RestorationSeptember 16, 2025 12 min read

Picture Rails, Dado & Architrave for Period Cornish Homes

How picture rails, dado rails and architrave are reinstated in period Cornish homes, with handcrafted mouldings and period-correct profiles that restore genuine character.

The Mouldings That Make a Period Room

It's the mouldings that make a period Cornish room feel right. The picture rail, the dado rail, the architrave around the door, the skirting along the floor — these are the details that give a Georgian or Victorian house its identity, and their absence is the first thing you notice in a room that's been stripped back. Reinstating them restores the soul of a house.

Many Cornish period homes have had their mouldings removed over the years — by previous owners, by modernisation, by well-meaning but misguided renovation. The rooms feel flat, characterless, wrong, even when everything else is in good order. Putting the mouldings back is one of the most effective and most rewarding restorations a period homeowner can undertake.

We machine and fit picture rails, dado rails, skirting, and architrave in profiles to match your existing joinery or in classic period profiles. Each length is scribed to the walls, coped at the internal angles, and finished in a colour that suits the room. It's joinery that, done right, you don't notice — but done wrong, you notice immediately.

Matching Existing Mouldings

Where a room has some original mouldings remaining, the goal is to match them. We take a profile of the existing moulding — with a profile gauge or by removing a small section — and machine new lengths to the same profile. The result is a seamless match, where the new mouldings are indistinguishable from the old.

Matching is skilled work. Period mouldings were often cut to profiles that aren't in any modern catalogue, and reproducing them requires custom knives on a spindle moulder. We have the tooling and the skill to reproduce almost any period profile, from a delicate Georgian ogee to a robust Victorian torus.

For a Cornish period home undergoing restoration, matching the existing mouldings is the detail that makes the restoration feel right. A room where the new mouldings match the old reads as a complete, original room — and that's the goal of any period restoration.

Classic Period Profiles

Where there are no original mouldings to match, we specify classic period profiles. The Georgian period favoured refined, delicate profiles — ogee, lambs tongue, small torus — that suit the elegant proportions of a Georgian room. The Victorian period favoured heavier, more robust profiles — large torus, ovolo, and deep skirtings — that suit the grander rooms of a Victorian villa.

We advise on the right profile for the period and the room. A Georgian terrace in Truro wants a different moulding from a Victorian villa in Falmouth, and a Cornish cottage wants something different again. The profile is chosen to suit the building, so the mouldings feel right rather than merely present.

Choosing the right profile is part knowledge and part judgement, and it's where a joiner with period experience earns their keep. The wrong profile, however well fitted, will look wrong in a period room; the right profile will look as though it was always there.

Picture Rails: For Hanging and for Character

The picture rail is the most characterful of the period mouldings. Originally a practical feature — a rail, fitted at picture height, from which pictures were hung on brass hooks and cords — it's now as much a character detail as a functional one. A room with a picture rail feels period; a room without one feels modern, whatever its actual age.

We fit picture rails at the traditional height — usually around 1.8m to 2m, depending on the ceiling — and we can include the brass hooks and cords for genuine picture hanging. For a room with high ceilings, a picture rail also breaks up the wall visually, giving a more comfortable proportion.

A picture rail, painted in a contrasting colour or the same as the wall, is one of the most effective ways to add period character to a room. It's a small detail with a big impact, and it's one of the most requested period restorations we undertake.

Dado Rails and Panelling

The dado rail sits at chair-back height — around 1m — and it originally protected the wall from chair backs in dining rooms and halls. Like the picture rail, it's now as much a character detail as a practical one, and it pairs beautifully with panelling below. A dado rail with tongue and groove or panelled below is a classic period feature.

We fit dado rails at the traditional height, and we can include panelling below — from simple raised panels to full tongue and groove — for a complete period look. The dado rail and the panelling, painted in the same colour, give a room a depth and a character that a plain wall cannot match.

For a Cornish hallway, dining room, or living room, a dado rail with panelling below is one of the most characterful additions you can make. It's joinery that connects a room to its period, and it's a feature that ages beautifully.

Architrave and Skirting: The Frame and the Base

The architrave frames the door, and the skirting runs along the floor, and together they complete the joinery of a room. Where these have been removed or replaced with the wrong profile, the room looks wrong even if the mouldings on the walls are perfect. Reinstating the correct architrave and skirting is the detail that finishes a period restoration.

We machine and fit architrave and skirting in period profiles to match existing joinery or in classic profiles, scribed to the walls and coped at the angles. The architrave is fitted around the door lining, with the right reveals and the right detailing, and the skirting is fitted to the floor with a scribed top where it meets the architrave.

For a Cornish period home, the correct architrave and skirting are the details that make a room feel complete. They're the frame and the base of the joinery, and they're the finishing touch that makes a restoration feel right rather than merely done.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions we hear most about Picture Rails, Dado & Architrave for Period Cornish Homes.

Can you match my existing period mouldings?+

Yes. We take a profile of your existing moulding and machine new lengths to the same profile, using custom knives where needed. The new mouldings are indistinguishable from the old.

What period profiles do you offer?+

We offer classic Georgian profiles (ogee, lambs tongue, small torus) and Victorian profiles (large torus, ovolo, deep skirtings), and we advise on the right profile for your building's period.

Do you fit picture rails for actual picture hanging?+

Yes. We fit picture rails at the traditional height and can include brass hooks and cords for genuine picture hanging, as well as for the character the rail adds to a room.