H2H: Period Details { architrave }

Hello! Welcome to the first in my series of posts on period homes, colours, decor themes and styles, all to be lumped together under the house2home banner*. As you may remember, I live in a period, mid-terrace house in South Wales. The village I live in is an ex-coal mining community dating back to the late 1800's (or thereabouts, although its history as farms goes back further). My house was built somewhere between the late 1890's and the early 1900's, making it Edwardian. As with most period houses in the area (and the UK I believe), almost all the original features were ripped out a couple of decades or so ago as home interiors went through a 'modernist' period. Shame on them. If, like me, you're renovating or just plain redecorating a period home and want to incorporate period appropriate details then you've just become my new best friend.

In my opinon, period details are what makes the difference between living in an old property and not. Without them you could be living inside any four walls, and if you've taken on the challenge of living in a period property (for make no mistake, it is a challenge) then the chances are you're going to be in love with period features. While cast iron open fireplaces do help make a property feel period, don't underestimate how the details can change the feel of a room, especially if you don't have, or even can't have, working fireplaces in your home.

I'm going to start the series off by chatting about architrave. For those not in the know, architrave (according to Google) is:

Other timber mouldings used around the period home would include skirting boards, picture rails and dedo rails. Dedo and picture rails have become more of a personal choice than a necessity, architrave and skirting boards protect areas of the building that would be prone to damage through steady usage, large dogs and clumsy homeowners, and as such aren't quite so optional. Architrave can also be found on the exterior of the house, made from stone or concrete, and adds a beautiful level of detail to period properties. I am, however, going to completely ignore the exterior for the forseeable future because I'm more worried about interiors.

DOOR ARCHITRAVE

Door architrave is exactly what it says on the tin. It's the decorative (usually) wooden surround that sits outside the door frame, against the wall on both sides of the door. Modern houses, at least those here in the UK, seem to favour a single piece of wood with a curved edge. It's slim, sleek and works well with new builds and their room sizes. Period properties have higher (or lower) ceilings, and those with Victorian or Edwardian houses like mine will often have 9 foot tall ceilings. As a result, the architrave used around doors (and the skirting boards) needs to be much bigger or it risks being lost in the height of the room. What may look ridiculously large in the shop will, more often than not, suit a period house down to the ground. Basically, the rule of thumb with period properties featuring high ceilings is the bigger the better ... except for when it isn't. If your home is older (usually meaning smaller sized), reduce the size of architrave around doors as much as possible to avoid overwhelming the room.


{ source: pinterest }

{ source: pinterest }

WINDOW ... FRAME
Much like door architrave, this surrounds your windows, finishing them off nicely and framing them proudly. Window architrave, much like door architrave, can be used on any window but often requires wooden windows in order to look its best. Not to mention it needs space around the window for the architrave to occupy, stone houses like mine have extra thick exterior walls (mine are about a foot deep) and windows sit in deep alcoves with no room for additional decorative features due to the uPVC windows that were installed in the past. Alternatively, if you have the space above your window (which I don't, damnit!) you can go with architrave placed like the second example below.

{ source: pinterest }

{ source: pinterest }

TIPS
There's any number of websites with information on period architrave, and there's a nice range of styles to choose from. Of course, just because you want period appropriate features to be included in your home, it doesn't necessarily follow that they must be historical accurate (unless you're specifically after that). Inspiration can be taken from a different era if you prefer, so long as the size is roughly correct. Don't rule out period films and dramas as a source of inspiration, the production design team will have (usually) done their research and then used something similiar that looks visually impressive, borrow from their examples and pick architrave that invokes the spirit of your home's background.

If your budget is small but you have your heart set on truly stupendous architrave decoration around each and every doorway you can always build it up over time. Decorative trim is relatively inexpensive and readily available, using multiple pieces together to build up a truly unique architrave can mean that your initial outlay is quite small. And remember, Victorian and Edwardian homes would usually only have had sumptious decor in the areas guests would visit, with the back rooms and upstairs receiving a much more subdued decoration; they were, if nothing else, budget friendly.

VENDORS & RESOURCES (UK ONLY)

• Atkey & Company Ltd - door architrave examples
• Period Mouldings - door architrave examples
• Agnew DIY Timber Packs - door architrave examples
• Lynch Mouldings - window architrave examples
• Period Living - online magazine with a list of vendors for every need

I'm not in any way affiliated with any of these companies, but they have an array of period appropriate architrave that offers some nice visuals and that you can use as a guide at the very least. Never underestimate how useful your local B&Q, Homebase or Wickes can be, especially if you're on a low budget. Builders Merchants, like Jewson, are another godsend, especially if you're after large quantites (i.e. for the entire house in one go), and particularly if you have a friend in the trade who's discount you can use.

PUTTING MY HOME WHERE MY MOUTH IS
I thought I'd take the opportunity to go through the different types of door architrave in my home as it's a real mix, although I unfortunately had some lovely architrave ripped out when blocking in a door. We were, sadly, unable to remove it without snapping it, rendering it unusable and relegated to the skip.

As a result, door architrave has been on my mind a lot recently. The removed architrave was big, bold and slightly masculine which suggests it was installed towards the end of the Edwardian period. Matching it, even if I had retained a sample (20/20 hindsight!) could prove impossible. Thankfully, that problem's now obselete. My amazingly fabulous plasterers installed some architrave around the area for some new double doors, mostly because they needed to cover up the mess left by my previous builders and needed the edge to make the finished result clean. Budget has played a big part in the new architrave now installed, but I'm a little concerned it's not grand enough, still I may follow my own advice and add to it at a later date to make it look grander. Watch this space!

Thanks for stopping by,

*Speaking of banners, below you'll see part of a gorgeous illustration done by Adam Regester, who has very kindly allowed me to use it so you can all find these posts much easier. Adam has an Etsy shop packed with goodies, so go take a look, and if you ever want to visit him in the future, his shop is linked from the top right of the banner. So, go. Shoo.