Does anybody stroll right into a adorning store enthusiastic about skirting boards? Paint colors, sure. Tiles, undoubtedly. Even door handles get their second. However these unassuming strips of timber that run alongside the bottom of the wall? They’re normally an afterthought, chosen on the final minute with a fast, “simply one thing easy, please.”
But very similar to body completes a portray, the appropriate skirting board concepts have the potential to drag a room collectively. Get it improper and it will possibly throw off the proportions or jar with your house’s character. Get it proper and it anchors the area superbly, bridging flooring and wall with function.
From the ornamental ogee profiles of Victorian terraces to the crisp, square-edged designs in trendy properties, skirting boards inform a narrative in regards to the period they belong to. So how do you match yours to your inside fashion? We requested designers and craftspeople for his or her skilled recommendation.
Victorian, Georgian and Edwardian properties
Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian fashion properties all sometimes boast excessive ceilings, beneficiant home windows and ornamental mouldings. For those who’re fortunate sufficient to stay in a single, take note of your skirting boards. They can assist outline the structure, echo the room’s proportions and tie collectively all these stunning interval particulars.
“In Victorian hallways and residing areas, ogee or torus profiles round 150 to 200mm excessive match completely,” says Scott Godfrey, skilled carpenter at Blackhammer. “They echo the ornamental particulars of the interval and steadiness tall ceilings and deep architraves.”
Gareth Davies, design director at Traditional Interiors, agrees, including that ornate profiles like ogee or egg-and-dart give the area a way of grandeur, whereas Edwardian interiors profit from one thing barely easier. “They’re nonetheless tall, however with gentler curves and fewer detailing to swimsuit their lighter, extra elegant really feel,” he explains.
High tip: In the case of finishes, these interval kinds lend themselves superbly to color. For a recent take, contemplate portray skirting boards in a darker or tonal shade in opposition to lighter partitions. It’s a trick designers use to border a room and add depth to interiors.
Scott Godfrey of Black Hammer is a grasp craftsman with over 20 years of expertise in carpentry and joinery. His spectacular portfolio contains bespoke tasks from fully-fitted kitchens and shelving to main large-scale ventures equivalent to luxurious house builds and intensive renovations.
Gareth Davies, Design Director at Traditional Interiors, is a seasoned skilled in architectural and inside design concord, providing distinctive insights into skirting options and options knowledgeable by his 20 years of trade expertise.
Interval fashion skirting boards
This tall Georgian skirting is ceaselessly utilized in conventional and basic inside designs, however can complement virtually all kinds of inside.
GoodHome MDF Ogee Skirting
This easy-to-install skirting board includes a basic Victorian ogee design.
Nationwide Skirting (Victorian)
This ornate Victorian fashion skirting is offered in an unprimed MDF, primed white MDF and likewise in an actual wooden oak, walnut or Pine.
Arts & Crafts and mid-century properties
As interiors moved away from the heavy ornamentation of the Victorian period, the Arts & Crafts motion ushered in a love of trustworthy supplies and handcrafted simplicity. Skirting boards turned much less about grandeur and extra about proportion, texture and steadiness.
“Arts & Crafts homes can take an easier strategy,” says Scott Godfrey from Blackhammer. “Suppose clear, linear mouldings that spotlight proportion with out competing with different options.” These profiles work greatest in pure finishes, equivalent to oak, ash or reclaimed pine handled with oils that convey out the grain.
Thomas Goodwin, property skilled at MyJobQuote.co.uk, provides that understated profiles equivalent to ovolo or bullnose swimsuit the modest detailing typical of those eras. “These designs provide delicate curves and clear strains that echo the craftsmanship and restraint of the interval,” he says.
If your house leans extra mid-century, go for a slim, unfussy board with a rounded or chamfered edge to keep up the low-slung, architectural really feel of the time. Pure supplies nonetheless reign right here, however you possibly can experiment with painted finishes in muted, earthy tones to remain true to the palette of the Fifties and ’60s.
For these designing with sustainability in thoughts, Stuart Murray, founding father of Retrovintage, suggests exploring renewable supplies like cork or bamboo, or recycled composites completed in pure oils. These choices nod to the handcrafted ethos of the Arts & Crafts period whereas feeling totally trendy in execution.
Thomas Goodman has labored as a property and building skilled for MyJobQuote for six years and has labored within the building trade for over twenty years. Thomas continues to work on constructing tasks, whereas additionally offering skilled building and property recommendation to trade professionals and DIY fans.
Stuart Murray is a number one skilled on classic, mid-century, and Danish furnishings and design, with years of expertise sourcing and restoring iconic items. Because the proprietor of Retrovintage, he curates a rigorously chosen assortment of timeless designs, combining historical past with trendy interiors. Stuart commonly advises on interiors, restorations, and basic furnishings.
Mid-Century Skirting Designs
Metsä Wooden Primed Ovolo Skirting
Primed with two coats of high quality primer, this modern ovolo design is prepared for set up and portray.
Nationwide Skirting Bullnose
The Bullnose MDF Skirting Board follows a clear lower look with each inward and outer curves to present the board distinction.
Oak Absolutely Completed Shaker Skirting Board
This oak-effect skirting board, with its clear strains and delicate groove element, completely enhances mid-century properties.
Fashionable and up to date properties
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In up to date interiors, the mantra is much less is extra. Skirting boards are pared proper again, designed to mix seamlessly with the wall or disappear altogether. You’ll wish to purpose for a crisp, architectural look that retains the give attention to the supplies and type of the area reasonably than the detailing. It’s possible you’ll even contemplate skirting board options to eliminate these fixtures altogether.
“In trendy properties, you possibly can pare issues proper again,” says Scott Godfrey from Blackhammer. “Sq.-edged or chamfered skirting between 80 and 120mm offers a crisp define that fits open-plan layouts and up to date finishes. It retains the look mild and refined, avoiding being overly formal.”
For a very minimalist end, Gareth Davies recommends flush skirting boards that sit stage with the plaster. “These profiles create that uninterrupted look that feels trendy and spacious,” he explains. “They’re significantly efficient in extensions, new builds and loft conversions the place clear strains are a part of the design temporary.”
Alternatively, shadow hole skirting is a contemporary design function that can be utilized as a substitute of a conventional cumbersome board to create a minimalist look. The impact is delicate however placing – a small, recessed line on the base of the wall that makes it seem to ‘float’.
The right way to steadiness proportions and ceiling top
Regardless of the age or fashion of your house, the proportion of your skirting boards could make or break the general look. Too tall and so they can overwhelm a small room; too quick and so they danger trying unfinished. Getting the steadiness proper will inform how the attention reads the area.
“Taller skirting boards visually anchor excessive ceilings, giving a way of construction, whereas narrower skirting stops smaller rooms from feeling boxed in,” explains Scott Godfrey.
A helpful rule of thumb, provides Thomas Goodwin, is that the peak of a skirting board must be roughly one eighteenth of the general ceiling top. “In trendy properties with a mean ceiling top of two.4 metres, the most typical skirting measurement is round 119mm, however it will possibly go as excessive as 144mm relying on the proportions of the room,” he provides.
Christian Ebbing, product supervisor at Parador, agrees that proportion performs a vital position in sustaining concord. “The peak of a skirting board can alter the notion of area,” he says. “Larger boards add formality and grandeur; slimmer boards create a way of openness and modernity. Matching proportions to ceiling top and window scale helps preserve visible steadiness.”
If doubtful, try it out. Purchase a brief size of your most popular profile and briefly repair it to the wall to see the way it feels in context. It’s a small step that may prevent from selecting a design that appears good on paper however awkward in actuality.
FAQs
Do you have to combine skirting board kinds in the identical home?
You possibly can, however specialists advocate treading rigorously. Stick with a constant profile form and end all through communal areas, then regulate the peak subtly in smaller rooms if wanted. Sustaining visible steadiness throughout areas is essential to avoiding a disjointed look.
Can shadow-gap or flush skirting boards be retrofitted?
Probably not. Flush skirting sits in a recess on the base of the wall, which is simpler to plan into a brand new construct or extension than so as to add later. Retrofitting these kinds might be expensive and messy, in order that they’re greatest thought of early within the design stage.
Ought to skirting boards match the wall color or distinction with it?
Each approaches can work superbly. Matching tones create a seamless, up to date really feel, whereas contrasting colors body the room and draw consideration to architectural particulars. Gareth Davies from Traditional Interiors recommends attempting a deeper tone on the skirting so as to add delicate definition with out overpowering the scheme.
For those who’re renovating, you may be tempted to start out eradicating skirting boards altogether, but it surely’s value pausing earlier than you do. In interval properties, authentic skirting typically carries character and proportion that’s tough to copy. The place attainable, restore reasonably than exchange. If the boards are past saving, contemplate skirting over skirting, a sensible answer that avoids damaging outdated plasterwork.
