Interior Decorating – Home Staging

In addition to enhancing your home with fine furnishings and exquisite accessories, there are a number of that you can add architectural sophistication with wood corbels. Corbels were originally used in stately buildings as a means of support for ledges and balconies. Today, corbels are being used in many home interiors.

Following are some examples of areas in your home to include ornamental corbels. Since most modern corbels are made of wood, they are easily mounted using screws, nails and/or glue.  Some ornamental are made of urethane foam but we will not discuss those here.

Archways

If there is an archway in your home, contemplate adding decorative corbels to either side of the archway.  The arch will have to have a flat for the top of the corbel to rest against.   A fine way to do this is to add an arched casing which terminates at the corbel top. The corbels will face each other in this particular application.  When choosing your corbels, measure the width of your wall at the archway to make sure the corbel will be equal to, or smaller than, the thickness of the wall.

Mantle Supports

Fireplaces, at one time, were the focal point of every family room displaying stately mantles built with ornamental columns and pilasters. Today, you can create that same style with a couple of decorative corbels.  There is a difference between a fireplace mantel surround and a mantel shelf.  The “surround” wraps around the top and sides of the firebox.  The mantel shelf sits atop the fireplace only.  ornamental corbels can be used in either application.  They can be utilized to support the mantel shelf or they can be attached to the columns or legs of the mantel surround.  Care should be taken to ensure the corbels are proportional to the size of the mantel surround or shelf.  If all the mantel components are to be stained, then it is a good idea to match the wood type of the corbel to the rest of the mantel.

Island Overhangs

A frequent place to install carved corbels is the projection of a kitchen counter or bar.  Granite counters as well as other types of counter tops need support when they overhang the counter.  A twelve inch overhang is ordinary for islands and bars.  The overhang permits chairs and stools (and knees) to rest under the overhang.  Corbels are a nice way to add support as well as visually enhance your kitchen.   

There are many areas corbels can be used in your living space.  Stand alone wall shelves, for example, lend themselves to their use.  Many range hoods have been enhanced with attractive corbels.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!