On the Move!

Exciting things happening here at Carlow Cornice & Mouldings Ltd as we are preparing our move. New Factory and a spectacular Showroom on the way at O’Brien Road Carlow.

We can’t wait to move in and start showing you all whats new!

In the meantime, just a question, how can it be so hard to choose colors?

What to go with for the Showroom?
What to go with for the Showroom?

Get your dream home!

We all dream of a perfect home, a place where we can relax, entertain, feel safe in and be proud of. Here at Carlow Cornice we realize these dreams every day with our timeless designs.

Give us a call and see how we can help you to live the dream

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Restored Cornice in St. Brigid’s Church

Last week we finished the restoration of some cornice in St’ Brigids Church, Hacketstown, Co. Carlow. The Cornice was so big we had to do it in three sections, to be sure the weight would not jeopardize the original ceilings. After it was run out by hand in the factory we got good use of all of last weeks spectacular sunshine to get it dry enough to fit!

These type of jobs is one of the best parts here at Carlow Cornice & Mouldings Ltd. It is a real privilege to be a part of restoring the historical heritage of Ireland, free for everyone to enjoy. From the smallest cup for light fittings and  cottage coving to large intricate plaster art in the shape of panel work, cornice and centerpieces.  And when we are not preserving traditional craftsmanship, we are happy to add the beautiful pieces to your home.

 

Pictures form St. Brigid’s

First off, get a big hole!
First off, get a big hole!
Attached the new base
Attached the new base
Add the two additional lengths for the detail
Add the two additional lengths for the detail

 

Voila! Cornice restored, just waiting for a lick of paint

 

Update your sun room

On a sunny day like today all you want to do is to be outside. Unfortunately all days are not like this, summer can sometimes feel more like monsoon season on Ireland. So how do you create that outdoors-indoors feeling. Sun rooms are still popular both on new builds and as an extension, but often they feel like a flat pack with no character. Why not get some standout features and turn it too a beautiful room, fit for any purpose? Take a look below for some great inspo (all pictures from pinterest.com)

What a dream! This is more like an orangerie, taking you back to colonial India
What a dream! This is more like an orangerie, taking you back to colonial India
Add a Gothic feel with the vaulted dome for a real WOW factor. We can make besopke mouldings for your purpose if you don't happen to have an excellent wood carver at hand
Add a Gothic feel with the vaulted dome for a real WOW factor. We can make besopke mouldings for your purpose if you don’t happen to have an excellent wood carver at hand
For a more modern touch, but non the less impressive, the skylights gives you all the air and light you need and the cornice and panel works gives you a real indoor feel
For a more modern touch, but non the less impressive, the skylights gives you all the air and light you need and the cornice and panel works gives you a real indoor feel
Want it greener? Team cornice and panel work with a green lush colour and plenty of low maintenance potted plants
Want it greener? Team cornice and panel work with a green lush colour and plenty of low maintenance potted plants
Who says it must be off kitchen? I'd love it if this was my home office
Who says it must be off kitchen? I’d love it if this was my home office
Out of space? You can still have the sun room of your dreams, the painted wood and white panels makes this as elegant as any New England porch
Out of space? You can still have the sun room of your dreams, the painted wood and white panels makes this as elegant as any New England porch
Speaking of New England, why not go all in? French doors, naked hard wood floor and light blue
Speaking of New England, why not go all in? French doors, naked hard wood floor and light blue
Get your own little space and enjoy
Get your own little space and enjoy

Old and cool – Brooklyn setting the example

From cottage to town house to country estates, cornice and decorative plasterwork can be found all over Ireland. But how do you incorporate the traditional elements to something cool and modern? In a new book, Brooklyn Interiors,  Kathleen Hackett has looked at the most inspiring homes in Brooklyn . The old New York Borough is now the epithomy of cool so a good start to get your design ideas going.

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Shabby Chic at it’s finest. We can help you clean off the old paint baring the cornice imperfections and all for this long lasting trend.

 

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Cool and classic. Let the cornice frame the room and your art and mementos to the talking.

 

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Colour and knick-knacks. The paneling on the walls a subtle reminder of a time when working class homes were decorated too.

 

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Elegant plaster work, white backgrounds and a sublime coordinated interior with a feel of the fifties.

 

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Large crisp cornice to lift the height of the ceilings, panel work on the walls really gives you the feel of the architecture of the turn of the century.

All photos from Architectural Digest

Call us today for more inspiration and help on how to incorporate your cornice, coving, panels and centrepieces in to a modern home 059 9143930

Cornice + yellow = LOVE

Get inspired this Easter by adding yellow to your home. From mild buttery nuances to bold mustard or loud neon, it matches the white crispy cornice, coving, centerpieces and panel work absolutely beautifully. Have a look at the pictures below for some inspo and do not hesitate to contact us to make your design dreams come true

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Grey walls, ceiling, cornice and centrepiece. Make it pop with high gloss yellow kitchen door. Mix the feel of the fifties with Georgian plasterwork. Read more about it here
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Yellow double door anyone? Add colour to a narrow dark space the lift its spirits. More here
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Don’t want to commit to painting? Get some yellow art. Here matched with a high gloss finish paint that reflects the bouncy yellow
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White, pink and a splash of yellow. Having your breakfast in this kitchen would certainly brighten your day. Link
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Before breakfast, why not do your morning routine in a room kissed by the sun? Classic fittings, crisp white and warm mild yellow is a winning combo. More inspo here
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Why settle for nuance of yellow when you can have two? Turn your corridor in to a room with colours, cornice and practical furniture. More here
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Let us create a beamed ceiling, you pick the rest. More here
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Why settle on white cornice when you can let it blend in with the ceiling. Stunning cornice, stunning colour. Read more here
Yellow ceiling, white cornice, grey walls and beautiful dark wood furniture. See more here
Yellow ceiling, white cornice, grey walls and beautiful dark wood furniture. See more here

10 most beautiful ceilings in the world

A ceiling can be so much more than just a white page, it’s a blank canvas! Here at Carlow Cornice we can help you pick out Centerpieces and Cornice to make your ceiling a focal point in your home, and with the use of paneling work, the only limitation is your imagination.

The BBC listed the 10 most beautiful ceilings in the world during the week, and it’s definitely worth to look it up. See full article here.

Unfortunately none of the beautiful ceilings around Ireland made the list, but there are so much excellent plaster work all around the island. Much of this is getting restored today and we are very proud to be a part of conserving that cultural heritage

BBC1
Castello di Sammezzano, Leccio, Italy
BBC2
Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire
BBC3
Solna Centrum Metro Station, Stockholm
BBC4
Grand Central Station, New York
BBC5
Shah Mosque, Isfahan
BBC6
Nine Bridges Golf Club, Yeoju-gun, South Korea
BBC7
Heydar Aliyev Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan
BBC8
San Pantalon, Dorsoduro, Venice
BBC9
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Temple of Heaven, Beijing

DOORS!

At Carlow Cornice we don’t only look after the decorative measure of the inside of your house but also the outside. As St Patrick’s day went under way yesterday I was thinking of all the beautiful doors and that can be seen in Dublin. And I was thinking of all the posters, post cards and books sold depicting theses Georgian Masterpieces. In Stockholm there is even a pub called The Doors in celebration of this!

Fantstic doors, photographed by John Rizzuto, available for purchase at www.fineartamerica.com
Fantastic Dublin doors, photographed by John Rizzuto, available for purchase at here

Carlow Cornice provides plaster and fibrous cement for external mouldings. We can restore or make a new design to your liking for the elegance of the past or to restore your home, contact us to see how we can help you.

The art of running cornice

After yesterdays short interview on KCLR96FM we’ve been getting a few questions about the secrets behind running cornice. We decided to give you a bit of a sneak peak when Brian runs some bespoke cornice as a part of a restoration job in a Victorian house in Dun Laoghaire.It is a long process requiring not only exceptional skill but great patience. If the cornice has enrichments they are cast separately and fitted in situ.

The principle is straightforward, a perfect shape of the cornice and casting plaster, the details are trade secrets! Speaking of that, back in the day the trade secrets were kept close and often the doors would be locked as the craftsmen ran out the cornice by hand on the ceilings.

The story starts with some mesh for support and a layer of plaster

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We pour the hand mixed plaster by hand

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Slowly building the base

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A shape is starting to be pulled through

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A good few more layers added on  and the design of the cornice has started to come through

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Some closeups

triple close up

Finished! All it needs now is a few days to dry out naturally and the to its off to its proper home.
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If you have cornice that has seen better days, but you don’t want to loose the original designs, give us a shout on 059 9143930

Black Friday – Black plaster

 

As the Black Friday sales seems to be the hot topic of the day I put together some inspirational pictures of how to use black Cornice, Centrepieces and Plaster mouldings. I hope you find something you like, and if you’re not keen on the black, plaster can be painted in any colour you like

All pictures are found on Pinterest, great for inspiration for absolutely everything, find us there as Carlow Cornice.

 

Starting off with some opulent eastern dreams…

I love how you can see the dark blue sky through the ceiling details.

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Here’s a more classic, gothic style ceiling, I really think the fine details striking in black

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This is my favorite of the week, I have a real hankering for trying something similar, it’s nearly as if the Centrepieces have melted together. Love how the photo is taken in the mirror.
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I admit, this is cheating, it’s in charcoal rather than black, but it was too nice not to add!

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Such as cozy room, black isn’t only for the modern look, it’s a great frame for any room, no matter what style
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Cornice is often left out of the bathroom, it’s such a shame, just see how stylish this finish is.

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And for the last pic, something very modern. If you like spots or strip lights we can encase them in a design of your choice, and why not elongate space by giving it a contrasting colour.7