Latest Design Trends In Decorative Coving
27th March 2013One area of house decoration that is often overlooked is ceiling decoration. Cornice (or Coving) is something most people associate with grand, period houses of the Georgian or Victoria era, with egg and dart designs and other intricate patterns. When coving came back into fashion during the 1980s, the materials available were usually low quality and/or difficult to work with and the designs extremely simple. Badly fitted, low quality coving is not something people wanted to emulate and the popularity of coving tailed off amongst consumer DIY enthusiasts.
The Coving Renaissance
However in recent years, coving has enjoyed a renaissance. More modern materials are now used in manufacture, such as hardened high density polyurethane and DuroPolymer. This has the advantage of being water-resistant and totally recyclable, making it a good option for eco-aware house owners. It is also easy to work with, light-weight and durable. Some types of coving can also have a rubber compound content, enabling installation in rooms with curves. The leading coving manufacturers really upped their game and as a result coving is now right “on trend” when considering re-designing a room.
The latest coving and cornice designs take account of modern designer ideas – such as the new range for 2013 by top designer Ulf Moritz. Using the most effective elements of traditional and grand house design and incorporating it into modern, sleek, minimalist designs, designers have managed to bring coving right up to date. It is now used in premium modern hotels and luxury apartments, where cutting edge design is essential. You can create a similar look in your own property and there is an exciting choice of designs available. One new design idea is the ‘uplighter’ cornice trough, which allows for the addition of hidden lighting behind the edge of the cornice. This throws a soft, gentle glow of light out across the ceiling, which can change the room mood dramatically.
The Past, Re-imagined – Exciting Design Trends
Updating the past is also part of the fun designers are having with interiors right now. There is a noticeable trend for re-imagining art deco period in modern homes. Coving with a deco feel is the top choice amongst consumers who love the angular lines and framing it gives to a ceiling space. The sleek angular lines of the deco look are a bold reply to the 70’s/80`s trend of low-key curved concave coving. The geometrical look is something really different to make an instant impact on anyone entering the room.
However it must be said that larger profile designs are holding their own right now too. The big advance for traditional coving is the updating of materials, with consumers finding it easier than ever to work with large profiles which previously would have been too difficult.
The design of modern contemporary coving is clever, in that there is often a ‘built in shadow’ effect incorporated, which gives the appearance of the coving ‘floating’ slightly on the ceiling. This subtle effect can add real drama to the look of your room. It is perfect for converted houses or flats with a modern theme where traditional style is less important.
Tips on Choosing Your Coving
Modern coving has the confidence to declare itself as a design statement, lending confidence to the consumer when making design choices. A good supplier will offer quality pictures of rooms with their coving installed, which can be key to making a choice. When you can see how your room might look by looking at a real life example, the decision is so much easier to make. It also helps with making the right choice for the size of the room you have.
Large rooms with higher ceilings can easily take wider and more elaborate designs, whilst smaller rooms with lower ceilings might take simpler designs better. It always is interesting to see both designers and consumers mixing the past and present together, to create something both hybrid and highly attractive.To match the new look you can find modern classic design furniture to complement a modern interior at a number of outlets for example, Forrest Furnishing.
© Davuka GRP Ltd (March 2013)