Plaster mouldings are decorative features that add interest to a room. You can find them on ceilings, around windows, above doors, and on walls to hide joins. Traditionally seen in older properties, they are often intricate and beautifully crafted. Pre Victorian, plasterers would create them in situ. But nowadays, the plaster is strengthened with hessian fibres, allowing the moulding to be made off site and then fitted.

You will have seen them in many buildings, both old and modern. Cornice, ceiling roses, architraves, coving, skirting boards and dado rails are all examples of plaster mouldings.

The definition of bespoke is made to order or a custom design. Some plaster mouldings are mass produced to buy off the shelf, ready to fit. We are able to do this in rooms that have no existing mouldings or ones that do not need to be fitted into original work. However, many older properties will have originals which over time may deteriorate.

For example, original cornicing will have been designed by an architect and mathematically calculated for the room to ensure a exact number of repeats and seamless joins. We take a silicone mould of the original and create a replica from plaster.

Historically, mouldings were designed to show wealth, so often large and elaborate pieces were put into entertaining rooms to impress visitors. Victorian properties often feature Fleur-de-Lis, Acanthus leaf or egg and dart motif. Georgian properties favour more regular shapes including dental pattern and squares.

Although today mouldings are not associated with class, they still add a feeling of grandeur to a plain room. For example, you will find cornicing with a simple profile in many modern interiors to add an architectural feature in an otherwise bare room.

For further information about styles and eras, the website Real Homes is a good source of information. We will be happy to give guidance and show examples of styles common in the era of your property.