Home Improvements - Chair Rail Wainscot Molding

When we were house hunting my husband and I fell in love with a home that had a distinctive "Nantucket" feel. The furnishing, the mill work were all indicative of the classic Nantucket Island - a sophisticated nautical atmosphere for you home. They even had the plantation shutters in their finished basement. As we renovate our vintage home and update many of the finishes, I look at the basement and yearn for the home that we both fell in love with. But how do we achieve that same feeling in that space? The answer - bead board.

Journey with us as we explore various ideas for the use of bead board - it is not just for the family room - it is great in the kitchen, fantastic for the ceiling and even can be a little bit formal. Learn about the different types of bead board. Learn what to look for in your design elements and construction. Most of all, have fun dreaming. Remember, the journey is the reward.

Nantucket is a tourist destination and summer colony. Nantucket is an island 30 miles (48.3 km) south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is a destination indicative of easy living, beach coming, it is a search for enjoyable and walking in comfortable shoes, enjoying life and appreciating the beauty of outdoors and waterfront living. To me the Nantucket decorating style is equal parts of nautical, colonial classic Americana and one part resort living.

Beadboard is more than just one size. There is also a wide plank beadboard.

Beadboard in most cases is less formal and more casual than many other forms of mill work. As you can see from the chair rail photo to the right, if you desire a formal space, beadboard may not work for your design.

If you are seeking a relaxed atmosphere with a little bit of Nantucket, beadboard is a great options.

Decorating Options

Bead board is just one option for decorating. More formal options such as the elaborate and richly detailed boiserie and other types of wainscoting are great decorating options. Typically other options are more formal than the relax and Nantucket like styling of the board board.

Wainscot Wall Board or Panelling

Wainscot or wainscoting is a paneling style applied to the lower 3 to 5 feet of an interior wall. Wainscot is traditionally constructed from tongue-and-groove boards, though bead board or decorative panels (such as a wooden door might have) are also common. Today the purpose of wainscoting is purely decorative, however, the original purpose was to camouflage dampness distortions in lower level walls.

Boiserie

Boiserie is a decorating term used to define ornate and intricately carved wood panelling. Panels were not confined just to the walls of a room but were also used to decorate doors, frames, cupboards and shelves. Often pictures would be set into the boiseries, the carving framing the picture rather like a conventional frame.

When I think of beadboard, I think of white. This doesn't always have to be the case. Colored beadboard offers some eclectic choices bridging the gap between casual elegance and modern living.

Another option is to integrate beadboard with decorate tile. Combining white tile with tan beadboard is another option which works well in the kitchen. Creating a backsplash with beadboard for the kitchen is a classic colonial look.

Walls and ceilings are common places we find beadboard but look how great a colored beadboard for the kithen cabinet can look! Also, consider a maple color beadboard. The options are just about endless - the only limiting factor is your time and imagination.

Armstrong manufactures a beadboard made specifically for ceilings. A great item for remodeling a basement.

A classic look that is timeless is beadboard for the kitchen cabinets. Again, the color doesn't have to be classic white. Consider different color options for an updated look that is uniquely yours.

Beadboard is not just for the kitchen back splash anymore!