How high to place cornice boards?
Christy Bell
10 years ago
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Comments (8)
Christy Bell
10 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Why are Full Cornice Returns (AKA Mutton Chops) disliked here?
Comments (19)Like most enduring architectural details, the Greeks invented the cornice return. It is a very elegant design that is well understood by experienced carpenters and architects but sadly not well know to homeowners or many home builders. A "mutton chop" is not a different kind of cornice return but the absence of a cornice return. The cornice simply ends and is covered up with a board in the shape of the severed cornice. Instead of allowing the cornice moulding to turn and continue for a short distance at the end of the eave, a mutton chop simply chops off the cornice and covers its profile with a flat board that looks a lot like a cornice return that has been removed and badly patched. The reason this issue is so poorly understood today is that the Greeks did not attach gutters to their cornices and therefore could use a very elegant wrap-around detail that is still copied today. Today the crown and fillet of a Greek eave is replaced with a flat board that supports a gutter. At the end of the eave a builder must choose to end it with a flat board (mutton-chop) or carry the gutter around the corner onto the rake. The gutter return costs more than the mutton-chop so there you have the justification of the ubiquitous mutton-chop. As for French Country Style, it is, in general, a style made up by American designers and cannot be found in the country side of France. An architectural historian will tell you that the French never used front facing gables like the English did and therefore did not develop a tradition of cornice return details. Until the English discovered the antiquities, they allowed the end wall of their gables to expand and cover the end of a cornice. This is seen in the Cotswold Cottage and the Tudor styles which are the basis of most American eclectic French and English house designs. The prototype of an American version of a French house is a steep hipped roof and a turret with a pointed roof at the entrance. You won't find them in France but they were wildly popular in America in the 20's and 30's. If you want a French inspired house build with masonry and avoid all cornice returns or mutton chops. This post was edited by Renovator8 on Tue, Apr 22, 14 at 20:03...See MoreCountertop: How high is too high?
Comments (13)We have a double island kitchen with both island counter surfaces at 38" high. We also have a cleanup/scullery area with a farmhouse clean up sink that is part of the kitchen that also has the counter at 38". The separate side run of cabinets with the refrigerator and microwave is the standard 36" high in consideration of children and really short people. This area functions as a breakfast and sandwich area. My old house that I moved into 25 years ago had custom cabinets at 38" high b/c the prior owners were both so tall. Back then it was the only house available in our market and although I was appalled at what I thought was the way too high counters I just decided to live with it. Over the years I learned to love it and even had a cutting board in constant use that added another inch and half to that height. This is why the new house has the higher counters. One thing to consider is body proportions---leg and arm length vs. torso---in deciding proper counter height. Actual top of the head height doesn't tell the real story. Also, especially since I'm older now and my knees and feet not as resilient as in prior years, I wear a chef type clog whenever I'm prepping and cooking for an extended time. That definitely gives me an additional couple of inches of height. Finally, I am 5'5" maybe but everyone else in my family, DH and the children who all turned out tall, really appreciated the higher counters. HTH...See MoreHigh end European kitchens are particle board???
Comments (26)PLYWOOD - Thin layers of wood veneer glued together alternating the grain of the wood for strength. - Plywood possesses a cross-grain pattern and much stronger and more durable than particleboard. - Plywood is more water resistant than particle board. - Holds nails and screws well. - Physically lighter than particle board. - More expensive than particle board. - Environmentally friendly. PARTICLE BOARD & MDF (MDF - Medium Density Fibreboard is made from smaller particles and particle board larger.) - Wood fibers glued and pressed together. - Gives a smoother surface allowing laminates to be added easily and giving a better finish. - Can swell when exposed to moisture. - Brittle and may not hold nails and screws well. - Physically heavier than plywood. - Cheaper than plywood. - Even more environmentally friendly than plywood....See MoreHigh Ceilings - Low Windows. How do I cover this in a stylish way?
Comments (8)I wish that I could find the picture where a designer handled a situation like this. She actually installed something like a bamboo Roman shade at the same height as the curtain rood, and had the shade pulled own just to the top of the window glass. Then the curtain panels hung at either side of the window. It made it look like the entire window was that tall, as you couldn't see through the bamboo shade to see that there was wall behind it. FOUND IT! All of the below is from here - https://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2009/08/top-ten-design-elements-4.html"A word about this curtain installation job. What looks like an easy job of hanging curtains was actually quite difficult. Suzanne Kasler’s thought process: The windows are short in this room. In order to camouflage the problem windows – Kasler places the rods as close to the molding as possible – yet the beam prohibits her from bringing them to the very top. The tops of curtains should always, if possible, all be at the same height. Therefore, all the rods are placed about 6 inches from the ceiling to be uniform. Then in order to make the windows appear taller, she brings the blinds to the top of the rods – hiding the wall space between the short windows and the curtain rod – making it appear the windows are taller and more elegant. Kasler thus creates a vertical line to the room by raising the eye up to the higher rods. Perfection! Hanging curtains is never an easy job and a good installer is worth his weight in gold. He is as important as the workroom." BELOW - DON’T: Real house: this is a problem window – the arched transom really adds nothing to the design of the window – I would have ordered just one long blind and put it right under the ceiling rod – and raised it just to the top of the door for access in and out. Instead, there is too much going on in this window. Too many different window sizes, too many little shades, and the curtains are just a tad too short – this should have been fixed during the installation – the drapery pins could have been moved up just a bit. It’s not easy folks! An open question to mass builders of Mac Mansions: Why do you install lots of little windows like these? What’s with the arched windows everywhere? I understand Palladian windows, but these sir, are no Palladian windows. Why bother pretending they are? Wouldn’t just a taller French door been so much prettier here than the short door given the Palladian treatment? Just a question. DON’T: Real house: the same designer as above almost gets it right this time. The blinds and drapes are placed perfectly – but, but, but – if you are going to lower your textured shades – add a lining to them so you don’t get the invisible shade look from the glare! And don’t put the shades down at all different heights. The designer could have bought just one long shade with a blackout lining – why buy three, unless it was to save the money of a custom shade. If possible – one shade is better than three little ones. And one more detail that should drive a good interior designer to distraction – notice how the two middle panels “break” at the floor – yet the right panel just barely meets the floor. Which was the intended length – the breaking length or the just barely touching length? A good installer might have been able to correct this. If not – it should have gone back to the workroom for correcting. I wonder, did the designer not notice this? And just one other detail – notice that the panel widths are not uniform – the width of the middle panels are doubled, yet the right and left are single. Why? The panels really should be the same width if at all possible otherwise it might look unbalanced....See MoreChristy Bell
10 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
10 years agoDanahills
10 years agoDanahills
10 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
10 years ago
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