As with any home improvement project, there are a lot of details that must be considered if you want the very best aesthetic outcome. Decorative plaster moldings come in all sorts of shapes, styles, and sizes, and what you need is often best determined by assessing any interior design elements you have already incorporated in your home.
Put simply, a lot of interior design depends on personal preference. What one family may find to be cozy and warm, another might view as claustrophobic and dark. Use your own personal style as a guide to find decorative plaster that suits you and your family. Look at the clothing you tend to buy and try to find trends. Do you love to wear gaudy jewelry? You will probably love using heavily-ornamented plaster designs in your rooms. Do you prefer structured dresses with architectural elements? Try simple, sleek molding and ornaments that complement your contemporary style. Whatever you find in your wardrobe, try to incorporate these elements into your design concept.
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If your home is a historical treasure, adding appropriate decorative plaster can add significant value. However, if your plaster moldings and ornamentation conflict harshly with the house’s original trimmings and style, you may end up shrinking its value. First, if you are not already aware of when the house was built and what architectural style was used, find out this information from your realtor or a home contractor. Once you know the era that your home was built in, you will be better able to add ornamentation that suits the house’s historical background.
For instance, if your home has classically styled Georgian architecture with simple lines and strict symmetry, you will want your decorative plaster moldings and ornaments to reflect that same style. If you decorated all of the rooms in the romantic, heavily adorned Baroque style then the two styles would clash, detracting from any semblance of historical accuracy.
Similar to keeping your design elements in the same era, you will also want to keep design elements in a similar style to your current aesthetic. If your furniture pieces are all sleek and modern, your decorative plaster should also have that same sleekness. Some interior designers like to play around with conflicting styles, and the results can be pleasant, but DIY-designers may find this difficult to pull off.
Hiring an experienced contractor is often a good way to gain an outsider’s perspective on your decorative plaster. Your contractor has likely handled many different types of decorative plaster projects and can help you choose designs and elements that will suit both your style and your budget. It may also help to consult with an interior design specialist. Although contractors may have the technical expertise, interior designers can bring in their creativity and background understanding of how different ornamentation can affect your room.
Friends and relatives can provide good counsel as well, since they are familiar with your style in day-to-day life. Often friends and family provide more candid opinions, since their job does not depend on your satisfaction with their opinions. Listen closely to what all outside parties have to say about your decorative plaster ideas, and you may find that they bring up points that you have not considered. Sometimes it takes a village to get your home’s interior looking its best.