Architectural Detail - The missing treasure

Some where around the middle of the 20th century, "modern homes" began being built without the same attention to detail that homes had received in the past. I think there was a concept that developed that in order for a home to be modern, it needed to be spartan and devoid of moulding ornamentation at all. So the white box construction began. Some times it came in the form of a ranch, Tudor, cape cod or colonial - but it all lacked the personality of the former styles.

When we talk about architectural detailing, we really are talking about so many subjects; including moulding, doors, windows, how the walls are transitioned. Several of these subjects overlap with past topics and even future topics. So you'll have to forgive me if I simplify somethings for this discussion. I've talked about moulding and trim in relation to the ceilings, and I whole heartedly believe in its use for both modern and traditional interiors. But I think one item I would like to focus on is built-ins. Don't really know why, but I love them. And the functional and visual impact on the interior is amazing. Let's look at this room, which is very typically of today's construction. Builders offer "Great Rooms" but really I think more often than not, they are not so great and create so many problems to balance. Let's look at this example.

Ok, I have to say it - Who in their right mind designs a wall with 5 openings, 4 of which are basically the same size and leaves this dinky space above the fireplace? Really! The opening at the top is 7' x 9'. Really? What exactly did the designer think people where going to do with that space? (Eye Roll)

Now we designed built-ins that utilized the trim detail around the fireplace to create weight on the bottom portion of the wall. Realize that the bottom openings are just as large and about 30" deep. You could hide a body in these things. What we are able to give the clients was a cohesive unit that gave them tons of storage for books, mementos and toys on one side and created a entertainment center on the other side. All the equipment is hidden behind speak cloth doors and the small center section hides the center channel speaker. We installed a basic CPU fan to circulate air in the speaker cloth and out a channel behind the TV. We also moved electrical to the countertops for any accent lamps that might be desired. Then end result...