6 Ways to Add Architectural Charm to Your Home

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Increasing a home’s architectural charm is something I am often asked about in my decorating consultations and this is a post I’ve been planning to write for quite some time. I love sharing beautiful old houses, chock-full of detail and architectural pizzazz but I am aware that in real life many of us live, or have lived at one point, in homes that are less than perfect architecturally, lacking architectural charm and integrity. (We are living in such a home right now. ) But the good news, and the reason for today’s blog post, is that there are things we can do to add architectural interest to our rooms, things which in turn will make decorating that much easier, and more fun, and over time increase our home’s resale value.

Ideally, whenever we try to change something about the architecture of a house, it is best to make it look authentic, as if it has always been there. And for that, it pays to do a little bit of research and preparation ahead of time to better understand the style of our home. Is it a Cape Cod style cottage or a Craftsman bungalow, or perhaps a Georgian two-story, or a midcentury modern abode, a colonial farmhouse or perhaps a mix of different styles? Because each style has a different architectural vocabulary and a distinct sense of the appropriate, understanding what our home is (and is not), will help us plan the right improvements, the ones that will feel authentic and cohesive with the overall look of the house.

Since buying our home a little over a year and a half ago, I’ve painfully postponed decorating and instead been focusing on tweaking and adding architectural details where they were missing, and making the rooms and flow of the house more in tune with the way we live. I’ve tried all of these ideas on our house and they have worked well so I’m sharing them with you in case you too are dealing with a house that lacks interior architectural details. 

1. Replacing builder grade baseboards, adding crown molding, replacing window trims, perhaps adding a chair rail in dining areas. I think this one’s pretty much obvious and not that difficult to do. When we moved in, our home had puny baseboards, no crown molding, a rickety stair rail  and an over-sized mantel in a tiny living room… So, I’ve been slowly working on replacing all of that with better scales and nicer, more New England style molding profiles. There’s still much to do but we’re taking it one room at a time. For inspiration, I love to look at some of my favorite designers and architects and what they have done – Steven Gambrel’s historical restorations in Sag Harbor, NY, are absolutely stunning, and a joy to study.

2. Replacing old, yellowed sockets, plates and light switches instantly rejuvenates a house and can be done over a weekend. Just make sure you hire an electrician to do the job, this is a project best left to the professionals. There are many options and price points available, from simple white ones to some that have more glam, and I love this toggle switch plate from Lightology.

3. New windows and doors. This is a more costly update that increases the architectural charm of a home but one that can be planned and scheduled over time, perhaps one room/ floor at a time. In our home we have both old windows and new ones, and are planning to slowly replace them all. With the cold New England winters and low temperatures, we had a chance to test their efficiency during the last few months and there is absolutely no comparison. The old windows are drafty and cold, while the new ones have kept our rooms beautifully toasty. We got the Andersen Woodwright series  because we loved the wooden frame on the inside and the weather-proofed exterior, plus the quality vs price point was great for us. 

4. Beautiful hardware: Architectural charm can be enhanced though easier, less costly upgrades as well such as changing door knobs, handles, window pulls, cabinet hardware etc. Hardware is to a house what jewelry is to an outfit – that finishing detail that brings everything into focus. Just like jewelry, hardware can make or break the look and feel of your design so I like to carefully research each project and choose finishes and designs that are appropriate to the overall feel of a house. 

5. Adding built-in cabinetry, bookshelves or window seats whenever and wherever possible will not only elevate the interior architecture but will also make your home tailored, more functional, and customized to your needs and space. So my advice is to befriend a good local carpenter, and to keep his number close by.

6. Wall paneling – my favorite. There are so many options out there but again, it pays to do a little bit of research before deciding on one style or another. Beaded boards are very popular and historically appropriate in New England, while shiplap can be found in historic homes in Texas and the South West. Then there’s tongue-in-groove, V-groove, board-and-batten, picture molding, wainscoting…. I could go on for a while. They all add architectural charm and interest to a space but it pays to do a bit of research to see which ones would look and feel more authentic to your region.

A word about board-and-batten. There’s a right way to do it so make sure to look at plenty of examples before you make a decision. I love Furlow Gatewood’s home in Americus, Georgia, and have found Julia Reed’s book One Man’s Folly extremely useful when researching different architectural details because Gatewood has done it all in his home – painted floors, intricate molding, shiplap, tongue-in-groove, board-and-batten, paneling – and he’s done it right, and there’s much to learn from his example.

Of course there are so many more ways to update the architecture of a house but these are generic ones that I think will have an immediate and dramatic effect. Some of these suggestions are easier to implement, requiring no more than a weekend’s time, while others are a bit more complicated and require an investment of both your time and money.  But I think all of these ideas are investments rather than splurges, meaning you’ll see a definite return of investment over time, and that’s certainly something to keep in mind.

Anyway, I hope you found something useful in today’s post! I’d love to hear your thoughts on updating the interior architecture of a house. Have you tackled any similar projects in your home? Let me know!

Take care!

To see more of the beautiful homes featured in today’s post, make sure to check out the following Café Design stories:

Delta Folly – The Greenville, Mississippi Home of Julia Evans Reed

A Mill Valley Home by Gil Schafer and Rita Konig

A Visit to Bee Cottage, East Hampton

A Sag Harbor Home by Steven Gambrel

Designer Cathy Kincaid’s Dallas Home