Is Crown Molding Outdated? No, It's Just Costly

Do you want to add a sense of elegance and classic style to the interiors of your home? Consider crown molding as your trim of choice. But is crown molding outdated?

It's been around for centuries and isn't going out of style anytime soon. Some people have a penchant for the look crown molding brings to a room, while others find it old and outdated. How you feel about it depends on your personal style.

What Is Crown Molding?

Crown molding is a decorative type of trim fitted between the wall and the edge of the ceiling. It features construction with different types of materials, with wood being the classic version and foam and plaster moldings being the more modern choice.

Why Do Modern Homes Not Use Crown Molding as Often?

Typically, installing crown molding to homes is an aftermarket upgrade due to its expense. The materials and labor costs involved with installing these moldings throughout the home add to costs, driving up the final property price.

Unless you add it to your construction budget. Most tract home builders won't fit moldings to your rooms or even crown molding alternatives. Since it's not a standard fitment, most homeowners don't think about it, and few consider installing it after they move in. As a result, some people may have the impression crown molding is going out of style in interior design, but that's not the case.

While crown molding won't go out of style in the near future, the design of the moldings will change as design and décor preferences continue to evolve. In the past, it was popular to have elaborate molding designs with complex patterns. Today, homeowners prefer cleaner, less intricate moldings providing a contemporary look.

Does Crown Molding Increase a Home's Value?

Yes. Adding moldings to interior design aesthetics increases property values. It's not a standard finishing item, so adding it drives up the visual appeal of the rooms and the property price. That there answers is crown molding outdated. Crown molding comes in more styles than you can imagine, so you have plenty of options to choose from when installing them in your home.

If you don't have the budget to outfit every room in the home with crown molding, start with the living areas first. Add molding to the rest of the rooms over the years until you complete the project. The great thing about installing crown molding is that it's a relatively simple DIY project and doesn't require much handy skill to give the look of a professional fitment.

Where Do You Find Crown Molding Around the Home?

Crown molding brings a more visual design aesthetic to any room in the home. Here are a few examples of where you'll find crown molding.

• Kitchens – Add crown molding above the kitchen cabinets and soffits to create a visual impression of more volume in the area.
• Formal Dining & Living Rooms – Living spaces are the top priority for fitting crown molding on the home, giving the sense of a refined design aesthetic pleasing to the eye.
• Master Bedrooms – Using crown molding in the bedroom give it a cozy look.
• Master Bathrooms – Add crown molding to make the bathroom feel luxurious and elegant.
• Foyers – Create an instant impression of class and elegance with guests as they enter your home into this foyer entry room.
• Home Offices – Create a professional atmosphere and design aesthetic by installing crown moldings.

What Are the Most Popular Styles of Crown Molding?

Is crown molding outdated? Not only is it not, there are dozens of styles of crown molding available to suit any interior design aesthetic. The following designs are some of the more popular choices.

Dentil

Dentil crown moldings get their name for the evenly spaced blocks throughout the molding in a repeated pattern. They have a similar resemblance to teeth, thus the moniker. Dentil is a decorative style of crown molding and is usually found in traditional homes or on the exterior edges of historic and vintage buildings. It's also a popular molding choice for southern homes in the United States.

Cove

Cove-style moldings are most popular in kitchen designs, featuring a concave shape. It's the most common molding throughout home designs and versatile enough to add to any room, from dining rooms to bathrooms. It's the best choice for finishing ceilings and staircases.

Pearl / Bead

The pearl or bead crown molding is two distinct shapes featuring a repeated row of spheres alongside one another. It's not to be confused with dentil and has a completely different look. Many interior designers like to pair the pearl of bead moldings with egg-and-dart or cove molding to create a fantastic contrasting effect. It's one of the more popular moldings for use around chair rails and in dining rooms.

Egg-and-Dart

This decorative molding features oval egg shapes, similar to the pearl/bead moldings, but there are "V'S," known as the "darts" between the ovals. Mixing with other molding designs is a great way to create a unique look in any room.

Other Molding Types Around the Home

Is crown molding outdated? Not only is it not, but there are other types of molding around the home that complement crown molding that are also still popular. Here are some other popular choices for interior molding designs and uses.

Baseboards & Trim

The baseboards are around three to seven inches in height and fit around the base of the wall, creating a visual aesthetic for your flooring. Many baseboards come with bullnoses to create an edged visual effect. Baseboards are visually pleasing and serve a functional purpose. They catch dirt and prevent damage to the base of walls when vacuuming.

They also cover the seams in hardwood and tiled or carpeted floors. Baseboards can come in clean, patternless designs or patterned styles. You'll need to ensure your baseboards match the height of your crown moldings, or it creates an awkward look in the room.

What are the Styles for Baseboards?

Classic – The classic baseboard style is four to eight inches in height and an inch to two inches thick, creating a rectangular look.

Single Piece – The baseboards have a one-piece design along the top, designed to match varying baseboard heights.

Three Piece – This design uses the classic baseboard as the base, adding other design elements to create a more dramatic visual effect. For instance, you can install a small clam shell or bullnose at the bottom and a detailed trim on the top of the board for a more impressive design aesthetic. These can be built up with shoe molding and quarter round as well.

Clam Shell – Also known as the "bull nose," these boards fit the base of the baseboard, usually with a convex design.

Chair Rail – This molding goes up the sides of the wall, and it's popular for use around entrances. You can install it alone or with a wainscoting. The wainscoting is wood paneling that appears repetitive, usually falling above the baseboard and below the chair rail. Chair rail moldings are ideal for fitting around foyers, formal dining rooms, open stairwells, and studies.

Picture Rail – This design is similar to a chair rail but sits higher on the wall. A chair rail usually finishes halfway up the wall while the picture rail finishes three-quarters of the way up. It usually ends at the height at which pictures hang, thus giving it its moniker. Picture rail moldings are common in studies and dining rooms and serve as bedroom features. Picture rails can frame decorative shiplap, wainscoting, or other wood designs.

Casing – These moldings usually frame entrances to rooms around the home. They can frame doorways, windows, and cabinets. They suit any space, bringing a sense of style and complementing the baseboards and crown molding.

Is Crown Molding Still Popular & Other FAQs?

People ask frequently is crown molding in style, not because it’s not but because we don’t see it often because modern houses aren’t being built with it without additional expenses. Let’s look at a few other questions regarding this wonderful design aesthetic.

When Do You Not Use Crown Molding in Decor Design?

There are some designs and situations in home décor where you want to avoid using crown moldings. For instance, if you have vaulted or cathedral ceilings fitting crown moldings creates a cramped design aesthetic that doesn't look great and won't have a good fit.

When Was Crown Molding Popular in Residential Decor?

Crown moldings we traditionally only available for large homes and wealthy property owners. However, the moldings became more accessible to the general public in the 1850s due to the invention of large planning machines reducing the cost of making these fixtures. As a result, more homeowners could afford to include them in their interior design planning. Is crown molding still in style? Absolutely.

Does Crown Molding Make a Room Look Smaller?

Installing crown moldings in any room increases the sense of style and elegance in the space. However, they can make a room look smaller if you paint them a contrasting color to the walls.

Key Takeaways for Whether Crown Molding is Still in Style

• Is crown molding out of style? They are not outdated. The reason for the impression that they aren't a popular finishing in homes is due to the expense involved with fitting them to rooms.
• They are a great way to increase the appeal of rooms and your property value.
• They come in several designs to suit your home's design aesthetic.
• They are available in a range of materials, from wood to foam and others.
• If you don't have the budget to fit crown moldings to every room in the home, start with entrances and living spaces first.
• Crown moldings complement other moldings around the home, such as baseboards and chair railings.

So, Is Crown Molding Outdated?

Is crown molding outdated? Absolutely not. It’s classy, in style, and for luxurious and formal homes and rooms where the homeowner can afford the additional expense. It’s a very nice finishing touch that will wow your visitors because they see it so rarely these days.

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