Interior Decorating – Home Staging

Posts Tagged ‘Architecture’

Unwinding in front of a fireplace during a cold night is a simply a rapturous experience.  The roaring fire drives the chilly air out of the room while one partakes in the ethereal light.  Although fireplaces are meant to be practical, they should be attractive as well.  This rings true in the South, where winters are quite limited, as well as in the North during their long blustery winters.  Contemporary fireplaces feature lovely mantel shelves and surrounds and strive to achieve artistic designs as a source of heat.  Wooden mantel shelves and surrounds have been the popular decision for hundreds of years and have continued to gain fame among homeowners.  As a result, cabinet manufacturers and millworks companies now specialize in crafting exclusive surrounds and shelves for their customers.  Every client’s design and size specification can be attained through this resource.  In the past, cabinet builders and millworks companies were unable to manufacture hand carved mantels.  It was also futile for homeowners to track down a accomplished artisan to shape such a unique piece.  If found the expense would have been astronomical.  Engineers have constructed equipment that can carve wood (as well as other materials).  Most of the modern manufacturing procedures lie in CNC (Computer Numeric Controlled) technology – essentially a router mechanism that mills wood following computer generated three-dimensional drawings.  As intricate as these processes are, hand carved samples can never be accurately imitated. The subtle nuances and imperfections of a seasoned craftsman are impossible in today’s detached mass-production based assembly. Master carvers have the ability to chisel undercuts and small details and shapes not possible with the steel tooling used in CNC machines. The differences between the two approaches – CNC and hand carving – are apparent even to the casual bystander.  The good news is that there are professional artisans in other countries that continue to exercise their amazing skills and make their pieces of art available to the US marketplace at modest prices. Although these are not custom made for each and every specification, they are manufactured to fit most fireplaces. If a fireplace needs additional height, hand carved mantel extensions may be included to raise the height of the mantel surround.  This does not pose a problem for a mantel shelf since it rests above the fireplace.  Mantel shelves will accommodate virtually all openings and can be adopted further with carved corbels and other carved moldings.  So if you are seeking a authentic hand-carved mantel surrounds or mantel shelves, they can still be found for an affordable price through distributors here in the US.

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.