MANY HOMEOWNERS PLAGUED BY “NAKED INTERIOR SYNDROME”
InvitingHome.com Offers Antidote: Dress Up Your Home with Architectural Details
The design professionals at InvitingHome.com have a suggestion for today’s
homeowner: “Close your eyes, and visualize the interior of your home in its
present state. Now, imagine your home stripped of your possessions, with no
furniture, nothing on the walls, no window treatments…visualize your home stark
naked. What do you see? What does the space convey to you, how does it make you
feel?”
Homeowners who visualize a featureless, interior space absent of character,
devoid of life, vacant of any sense of vibrancy are then diagnosed as suffering
from an acute case of what these design professionals jokingly call “Naked
Interior Syndrome”.
Although the syndrome is a product of the imagination, today’s multi-billion
dollar home improvement market is reality. Even more indisputable is the scores
of homeowners who drive the market in their relentless quest to impart their
homes with a persona that reflects their own unique tastes. So, how does a
homeowner begin to create such a lasting impression? “Character and interest
lies in the architectural details of the interior,” says one design
professional. “One of the easiest ways you can dress up your interior is through
incorporating some well-placed architectural details; these are elegant ways to
give your home a distinctive look and feel.”
Architectural details is an umbrella term used to describe a range of decorative
architectural products ranging from smaller-scaled
wood carvings such as
rosettes to decorative friezes, functional
wall niches, to the substantial
columns traditionally associated with ancient civilizations. In recent years,
corbels have become increasingly popular amongst homeowners looking for an
independent, decorative element that packs a much needed punch in their decor.
Traditionally used as a supportive element for various architectural structures,
the corbel’s utilitarian use saw that its decorative applications were
frequently more of an afterthought. Today, thanks to the structural soundness of
modern buildings and the strict codes to which they are built; the decorative
application of corbels is experiencing something of a revival. But despite their
modern makeover, the corbel must keep true to its original roots: while the
modern corbel may not be as supportive as its predecessors, it is imperative
that the corbel appears as if its application is as being an element of support,
otherwise it will simply look silly. The corbel must look as if it serves its
pre-determined purpose; and if it doesn’t appear to have one, then the corbel
will look as inappropriate as a tuxedo at a funeral. “Corbels are special
details that add a refined touch of class to the home, and should always look
the part. Today’s decorative corbel is meant to enhance and accentuate what is
already there; similarly as to what the push-up bra does for the woman who wears
it,” says this designer.
The surge in the corbel’s popularity indicates the formation of a trend, and the
trend indicates that the modern corbel often appears in hub of the home: the
kitchen. Corbels are frequently spotted underneath the overhang of the
countertops and alongside the hood of the stoves. Corbels are often spied
alongside fireplaces, flanking the mantle. And corbels nestled into the corners
of doors and entryways have become a popular place for them to reside. Corbels
certainly add depth and another layer of interest to a home’s interior
architecture, but it is the full range of designs and the carvings available
that truly fuels the trend. “The range of designs and styles, the warmth and
detail of the carvings themselves, makes it possible to highly customize your
home decor, to truly make the space a reflection of you and your tastes,” explains
this designer. And so it is not off the mark to say that just like the circular
pattern of fashion trends, corbels and architectural details share a common
thread: everything old is new again.
Wood carvings and the application of carved
wood onlays, which include
scrolls,
drops,
swags, and
rosettes range from the diminutive to the bold. These elegant
trimmings add interest as focal points and elevate ordinary interior elements to
something remarkable. Adding
architectural wood carvings is a simple way to embellish any
existing woodwork anywhere. Even the simplest wood carvings can dramatically
change the look and feel of a room. Some popular spots to apply these onlays are
on kitchen cabinets, on staircases, fireplace mantels, doors, doorways, or any
other place that could benefit from a little added interest. Woodcarvings are
the adornments; the little accessories that really make it look special. Spruce
up the corners of windows and door casings with rosettes and it’s easy to see
how prettily they punctuate where one room ends and the other begins. “When
homeowners are first introduced to woodcarvings and their ability to transform,
you can almost see something go off in their eyes, as if all of a sudden, a new
idea has sprung in their minds. I know that they immediately go home and look at
their interiors in a new way; they go home and look around and start
embellishing their spaces mentally.”
In a way, learning about architectural details and then going back to your
architecturally detail-less home can be a somewhat uncomfortable experience.
Gradually, a general feeling of self-consciousness begins to creep into the
psyche: have you ever had the dream where you are out in public, and you
suddenly become keenly aware that you are stark naked? It is that sensation of
being caught in a state of bareness, of the embarrassment that comes with the
traumatic knowledge that others have noticed something obvious about you that
you have never noticed yourself. Call it a very sudden onset of homeowners’
self-awareness; and with all of the effort today’s homeowners put into making
their homes reflections of themselves, this realization can be somewhat painful.
“Naked Interiors Syndrome is often treated superficially,” says the
Julia Delaney with a tone that is half joking, half serious. “Everyone can relate to attempts
made in trying to create a mood in a space through just the use of furnishings
and decorative accessories. While the homeowner may succeed in filling the room
with “stuff”, all he or she really succeeds in doing is glossing over the issue
with vanilla frosting. Real substance lurks beneath it all. If you take it all
away and are simply left with an empty, featureless room, you realize that there
was never any real substance to the character of your home. This is a classic
case of Naked Interiors Syndrome.”
The biggest investment anyone can make in their lifetime is the investment into
homeownership. Owning your own home is the bottom line, whether you plan to live
in it for the rest of your life, or you plan on selling it at some point during
your journey. However, the real estate market can sometimes resemble a game of
strategy; the best course to take is to buy at the right time. The name of the
game is to get the most house in the best neighborhood for the best price and to
sell at a time in the market when you can make the biggest profit. One of the
best ways to increase your home’s value is through improving it, not only its
outward appearance, but improving it from within.
“Architectural details have been proven to not only increase a houses value, but also have been known to sell houses more quickly than houses
without them,” said the designer. “This fact in conjunction with the reality
that you actually live in the house is all the reason any homeowner needs to
invest in these architectural details.” This concept becomes true to life when
you consider the realities: imagine what you hear when you walk through an empty
house; you will probably hear some sort of echo. These sounds created by the
reverberations of unabsorbed sound waves bouncing off of barriers tend to have a
very lonely, cold quality to them. And when you are selling your home, an empty
home with a lonely, cold depersonalized quality is going to be a much harder
sell than an empty one with a warm, inviting quality, due mainly because of its
architectural details.
The most basic of all ways to add architectural details and a layer of warmth to
your naked interior is through the use of
moldings. Moldings are the
tried-and-true salvations of the naked house; they are like the classic t-shirt
and favorite pair of jeans: completely indispensable to the home’s look. Once
moldings are installed in the home, appearances become clearly defined, and the
eye can suddenly differentiate between spaces. Moldings have a range of uses and
applications: crown molding,
baseboard molding,
chair-rail molding,
panel
molding, and the ultra-decorative
frieze molding.
Moldings are also a vehicle
for creativity; experimenting with paint treatments and finished can really amp
up the homes look to one that is distinguished and fashionable. A great look can
be achieved by applying a textured or graphic wall paper inside the panels
created by panel moldings; a homeowner can create a design accent that is sure
not to be found anywhere else.
Moldings are often used to create optical illusions or to disguise flaws or
other unsightly elements. By installing a crown molding that extends more along
the ceiling rather than down the wall, an illusion is created to make the
ceilings appear higher than they really are. Other specially designed moldings
can cover plumbing pipes or odd gaps in the houses structure.
The ceiling is what designers call “the fifth wall,” and sadly, the ceiling is
the most neglected “wall” of all. “The ceiling is usually an afterthought for
most homeowners,” confirms the designer. “It really is puzzling. The ceiling is
the first thing one sees when you wake up in the morning. Too many homes have
this blank, white stretch of space on top that is just visually numbing.” It’s
true; enter any home and you will see that the ceiling is usually painted white,
even when the walls are painted a cheerful or vibrant color, which makes the
contrast all the more obvious. A featureless ceiling is a visual plague; similar
to the arguably distasteful appearance of wall to wall carpeting installed
throughout a home. The designer continues, “The lack of interest in the ceiling
is like this hidden epidemic. It’s hardly ever addressed.”
When the
ceiling design is addressed, some homeowners simply paint the ceiling a hue
that is two shades up from the color of the walls. Other homeowners go the route
of enhancing the ceiling with murals, a la Sistine chapel style. One much
less-in-your-face route of adding grace to a featureless ceiling is by the
addition of ceiling medallions, or if drama is more your style, with the
installation of ceiling domes, with or without indirect lighting. Designs for
ceiling medallions range from elaborate floral to the symmetrically modern,
giving the homeowner yet another opportunity to sharpen the look of their home.
Additional distinguishing factors that separate the naked interior from the well
dressed interior are build in elements that give character, such as cupboards,
cabinets, and recessed sections of wall otherwise known as wall niches. Wall
niches are elements purely meant for decoration; they are the built-in versions
of pedestals meant to display objects d’art or treasured pieces from a personal
collection.
Wall niches and other types of built-ins are the type of features
that give a home a boost in the character it exudes. “And even if your home
doesn’t have any built-in features, a homeowner can easily integrate them into
their home. Wall niches, for example, are cost effective and easy to install.
Plus, wall niches generate a response, both in their visual impact as well as
the emotional response from the homeowner, since wall niches are often used to
highlight decorative objects of a personal nature,” adds the designer.
If
architectural details can be thought of as the layers making up a home’s
image, then columns and
pilasters can be thought of as the home’s version of a
power suit. These impressive architectural details are not for the fainthearted,
as they can hardly be thought of as creating a subtle impact. Traditionally
associated with the power of ancient Greece and Rome, today, more often than
not, columns are readily spotted outside of government buildings and grand,
stately homes. However, columns and pilasters can lend their looks of tradition
and dominance to the interiors of the average homeowner. “One extremely popular
trend in home design is the concept of the open-floor plan. Lofts and wide airy
spaces are all the rage right now, but despite this, some homeowners still want
create a separation from one part of the space to the other, without loosing the
overall airiness of the open-floor concept. One way to create this separation is
by strategically placing columns to create this separation, this way, the
open-floor plan is maintained and each section of the space is clearly defined
by the columns,” says the designer. “And because of the general public’s
associations with them, columns bring a lot of substance to a home’s interior.”
The French call it “je ne sais quoi” which roughly translates to “that certain
something.” It is not enough for a fashionable person who always appears pulled
together to be bestowed with je ne sais quoi; there is always something else
about them, perhaps something about the way they walk. It is the elusive
element; the mystique or aura that someone or something possesses, some sort of
charm that you cannot quite put your finger on. The well dressed home, rich in
architectural details certainly possesses this mystique. And so it seems that
Naked Interiors Syndrome isn’t so fictitious after all. “The
InvitingHome.com
website is designed to enhance the image of the home. We want today’s homeowner
to use our website as a resource for achieving the look they want for their
home. Think of InvitingHome.com as an online, personal stylist for today’s
inviting home,” says this designer.
