Ask Joshua - Thick Molding Around Windows

Hi Joshua,

I live in an old apartment with a lot of cool architectural details. There’s lot of crown molding, even around the windows, rounded open doorways, some wood built-in shelving. Pretty typical apartment, it’s all painted a slight off-white. I want to make the space more interesting and maybe highlight this great molding, but being all white, nothing stands out. Not sure what to do.

Thanks,

Tim, Boston, MA

California casual style dining room with black thick molding around windows designed by Joshua Jones, JJones Design Co.

Hi Tim,

I’ve lived in apartments similar to yours and you can’t beat the charm and history those places impart to a space. I have an idea that hopefully your landlord will allow and won’t be too much work for you; paint the molding around the windows black. You can see an example in the photo above. It will really make the painted molding pop against the rest of the space in a very dramatic high contrast way. It doesn’t require painting a whole wall or making a big mess. Depending on the color scheme with the rest of your furnishings, perhaps black might be too dramatic. In that case, you can opt for a navy blue or perhaps a gray. If you’ve got an adventurous spirit and very colorful taste mixed with some Boho style, might I suggest even a burnt orange.

Good luck on the project and I’d love to see pictures!

-Joshua

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