Joanna Gaines Proves One Simple Design Choice Brings Out The Beauty In Any Room

With many modern homes and newer builds falling on the less ornate side, many often lack the character and architectural details present in older homes. While you may be starting with a blank canvas, there are so many ways to add architectural interest to your walls, including things like moldings, wainscotting, and decorative trim that can instantly transform a room. It's an approach favored by HGTV and the Magnolia Network's Joanna Gaines, who frequently maximizes woodwork and trim to create polished and elevated rooms with a lot of character.

Whether she is using trim along with wallpaper or decking the walls with beautiful wainscotting for a more traditional look, Gaines' approach is one you can easily implement in your own home. Even better, adding paneling and molding to any space can be a budget-friendly way to make a huge impact and give your home a charming old European flavor. While the sort of vintage-inspired farmhouse homes Gaines specializes in will look amazing with these additions, even more streamlined and modern homes can benefit from some additional character in the form of more Art Deco style and geometric-configured wood accents.

Adding additional interest to the wall draws the eye up, which can help provide a focal point or make the room seem higher ceilinged and larger than it is. Crown molding is a great place to start at the ceiling, but you can also create a picture rail a couple feet down from the ceiling with a thinner molding strip that will break up a wall and add a vintage feel, particularly when combined with wallpaper. Or run wainscotting or paneling two-thirds of the way up the wall, as Gaines does above, with a painted or wallpapered wall on top.

Think of the new trim as yet another layer to your décor, allowing you to bring in design accents like botanicals, scrollwork, and braided wood. To add interest to the wall at eye level, add some strips of picture molding to create rectangles or a thicker chair rail around the room. If you want a more subtle paneled look, only add panels at the bottom of the walls, like this cool renter-friendly IKEA picture frame hack to create molding. Or frame small segments of wallpaper inside molding, a great approach for the wallpaper-averse. You can also add decorative trim or millwork accents like carved flowers or scrolls to existing wood trim around elements like windows, doors, and fireplaces. Or install a ceiling medallion around your light fixtures for a stylish vintage ceiling décor trend.