It is the details that can make or break the design of your home or project. When it comes down to refining your interiors and completing your design, stone moldings play a vital role. These accessories are functional and can help you smooth out rough edges and imperfections.

However, they can also add a subtle touch of exclusivity and magnificence to any environment. At the same time, finding the right balance and creating exactly the result you have in mind can be challenging. Here are some tips that you can use when looking for the perfect stone moldings.

Understand the Molding’s Purpose

Not all moldings are made equals. In some cases, homeowners opt for cheap options to temporarily hide imperfections on the walls, painting, or flooring. However, if you are looking for a longer-lasting, more exclusive look, style and material are just as important as functionality.

Remember that moldings might not be the first thing that visitors will notice, but they can certainly impact the room’s ambiance. Speak to an expert designer to better understand your property’s needs.

Pick the Right Material

Moldings come in different materials and shapes. However, among the wide range of options, stone moldings can take your home’s design to the next level. Indeed, these are much more than functional pieces that can help you hide wall or window imperfections. They can be subtle, hand-carved works of art that complete the look of a room or a property.

And, with stone moldings, you can choose among a variety of options in terms of colors and textures, including Cantera stone, Marble, Travertine, and Limestone. Speaking to an expert designer is crucial to understand the difference between these materials and what role they will play in your home.

Create Continuity With Other Elements

If your home boasts a modern style that you wish to complete with the addition of classical elements, stone moldings are the ideal choice. Indeed, they boast a wide range of styles, from minimalist, clean lines to more elaborate, classical-looking carvings.

Alternatively, you might decide to create continuity with other classical or stone elements around your property. For example, if you have already installed columns and water fountains, you should consider using the same stone and style. This will allow you to create uniformity and pleasant symmetries between the main design elements and accessories.

Be Mindful of Sizes

Moldings can undoubtedly create significant contrasts and complete a room’s design. However, picking the right size is essential. Indeed, moldings that are too large for your room might become overwhelming and too heavy for the environment. Oppositely, narrow moldings might make the look room out of proportions.

Some general rules to follow include:

• Use a taller baseboard for higher-ceiling rooms
• Narrower molders work best for smaller rooms or rooms with a lower ceiling
• Crown moldings should be the same size as the base

Your designer or architect can help you visualize what your look will look like with the molding in place, so you can always adjust the sizing before ordering hand-carved pieces.

Architectural stone can be used in many ways in both residential and commercial settings.  It can be used throughout for an elegant and complete look, as a strategic statement or visual element that draws the eye, or simply as a finishing detail that ties a look together.  Whatever way you choose to use architectural stone elements, they are sure to elevate the overall appearance of a space.  Architectural stone molding is one way to tie a complete stone look together or simply add an elegant element to a space.  Below are 4 different types of stone molding that can be incorporated in any residential or commercial setting.

4 Types of Stone Molding

1. Stone Chair Rails
   • Stone rails were traditionally installed to protect the wall from damage if a chair bumped into it. While they have generally not been used that way for many decades, chair rails are still a common architectural element that adds beauty and style.  Chair rails can be made of a variety of material but stone chair rails are particularly unique and elegant. Chair rails can be installed at a variety of heights and can either be installed alone on the wall or may accompany other architectural details.
2. Stone V-Caps
   • Stone V-caps are another type of architectural molding that adds a completed look to a stone application. Stone v-caps are often used in places like showers, countertops, pools, and on walls.
3. Stone Stair Treads
   • Stair treads are essentially the part of stairs that you step on. They tend to get a lot of wear and tear so stone stair treads are a great choice because of durability.  In addition to durability, stone stair treads add elegance and unique style.  Stone stair treads can be used indoors or outdoors and are capable of standing up to years of wear and tear.
4. Stone Wall Caps
   • Wall caps are used very commonly and complete the finished look of any wall. When a wall is installed there is the base, the primary portion/body of the wall, and then a wall cap is installed on top to finish the aesthetic appearance and protect the wall structure from damage.  Stone wall caps come in a variety of materials to ensure that they can be seamlessly installed with any stone wall.

There are many ways to enhance the beauty and value of a home with architectural elements.  Architectural design elements add visual interest and draw attention to architectural features that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.  Regardless of your home’s architectural style, molding and trim make a great addition to any home.  While there are many different materials used for molding, we would argue that natural stone molding is the best option.  Types of molding include chair rails, crown molding, baseboards, wainscoting, picture rail, and casing so there are many ways in which to incorporate natural stone molding in your home. Below are 2 advantages of using natural stone molding’s in your home.

2 Advantages of Using Natural Stone Moldings

• Stone Moldings Add Beauty
  • Stone moldings are one of the most beautiful additions you can make to your home. They help smooth transitions from wall to floor or ceiling, accentuate features of your home, add elegance, and so much more! Additionally, if you have incorporated other natural stone elements into your home’s architectural design it can help smooth the transitions with other natural stone elements as well.  When you opt to use natural stone rather than manufactured stone you get to enjoy all of the unique beauty that natural stone has.  No two pieces of natural stone are identical, they vary in color, texture, pattern and more.  Natural stone adds unique, one-of-a-kind beauty to a home that no other type of molding can achieve.
• Stone Moldings Add Value
  • Not only do natural stone moldings add beauty to your home but they add value as well. Natural stone molding’s can be hand carved from materials including limestone, marble, travertine, granite, and slate and all of these beautiful stones are also quite valuable so when you install them into your home you instantly enhance it’s value. Use Natural Stone elaborates on the value natural stone adds to your home in whatever application in which it is used (including moldings!), “While limestone may be more expensive than brick or other common materials, it will always add more value and more than pay for itself, according to Derek DiSera, a real estate broker with @Properties in Chicago. He recommends using limestone pavers to create walkways and steps, or adding limestone to windowsills, crown moldings, or front stairs. “All of these have a timeless appeal and a much wider appeal to most buyers,” he says.”

Stone is as stately and timeless as just about any architectural style, decor element or anything else that you can think of.  This is for good reason – stone is durable, beautiful and strong.  It can be used to construct a small decorative element or an entire coliseum.  Each piece of natural stone is unique, like a thumbprint, no two pieces are the same and that is what makes it so gorgeous.  Natural stone coordinates with any architectural or decor style seamlessly so it can be used in a wide variety of applications.  When used to enhance architecture or decor, it not only adds beauty but it adds real value to your home or property.  While there are many ways to add natural architectural stone elements to your home, we want t explore using cast stone moldings.   Cast stone moldings can be used both inside and outside, and will elevate the decor and style of your home or property in any application.

Cast stone moldings come in a variety of stones, stone colors, shapes and sizes.  At Architectural Stone Elements, we use the finest limestone, cantera stone, and travertine.  The design possibilities are truly endless.  You can use cast stone moldings to create chair rails, v-caps, wall caps, stair treads, around windows, around doorways, around fireplaces, around chimneys, and so much more.  By adding natural cast stone moldings to your home you will add drama, dimension and texture in a way that no other material could ever hope to.  When you add such dimension and unique character to your home’s exterior, you dramatically boost curb appeal which makes your home more appealing to the eye, more inviting and more valuable.  When you add that same character inside your home you add your own personal style, warmth, regality, and again – value.   What makes cast stone moldings so exceptional (aside from their obvious style and class) is that they are so strong and durable.  Whether inside or outside, they can weather the elements and stand up to the test of time, always looking their absolute best.  Because they are so strong, they can provide actual architectural support to your home’s structure which cannot be said about older moldings.  Whether you have classic or contemporary tastes in architecture or decor, there are cast stone moldings that coordinate with your style seamlessly.  Allow us to supply your home build or remodel with the perfect cast stone molding to elevate your home’s style.

When you first move into a home, whether it is a new build or an existing home, it can look incredibly bare and impersonal.  It is in both the small details and the statement decor that you can impart your personal taste and style and make your house into a home that you will be truly proud of and in which you will feel completely comfortable.  One unique and interesting way you can not only impart personal style but elegance, luxury and grandeur is with stone moulding.  Stone moulding can be used in a variety of ways to enhance your home and below we will discuss three applications that would spectacularly elevate the design aesthetic of any home.

1. Home Exterior

• Just like icing on a cake, stone moulding stops the exterior of a home from being flat and boring and brings dimension and visual interest.  A drab exterior leaves much to be desired.  Curb appeal is important because it is the first thing anyone sees when they visit your home and it sets the tone for their overall experience.  Stone moulding can be used in a variety of ways on your home’s exterior to highlight architectural features.  Stone moulding can be used along the roof line, around windows, around doorframes, along balconies, around garages and so much more.  Your home has unique architectural features that should be highlighted and enhanced by stone moulding, and if your home is lacking, stone moulding can make all the difference.

2. Home Interior

• In the same way that stone moulding can enhance your home’s exterior architectural features, it can also enhance a home’s interior features.  We have all seen crown moulding in a home and marveled at the way it transforms a space but stone moulding is the ultimate way to add elegance and visual interest.  There are a variety of styles to choose from with stone moulding to perfectly compliment your home’s unique design aesthetic and interior decor.  Stone moulding adds depth and draws focus so it is the perfect complement to things like doorframes, as a transition from ceiling to wall, as a chair rail, around windows, around fireplaces and more.

3. Landscape Design

• There are a lot of ways to incorporate carved stone into landscape design.  Stone moulding can be used to accent architectural features in landscape design, along balconies or decks, or near landscape structural such as arbors, pergolas or more.  Additionally, it can be used to highlight features around a pool to create the ultimate feeling of luxury and class.

When decorating with stone in and outside of your home the possibilities are truly limitless.  Stone can be used in your landscape or inside of your home with stone pots, stone water fountains, stone fireplace mantels, stone corbels or stone pillars.  All of these stone elements can really be used inside or outside of a home because they are so versatile and durable.  And adding to the list of options for decorating your home with stone are stone moldings.  Stone moldings are a unique way to subtly but interestingly add your own special touch to your home’s architectural and decor.  Stone moldings can be used as v-caps, chair rails, stair treads, wall caps and so much more, both inside and out, to add drama and personal style to your home.

If you have seen the beauty of wainscot in a home before you know that it adds character to any home, regardless of the style.  Often, when one thinks of wainscot in a home they probably envision wood chair railing with decorative wood paneling down to the baseboard.  But, wood is far from the only option and by changing the chair railing to stone molding you enhance the look of your home and immediately elevate the decor.  Additionally, while you have seen crown molding made from wood crown molding can also be made from stone.  Adding stone to areas where the wall meetings the ceiling creates a strong presence and stately feel that wood molding cannot achieve.  Stone moldings can also be used to trim countertops, surround fireplaces, surround doors, surround windows, as baseboards, or to create unique and interesting decorative frames or anything else you can think of.

Architectural moldings can be used to complete a home’s design or room decor in a way that no other decor can.  It is not just the cherry on the sundae, not just superfluous, but hugely important.  Without unique touches that complete a home’s design rooms, and homes overall, may feel incomplete or like something is just off – missing.  Even if you cannot immediately place your finger on it, you know something is just off.  So often things like decorative molding are the piece that ties everything together and brings a harmonious feel.  Add timeless, high-end finishes to your home with stone moldings, both inside and outside, to enhance the architecture of your home and create the luxurious atmosphere that you want.