interior design – Carlow Cornice

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?

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

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

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

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

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

Speaking of New England, why not go all in? French doors, naked hard wood floor and light blue

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

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

Yellow double door anyone? Add colour to a narrow dark space the lift its spirits. More here

Don’t want to commit to painting? Get some yellow art. Here matched with a high gloss finish paint that reflects the bouncy yellow

White, pink and a splash of yellow. Having your breakfast in this kitchen would certainly brighten your day. Link

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

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

Let us create a beamed ceiling, you pick the rest. More here

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

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

We pour the hand mixed plaster by hand

Slowly building the base

A shape is starting to be pulled through

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

Some closeups

Finished! All it needs now is a few days to dry out naturally and the to its off to its proper home.

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.

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

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.

I admit, this is cheating, it’s in charcoal rather than black, but it was too nice not to add!

Such as cozy room, black isn’t only for the modern look, it’s a great frame for any room, no matter what style

Cornice is often left out of the bathroom, it’s such a shame, just see how stylish this finish is.

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.

Centrepieces are ART!

An new trend we’ve seen in a few bars, restaurants and interior design stores is the use of Centrepieces or Ceiling Rosettes to provide a powerful design statement for a wall. We have Centrepieces started at as little as €15.00. If this is something you might like, pop in to our showroom just south of Carlow town and we’ll help you to plan it out.

Why not just go all in, Centrepieces everywhere!

Or go sleek, just one statement piece, this works so well with the ”shabby-chic” look

Try a coloured background and some metallic paints

Want a more Zen like home with an oriental feel, try this design and colour scheme

We have similar styles to what you’ve seen here, and much much more, any size and any design is possible, just let us know

Abandoned houses – something to sink your teeth in to!

Continuing the spooky theme from last week, we have picked something to really sink your teeth in to. Abandoned buildings sets the theme, and even the thought of restoring these could give you a freight! Perhaps you have seen an old house in dire straits wondering if there would even be a point to try and restore it and saving the original cornice and centrepieces. There’s pretty much nothing we cannot do and below are some interiors we’d love to get a go at!

Restoration of cornice in Bank Of ireland in Mullingar — Above is a ceiling we helped restore for Bank of Ireland in Mullingar. With a lot of love and affection, we got the cornice back to its former glory.

Abandoned house, staircase, cornice, restoration — An amazing staircase just waiting for restoration. The way the natural light flows in through the dome is absolutely spectacular

abandoned. staricase, restoration cornice — Another stair case, also flooded in natural light. This is from a building in Idaho, US, that has been restored

abandoned, hall, cornice restauration — More light again, see how beautifully mirrored the ceiling details are in the flooring in this corridor

abandoned, window, overgrown, cornice, restoration — This picture is like a true fairy tale, and is a detail of library. The details above the bookcases would come out perfectly in plaster

Enjoy your weekend, and don’t be afraid to contact us!

Preparing for Halloween

In order to get ready for Halloween Carlow Cornice & Mouldings has dived deep in to the dark depths of the internet to find some pretty scary places, with beautiful cornice, centrepieces and plaster work.

This is Denbigh Asylum, or North Wales Hospital, completed in 1848 it could room 200 patients with psychiatric illnesses. Victorian asylums is frequently featured in horror movies and novels, I can’t help to be fascinated by the beauty of the architecture in the places were they put to most marginalized people in society. As much as we love restoring old buildings and get out all the detail of the plaster work, I’m happy I don’t have to get on to this site. The hospital didn’t close until the mid 1990’s and performed lobotomy on patients well in to the 1940’s. Oh, and it is supposedly haunted to.

Take flight to Germany, and have a look at another institution. This is the Military Hospital in Beelitz, Germany. The hospital started as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients and became a military hospital in the First World War. This is were Adolf Hitler was treated for a leg wound acquired in 1916.

Looks like the setting of a romantic movie, unfortunately I’d say it contains more amputated limbs and gangrene…

Happy not to be on that examination table. More than likely the ceiling would have been framed by some ornate cornice.

Truly hauntingly beautiful. You can still make out the fantastic detailed plastered ceiling.

Perhaps to beauty of the ornate cornice and plaster mouldings helped with the healing process?

Moving down on the continent, take a trip to Chateau Miranda in Belgium. A Neo-Gothic castle, it has been abandoned since 1991, and the owning family is refusing financial aid to restore this once orphanage, wonder why…

Look at this two fantastic rooms, the plaster finished arches, so typical for the architectural period. The fantastic details framing the windows can easily be done in plaster, if any reader is after some Gothic-revival!

Let’s finish up with what Halloween has come to be about; fun, games and horror!

Here are some abandoned amusement parks to help you sleep at night

Spree Park Berlin

Gullivers Kingdom Yamanashi Japan

Six Flags; New Orleans

Company

Tag: interior design