Chair Rail Ideas

Chair railing traditionally refers to a wood strip that is mounted on the wall at a height that will protect the wall surface from damage when it is bumped by chairs. The space below a chair rail is often covered with wainscoting. Protection is still a valid application, but in modern homes it is often installed simply for decoration. Thus, chair rail has come to mean any material which is fastened part way up the wall around the perimeter of a room. Modern chair rail can be made from wood, fiberboard, metal or vinyl. Even a wallpaper border can be placed at a height that defines it as a chair rail.

By dividing the walls into upper and lower sections, large plain areas can be broken up. This could be as simple as a plain pine board, or as complex as an ornately carved or molded strip with repeated motifs. Often a different wall treatment is used above and below the chair rail. Popular heights for installation range from 28-36 inches.

 

 

Chair Rail Idea #1

Call attention to your
intricately constructed walls with
eye catching, decorative chair rail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chair Rail Idea #2

Accent and break up
a bold wall color with a
neutrally toned chair rail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chair Rail Idea #3

Substitute a hand rail with chair rail on the wall side of your staircase. The Colonial look would most likely be plain white separating areas of solid color or with wainscoting below, also painted white

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Chair Rail Idea #4

Use chair rail in combination
with wall frames and other molding
to enhance the detail of any surface.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Chair Rail Idea #5

Create a beautiful transition between a two-toned room with a strip of complimentary chair rail.A good rule of thumb is to place it at about one-third of the height of the walls. For protective purposes one should match the installation to the “bump height” of known chairs.

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Ideas for Chair Rail

The mouldings used in a home will tie that house to a decorative era. Chair rail styles should be chosen to fit with the rest of the house. Many simple styles can be painted to match a particular theme. For example a plain, multi-level railing could be made to look Colonial, Victorian, art deco or rustic simply by the colors or finish chosen. Victorians liked multi-colored stripes in deep tones, often with gilded accents on narrow bands. Art deco featured many angles with a small number of colors or tones juxtaposed for dramatic effect. A rustic look can be achieved by combining earth tones with a natural wood finish.

In a home where some architectural interest is desired, but there are a number of wall-mounted art objects to display, the mouldings and walls might all be painted in the same color. This will provide a backdrop for the art, yet not prove boring. This effect is nice in a room which contains a number of angles such as niches, chimney bump-outs, etc.

A chair rail might be mounted higher than usual to create a special effect. A wide rail mounted near eye level could serve as a ledge on which to place pictures or collectibles. Wide wallpaper borders are often quite beautiful in their own right. Using the border at a more visible height than the normal ceiling-wall junction brings it into focus and can define a room. A “chair rail” could even consist of a border of connected pictures in frames encircling a small room.

In any case, dividing a room into upper and lower regions with chair railing is bound to add design interest and can define the entire space.