Adding architectural interest to your home is important for maintaining its value, appearance, and character, but architectural interest doesn't come naturally. It takes an experienced architect with a discerning eye to create a look that is consistent, creative, and innovative. Architectural details should appear everywhere in your home, from the exterior to the interior, in small spaces and overall appearance.
While some architectural details may be found in the furnishings and decor, they must also be found in the materials your home is made from, and in the spaces that your home creates. This is why you need an architect and a builder that can work together in harmony.
At SevernWoods Fine Homes, we help homeowners in some of the finest neighbourhoods in Toronto to create homes that express their tastes while also creating a look that's lovely to behold. Here's what you need to know about creating a home with fine architectural details.
Interior Moldings, Wainscoting, and Millwork
Ornamentation like crown mouldings, baseboards, and wainscoting can create visual and architectural interest in your home. Crown moulding draws the eye upward toward the ceiling, while wainscoting creates subtle textures on the walls. It's important to work with a design team that can choose the right mouldings and wainscoting for your home since every home needs a style of moulding that matches the overarching architectural style of the house.
Meanwhile, other types of millwork, such as built-in cabinets and shelving, add value and functionality to your home. It's important to work with a builder with experience creating custom millwork. Well-made custom shelving and other built-in furnishings can make your interior space remarkable in appearance and comfortable for everyday life.
Exterior Materials (Siding, Roofing, and More)
Your home's exterior materials add to the character of your home. There are many materials to choose from, so it's important to work with a design team that can suggest the materials that will match your home's style while creating a cohesive design. Remember that your home's exterior can have multiple types of cladding at once. Some possibilities that your design team may consider:
- Metal - Homeowners are turning to residential steel siding to make a big impact on their home because of its strength, ability to last a long time, low maintenance, and many different styles. Options such as painted steel and zinc are maintenance free options for a modern exterior.
- Stone - This classic, rugged material has natural beauty and comes in many colours and textures.
- Brick - Brick homes are often traditional in appearance, but they don't have to be. Modern bricks come in various colours and can be found in contemporary-style homes and traditional ones.
- Wood - Wood adds warmth to your home's exterior. Mix and match wood with large panels to add texture and depth to your home's exterior.
In addition to the siding, your home's roofing material also plays a role in adding architectural interest exterior. Roofing materials include slate, metal, clay, and more.
Finishes and Interior Materials
Finishes and interior materials add interior architectural details. When home builders, architects, and designers refer to the "finishes" in the home, they're talking about materials and surfaces like flooring, wallpaper, plastering, painting, countertops, and more. All of these details come together to create a cohesive whole. Popular materials in Toronto homes include:
- Natural stone - Found on countertops, floors, and mantels, stone adds a sense of permanence and stability to your home's interior. Natural stone, when properly cared for, can last for decades.
- Hardwood - Nothing matches the beauty and warmth of hardwood flooring. Dark hardwood and bare hardwood are both found in modern Toronto homes. Your design team can help you decide which colours and wood types are right for you.
- Wallpaper - Wallpaper is used in homes to create accent walls and to add textures to rooms. Wallpaper can even be found in bathrooms and powder rooms, where it is used to add visual interest.
Ceiling Beams
Beams are ceiling architectural details that can be found in traditional homes as well as homes built in a modern/contemporary style. Ceiling beams create dynamic lines that draw the eye upward while also creating a sense of depth, height, and dramatic beauty. Often, ceiling beams are ornamental and can be added after the house is built. Your design team can decide if ceiling beams are the right call for your home.
Interior, Exterior, and Natural Lighting
Lighting is one of the most important architectural details in any home. Window placement and window style play a big role in the type of lighting found inside your home, while light fixtures also impact the way light is used in your home. Outside the home, exterior landscape lighting can be used to create dramatic nighttime landscapes that lead the eye around the property and create a sense of style unique to your home.
Renovate Your Home, or Build a Custom Home With SevernWoods Fine Homes
If your home lacks architectural details that you can appreciate, you can change that by working with the right team of architects and builders. SevernWoods Fine Homes can help. We'll find the right architect for your project, and then we'll work closely with that architect to create the look you've wanted. To get started with your whole home renovation or to build your custom home, contact us today.
