Skirting boards are an essential element of your interior design, but they do add another layer of detail to your home which requires careful consideration. Like most design elements of a traditional home, you are blessed with period features which add elegance and style but they sometimes need replacing or restoring, and if you get this wrong then you can ruin something which you were very fortunate to inherit when you bought the home.
This is particularly true when considering a hallway. Skirting boards carry a very important function, to cover the joints between the floor and the wall, and to enable a seamless transition which is easy on the eye. This becomes more important in a hallway because it is the entrance to your home and by its very nature is the first part of the home someone will see. As an entrance area you want it to be welcoming and attractive, and you might want it to be a statement or to be a transition through to other statement rooms. Skirting boards will play a big part in how you carry that off, so let’s look at some of the design elements you need to consider:
Materials
We would always recommend that you opt for a good quality wood for skirting boards. A hardwood or softwood is applicable because they are durable, strong and attractive. Skirting boards can be exposed to cold and damp and can frequently get knocked by dogs, children or vacuum cleaners. For this reason a good quality wood will be longer-lasting and retain its appearance better. It can also be sanded down and re-painted. MDF might be a slightly cheaper option but it can warp and crack and is more susceptible to damage.
Height
It is likely that your hallway has longer lengths of skirting than you have in most other rooms, at least longer lengths that are exposed and visible. It is amazing how easily something like skirting catches the eye, so it is important that you choose the right size for the proportions of your hallway. Generally speaking, if you have high ceilings then you should opt for taller skirting boards, and if you have lower ceilings, then opt for shorter skirting boards. It’s all about balance and offering people an immediate view that is proportional and isn’t jarring as an introduction to your home.
Colour
The beauty of natural wood is that it can be left un-painted and look fantastic, and this might be ideal if you have parquet flooring or another form of wooden flooring. Of course if you have carpet as flooring, tiles or laminate, you can sand and paint the skirting accordingly. Some hallways can be quite dark, and some can be very light, so choose a colour that reflects that. And even if we are talking about period features, you can still go for contemporary colours, which tends to mean your walls and skirtings are the same colour, or with a slight variation.
Matching features
Perhaps the biggest mistake you can make with skirting is opting for a design that doesn’t match the features of your hallway. A hallway in a period home can include an elegant, sweeping staircase, radiators, internal doors and cupboards, you may even have a stained glass feature. Your skirting needs to match all these, so if you do have strong period features, don’t go OTT on the profile of your skirting, perhaps make them plainer. That said, if you have Georgian internal doors, Victorian architrave or an Edwardian picture rail, then you can match this with the same period in terms of your skirting. Just avoid mixing up your period features and being inconsistent.
If you browse the range of skirting boards at Period Mouldings, then you should find a wealth of options for your hallway skirting. But you can also contact our expert sales team who can help and advise on the best designs based on your needs, so get in touch today.