Owning fine woodwork in a home was not always possible for everyone.  Early use of decorative trim was the domain of kings, emperors and the ruling class.  In fact, many of the profiles and designs used in today’s woodwork are rooted in Greek and Roman architecture.  Artists commissioned by royal or wealthy families developed these styles for use in castles, coliseums, churches and the like.

With the expansion of cities in Europe during the 14^th century, homes built for the wealthy class borrowed these architectural designs.  Some continued to commission the work in stone.  Others used wood or a combination of wood and stone.

Nevertheless, every design was hand carved, chiseled or produced with hand planes right on the job site.  It was extremely labor intensive, and it was not uncommon for it to take up to 2 full years just to trim out a house!  Can you imagine paying a skilled labor’s wages for two years just to display architectural woodwork in your home?  No wonder this luxury was only found among the upper class!

With the plentiful timber in the New World, mouldings around doors and windows became more common but ornate designs were reserved for those that could afford them.  For you see, the mouldings held a functional purpose as well.  It covered the joints between the walls and the doors, the walls and the windows, the walls and the floor and the walls and the ceiling.  It kept the daylight, insects and cold air from entering the house.

With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, machinery was built to manufacture woodwork in a factory instead of at the job site.  Although the wood moulding manufactured in these original factories was somewhat crude, it did save time and reduce cost, making decorative woodwork affordable to more homes than just the well-to-do home owners.

Use of wood trim in new homes flourished until the late 1940s.  At the end of World War II, in an effort to reduce labor and home costs, builders began to minimize or eliminate woodwork in their designs.  Today, this trend continues to impact the look of many homes.  Where elegant woodwork once adorned doorways and windows, you will find “dry wall returns”.  Impressive wooden baseboards once used in upscale homes have been replaced with narrow strips of wood.  Crown mouldings have all but been eliminated from most homes.  And only an occasional home will feature a chair rail in one of their rooms.

Architectural woodwork still adds dimension, interest and personality to an otherwise plain and lifeless wall.

At Building Appeal, we believe homes should reflect the personality and tastes of the home owner.  To do that, we offer more choices than ever before.  We ask that you join us in writing a new chapter in history as we bring back the detail and the beauty to our homes.  What once was only the domain of the ruling class or the extremely wealthy is now very affordable.  Let’s exercise our right to bring personalities back into our homes!