You've Been Framed!
Today I thought we'd dive into "framing" your room. Now, I realise that my brain works differently from other people's so maybe it's helpful to start with how I literally see the world...
I see in patterns and shapes - I always look at lines, corners, and what shapes those create. Are the existing shapes creating the optimal effect for that space? Yes? Then ENHANCE. No? Then does it require a sledgehammer and a building warrant OR can I create an illusion to better frame the space?!
Completely lost? Don't worry - so is my husband! A gratifying "before-and-after" should help! Have a look at what this room looked like beforehand. Now scroll back to the first image, and see if you can spot the differences. Framing a room properly is a floor-to-ceiling, 360-degree affair, and it's subtle changes that make a big difference to how a space feels. Did you spot the new coving and skirtings? We've started framing baby!
There's so many styles, sizes and shapes of coving and skirtings it could make your head explode, so I'd recommend finding a local merchant and going and having a good look and feel. That way you've got some reference points for scrolling through online. Try to think about the two Ps when framing your room: Period and Proportion. Modern, Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian?
A little bit of research into the era of your home will make sure your scheme feels authentic rather than a cobbled-together pastiche. Our home is a 1950's semi, so ornate, floral or castillated coving would have looked, well, ridiculous! So we've gone for a very simple, smooth, curved design, which feels like it's always been there and the effect draws the edges of the room down and inwards, making it feel cosier without imposing on the space. Equally, at your local timber yard you'll find all manner of skirtings, but try to go for the ones which fit the period of your home best (rather than what looks most impressive and sexy!) Much like carpets, the vast majority of your skirtings will be hidden behind furniture, so there's no need to break the bank.
The second P was Proportion, and this is just as important - while I LOVE chunky 15cm skirting boards, they would look bonkers without the ceiling height to pull it off. Especially in a modern home, sometimes simple is best - thinking of it in literal framing terms, you wouldn't put a beautiful, complex, layered picture in a hugely ornate frame, because it would distract your eye. The same goes for framing your room - the idea is to create a space which your eye travels naturally and smoothly around, rather than being jerked from place to place, and the wrong skirting can really draw the eye! When it comes to coving, if you've got grand high ceilings then you can go all out with the coving: deep, wide, textured, because it's going to be much further away from your eye (think Father Ted: Big Cow - Far Away!) Conversely in a modern home, a light touch goes a long way.
Next, think about where you can create symmetry. Don't have a symmetrical space? No problem, neither did I! If you look at the "before" picture does the space either side of the fireplace look remotely symmetrical? How about now?! I designed these new bookcases to appear symmetrical, and give the room weight and presence. Don't they look like they've always been there?
"But Hazel I don't have the budget!" YES YOU DO! Sure you can employ a fancy cabinet maker to carve out bespoke mahogany masterpieces OR you can get yourself:
Some sheets of MDF
Door mouldings of your choice
Screws, a saw and a drill
A pot of paint (I used Fusion Mineral Paint Ash, the coverage is AMAZING)
A tin of Rustoleum Gold Furniture Paint
And that's all you need! I boxed in the top of the right-hand alcove to mirror the wall on the left, then built out the bookcases using really inexpensive materials, because once they're painted you can't tell whether it's solid wood or MDF anyway (and if anyone's looking that closely at my bookcases then I probably don't want them in my house!) The last thing I did was take a couple of off-cuts of MDF, cut them to fit the front of the bottom shelves, painted them grey, attached two gold handles to each et voila - handy "drawers" which hide all the unsightly wires, boxes and cables! Renovating a house on a budget is all about coming up with clever, cost-saving illusions which still have all the functionality you need.
Remember what we were saying previously about layers? Well why paint the whole bookcase grey when you can paint the back GOLD?! While you're at it - paint the inside of the fireplace gold! Speaking of fireplaces, this is one of my favourite parts of framing: choosing your focal point. No point in having a beautifully constructed but empty frame, right? The whole point of framing is to draw your eye inward, so we'd better give folk something lovely to look at! The focal point for me in this room was the chimney breast, which meant finding quite a few different elements to bring the whole look together:
This stunning solid maple fire surround from Marketplace was my first find. There's loads of choice if you're looking second-hand, so it's just about stalking your favourite buying platforms and being ready to pounce. Or you can pay thousands at a showroom, whatever makes your life easiest, but if you're going for luxe on a budget then from my experience you should be able to find something fabulous for under £200 inside a fortnight.
Sometimes it's about stalking the sales too - I found the perfect Deco-inspired mirror for a mere £45 from Dunelm
Lighting your focal point is important too, and these days you can seriously break the bank on wall lights. I decided to hit up Amazon for some simple, sleek stainless steel up-down lighters at £15 each. Combined with a £9 can of spray paint and an undercoat of Ultra-Grip and wouldn't you know - they were transformed!
I love a good hearth, and it's another splurge-potential area, but if you know where to look you can get that luxe look you crave for a snip. My go-to stone place is Edinburgh Granite & Marble <link> but wherever you live you'll have a big stone/marble marchant somewhere out of town in an industrial estate, and you know what they all have in common? OFF-CUTS! If you're happy to sift through freezing cold slabs in the drizzle (or if, like me, that actually qualifies as a Fun Day Out for you!) then you can find some absolute gems. Make sure and ask before you start looking which materials are suitable for your intended purpose (hearth, splashback, counter-top) as they all have different qualities and properties. I found this amazing piece of Dekton <link>, a man-made blend of quartz stone, porcelain and glass, which adds the perfect finishing touch to my fire treatment, adding real sophistication and grounding the space.
And there we have it - a perfectly framed focal wall!
Lastly..."Doors and skirtings should be white." NOPE! If you're going moody, GO FULL-ON MOODY - you don't need permission, in fact, that's an order! Live your extra life, embrace the bold, you won't regret it. Using the same rich, dark grey from the doors to the skirtings to the bookcases gives this whole room weight and structure, helps it to plant its feet in the ground and its strength lends a feeling of security.
Now that our room has its corsetry in place, it's time to start adding personality - join me next time to explore some of my favourite bargain finds and how I transformed them into one-off scroll-stoppers!