When is a Cornice a Lighting Fixture?

Remember that cornice that my husband and I wrote about that we created for our super long window?  Well, apparently we hadn’t thought ahead to far. When the cornice was up, we then wished we had thought of adding light to it!

We began the process of trying to find a small fixture that would work. We had a hard time finding a fluorescent fixture that was small enough not to protrude about the top of the cornice. There were a plethora of problems: should have recessed another inch; if you put the fixtures end to end, you had black spots between them; not exactly the look we were going for. Then we staggered the fixtures and that created hot spots and dimmer spots. Again, not the look we wanted. So far, we were not finding the solution for the perfect accent light we strived for.

When visiting a friend, we saw the soft glow of light we wanted at the top of their kitchen cabinets. They told us they had used rope light. Rope lighting would be an excellent solution because it is made up of LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lighting.

LED’s are all the rage now because they do not get hot like the ballast system for the fluorescent. They are less than an inch in height so they wouldn’t show over the top of the cornice. They use very little electricity and they last for almost forever. Hmmm, rope lighting easily comes in the length we have hanging on our wall over the windows. Now how to get electricity to the cornice…

Sometimes even we get lucky. There was an electrical switch box below our cornice end that turns on the outdoor flood lights. My husband (being the electrical engineer that he is) gave me a smile and went to work. After a lot of attempts, he was finally able to “fish” the electrical line up the wall and into the top of the cornice. He then hard wired the rope lighting.

In the evening when we want “mood” lighting, we can turn on the lighting over the cornice and we get this really cool glow. How do you create “mood” lighting in your home?

Why a Cornice to Spice Up Your Window?

Cornices can add an architectural element to a room that would otherwise be plain. If you have a fabric covered cornice, it can be simple and slightly padded or it can have a swag curtain. You can have wood cornices that are painted to add color or stained to match built-ins. Cornices can stand-alone over a window or they can cover the curtain hardware of sheers and drapes. They are a wonderful way to soften the hard rectangular lines of your windows.

Wood cornices create an image of sophistication and classic elegance to a room whether they are painted or stained. When considering decorative elements, you can purchase prefabricated decorative moldings to be added to the cornice. Simple 1” rope molding can be added to the base or a 3” piece of crown molding with dentil details at the top of the cornice. There are singular motifs that can be placed in the center or carved wood appliqués that can be placed across the face. Cornices allow you to match details in existing furniture pieces to create harmony. The cornice can transform your space from simple to dramatic.

Upholstered cornices provide added color and texture to a room. They can add rhythm and movement as the eye travels across the space. The selection of fabric and trim can add a period feeling to a room. For instance, a brocade or floral print with tassel trim would be perfect in an elegant period townhouse. A simple cotton, small print fabric would be a great addition to a farmhouse. Fabric cornices add warmth, charm and character to a space.

Cornices can also add symmetry to a room. The cornice can be placed the same amount of inches from the ceiling around your space and camouflage the fact that your windows are not uniform in their placement. In a room that is short in length, they can also add a sense of length in the room.

Have you ever used a cornice to hide a defect in your space? Do have a preference on using them as architectural details or padded for additional color in a space?

You Want the Cornice How Big??

Hate the look of curtain rods? My solution has been to put a cornice over them. The cornice can be more architectural or a fabric covered box. When you use a panel of fabric that hangs over the rods, it is called a valance. I prefer a padded cornice that has simple lines with plain fabric. As our home is an eclectic blend of antiques, comfy (which defies description) and modern, my first foray into cornices was going to be simple.

We have 22’ window on the south side of our home. I did not want drapes. I just wanted a detail element on that wall that hid my honeycomb shades. Ever talk to someone about building a 22’ long cornice? They sort of snicker at you, if not outright laugh. I priced a custom-made cornice, hold on…$3.00 to $7.50 per inch. Yep, per inch (22 x 12 = 264 inches x $5.00 = $1,350.00).

So, how hard could it be? Once again my husband and I set about to figure out how to build a cornice. We drew out the length and then determined how far it needed to project from the wall and how we wanted the face to look.

We made our cornice out of pine planks to give it the stability we needed. Once the pieces were cut, we screwed the returns to the face and for added measure added metal L brackets on the inside. We also used these to connect the recessed top to the face and sides.

The fabric we chose matched our wall cover and we laid it face-side down on the floor. We then put our padding on top and set the face of our cornice on that. We now had a sandwich!

I don’t like to cut the fabric until everything is stapled on, so I set the top near the edge of the fabric, leaving about 2-3”. I began in the center top and stapled. I then pulled the fabric towards the edges and stapled every 2”. I only moved 6” in one direction and then moved from the center in the other direction. This keeps the fabric taunt on the cornice for a smooth finish.

If your fabric has a pattern, you will want to roll the cornice up and check to make sure the pattern does not become skewed. Once the top was completed, I repeated the process for the lower edge, making sure that it stayed tight.

Once the top and bottom are done, I then pulled the sides and staple them. It’s just like wrapping a present – you want the paper to be tight against the sides of your gift, so you should have a nice snug fit. I then used a box cutter with a sharp blade and cut the fabric, leaving about 2” beyond the staples.

We placed metal L brackets across the recessed top and sides and then we invited a couple of friends over so we could get this bad boy placed on the wall. We drew a line where the horizontal board would go with a level and up it went. A few screws later and it was attached to the wall.

Have you ever built a cornice? What type did you build, fabric or wood? Do you prefer cornices, curtain rods or something else?