These Unexpected Paint Tricks Give Traditional Molding a Whole New Look
Some finishing touches in a room are so distinctive that once you see them, you can’t imagine the room without them. Molding is one of these features, but it can be pricey. But it’s such a desired addition that people keep finding ways to fake millwork for less. With that in mind, once I saw the affordable and creative molding ideas in artist and designer Jude Morgan’s home, I immediately thought it needed to be added to the list.
Jude lives in a 1920s Los Angeles rental apartment, and it looks like a piece of artwork. That’s because of the works she’s painted and hung around the space, as well as the clever use of paint — especially to create or enhance moldings. Here’s how Jude did it.
Stripes Are a Modern Take on Traditional Molding
Crown molding is a decorative type of wood trim installed at the straight intersection where the ceiling meets a wall. Sometimes ornate, sometimes minimal, it adds architectural interest in rooms. Though Jude’s living room came with traditional crown molding trim, she cleverly added more visual interest to the room by painting two straight lines (in what looks like black paint) a few inches below the existing molding.
What makes the black lines stand out so well is the contrast between their darkness and the ceiling’s brightness. The ceiling has multiple color layers: a soft brown bottom, a middle blue, and an electric orange-yellow on top that covers the ceiling millwork detailing. With the added black stripes, all of these colors work together to draw your eye upwards, making the room feel more expansive.
Extending the Ceiling Paint Can Act as Molding
Essentially all of the ceilings in Jude’s apartment are painted, but what makes the dining area so special is that she brought the paint down past the ceiling and on to the wall a few inches. Because there isn’t any crown molding in this room, the extended blue paint disguises the lack of it and adds some dimension to the space, essentially looking like faux molding.
“The way I use color, pattern, and composition in my work carries through into the apartment, so it feels very personal and expressive without being chaotic,” Jude wrote during the House Tour.
Circles Add Whimsy to the Straight Formal Molding Lines
Although Jude has crown molding in her bedroom, she shook up the somewhat monotonous straight lines by painting circles underneath. IMHO, they look like little jewels dangling from the molding. So chic! Because the circles are painted with a deeper purple than the two shades on the ceiling and walls, my eyes were instantly drawn upwards.
Using paint, Jude accentuated and even created the look of molding in her vintage-filled Los Angeles home. You don’t have to spend oodles of money at a hardware store to get the look of molding, either. Instead, use some leftover paint and let your imagination pour onto the wall. To see the rest of Jude’s colorful home, visit the full House Tour.
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