would certainly notice and what style you choose can make a big difference to the overall appearance of a room. Here’s what you need to consider when deciding whether to go statement or subtle with your architrave:

• Balance – As a door or window surround, the dimensions of your architrave can make a big difference in how balanced your room appears. In a small room, architrave should be small and unobtrusive, otherwise it will be too dominant and you are taking up valuable wall space. In a larger room with high ceilings and much more wall space, you have the scope for much thicker architrave. At Period Mouldings, we stock architrave in a dimensional range from 26mm in thickness (the Bagby profile) to 43mm in thickness (the Acomb profile, pictured right) so you can choose the depth that best complements your room, and creates the right balance.
• Profile – The profile of architrave is the decorative effect which offers personality. The curves, edges and ripples combine to give the architrave an elegant, period appeal. Alternatively, you can select a design that creates a more minimalist, contemporary finish. Again, you can choose the style that best suits the interior character of your home, or a particular room. If a specific style has caught your eye, you can choose from multiple sizes to suit the dimensions of the room, such as with the varying sizes of the Birdsall or the Kirby profile, for example.
• Match – Because architrave can match the overall theme of a room you can extend this by combining it with other features, such as skirting boards, doors and wall mouldings. These can be period features which mimic the expert detailing of classic design periods, such as Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian, or the more simple, straight-lined and subtle detail of contemporary features.
• Colour – Simply sanding and prepping your architrave allows you to paint it any colour to match your overall colour scheme, or you can varnish or stain it to allow the beautiful natural wood grain to shine and bring a traditional rustic appeal.

So, architrave is far more than simply a bit of trim. It to effectively elevate features such as doors and windows to bring statement impact or subtle delicacy, according to your wishes. Historically authentic architrave is perhaps more popular than you think, at Period Mouldings our top five most popular products are our architrave styles Birdsall, Duchy, Appletreewick, Arlington, Kensington. With architrave made in Yorkshire using hand-made techniques, traditional skills and quality materials, ordering your architrave from Period Mouldings delivers long-lasting excellence, whether that is statement or subtle.