Gorgeous High Skirting Boards!

Today, let's talk about lovely high skirting boards. Perhaps not the most glamorous of subjects, you might be thinking (perhaps high skirts might draw the crowds more easily) but, before this post is out, I hope you'll agree that tall skirting boards are one of the unsung heroes of adding a HUGE dose of W:O:W! to a room.

High skirting boards in a kitchen

You see, in olden days, the higher the status of a room, the grander the mouldings needed to be (by mouldings, I mean tall skirting boards and thick architraves...). Yes, it was all about impressing the neighbours and showing off your social standing back then but aren't these lovely high skirting boards beautiful, don't you think? 

High skirting boards and shutters

Period houses were created to have more prominent mouldings in the main living areas, and then for the mouldings to get smaller (and cheaper!!) as you went up the stairs to the bedrooms, away from the public eye.

Tall skirting boards painted the same colour as the walls

It's easy to let such details in a house slip you by but, believe me, my dears, adding high skirting boards can make all the difference in adding character to your home.

High skirting boards in a hall

For some reason, newer houses hardly ever add this stunning feature, unless they're very high end, which is such a shame. I imagine that such extras are sadly driven by profits for the builders.

Tall skirting boards draw attention to a gorgeous fireplace

Let me tell you a secret: upgrading to high skirting boards and gorgeous wide architraves is one of the best things you can do to add a wow-factor to the bones of a home.

Tall skirting boards in white pop against the walls painted in Antique Cream by Crown

I'm not just talking about period houses here, contemporary homes can also take a bit of skirting board action; they just need careful choosing.

Note the height change in skirting boards when entering the higher status room...

There are lots of ways of decorating with high skirting boards as you can see from these images. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

Tall skirting boards topped by panelling

You can add panelling on the top.... 

I love this Modern Country living room

or you could draw attention to your high skirting boards by leaving a vast expanse between them and the ceiling....

Choose paint colours that make them pop against the walls..

...or simply paint your tall skirting boards the same colour as the walls for a bit of reverse I'm-so-cool-I don't-even-have-to-draw-attention-to-my-beatiful-house psychology!

In our new Georgian house, we've been doing exactly this! Some of the mouldings had been changed over to diddy little versions (as was all the rage in the seventies!) and changing them back has been SUCH A PLEASURE!!

Gorgeous Modern Country hall

Wanna see?!!

Images via Kate's Creative Space, Farrow and Ball, indulgy, champagne maker, wearandwhere, Charlotte Bezzant, unknown, La Maison Gray, Modern Country Style, Nicety, Houzz, unknown, Kate's Creative Space