How do you take an ordinary home and transform it into something spectacular? And how do you do that without the time and expense of a renovation? Yes, it’s all possible and it’s done by adding millwork. If you’re not sure what that means, millwork refers to the custom woodwork and architectural details that are added to your walls, baseboards, window casings, doors and even ceilings.  Millwork can give your home personalization that’s very difficult to achieve any other way. 

There’s another important reason to love custom millwork. Your home’s aesthetic will always be unique. Even if you live in a subdivision that’s filled with homes that are relatively similar, millwork will allow you to create something different that’s just yours. You can take your home from architecturally boring to eye-catching all through the integration of millwork. Your home will look custom and way more expensive than it really is. That’s the power of millwork.

Custom Millwork vs Builder Grade Designs

If the concept of millwork is new to you, you might be wondering how custom millwork is different from the standard builder finishes. Millwork design begins with an evaluation of your space. The goal is to maximize every inch of your space and make it work for you, particularly in your kitchen and bathroom. Builder grade cabinetry may look the same but there are filler strips being used to hide gaps in the cabinetry. A millworker will look for ways to utilize gaps and make the most of your space.

In this previous project, we took advantage of some leftover space in the design and the millworker built a pull out spice rack. Not only is this a great use of space but it keeps spices close at hand when you’re cooking.

In another kitchen project we took advantage of some additional space to create a pullout storage drawer for utensils and knives. This allows my clients to keep their countertops clear of canisters and a knife block.

All Materials Are Not Created Equally

It might surprise you to learn that the material used to create cabinetry isn’t the same across the board. MDF stands for medium density fibreboard and it’s used in the construction of most cabinets. MDF is classified into 3 types - lightweight, standard grade and high density. When it comes to your cabinetry, the MDF being used in custom millwork is usually a higher grade than a standard, builder grade cabinet.

Comparing The Cabinet Construction

When your cabinetry is custom built you’ll be receiving a higher quality of construction than your run of the mill, big box cabinetry. Inferior cabinet boxes are constructed using butt joints where one side is just placed and fastened against another side. A custom design will use tongue & dadoes groove, rabbet or spined joints. All of these techniques ensure that the box stays together without any sagging or wobbling.

Where To Incorporate Millwork Into Your Home

While the possibilities are endless in terms of design, there are some typical areas of the home that we give special attention to when it comes to millwork. 

• Built in office

• Custom fireplace design

• Applied moulding

• Crown or baseboard moulding

• Custom Casings

• Transoms

• Custom kitchen and bathroom cabinetry design

Here are a few of the ways that I love to bring new life to a client’s home through millwork. 

Architraves

Adding architraves above doors and windows. Architrave is the decorative moulding that can be added to any door or window and will create interest. This gives the look of a thicker header and adds instant architectural interest to a home. It can also help to create a timeless look since historically this was a standard practice.

Coffered Ceiling

If you have a more traditional home one of my favourite ways to add interest is through a coffered ceiling. This is created by adding sunken panels that can give the space the illusion of added height. Dining rooms are great for this because there’s very little we can do to create interest. Don’t forget about your ceiling when considering adding millwork to your home.

Entryway

If you live in a newer home you may encounter the dilemma of what to do with the tall ceilings in your entryway. Specifically, how do you treat the walls? Hanging art is difficult with walls that span 10’ or higher but millwork can enhance the height and reduce the need for anything else.

Cabinetry Upgrades

I love to add custom details to cabinetry to elevate the look. In this project I added a custom detail to the toe kick at the base of the cabinetry. We also included furniture legs as additional support for the small seating area. Together these bring such a custom finish to the space.

Vent Hoods

A kitchen offers multiple ways to add millwork and one of the most impactful is a custom vent hood. This looks like a million bucks and can elevate the look of the entire space. This can become the focal point of the kitchen and if you love to cook, this is exactly where you want your eye to go when you walk in the room. 

Panel Ready Appliances

Another of my favourite kitchen upgrades is to enhance the look of your kitchen through panel ready appliances. The appliances come unfinished and have the attachments necessary to apply a cabinet panel to it. This allows your appliances to integrate seamlessly into the bank of cabinets. If you’re not a fan of stainless steel this is a really good way to eliminate that from your design. 

Geometric Accent Wall In The Bedroom

Bedrooms can be a boring box with little attention to detail. I love to create custom millwork that makes an accent wall out of millwork design. If you’re more traditional you can stick to the standard moulding applications but for those of you who like a little contemporary design, try something like this geometric design. 

Wood Counters

If you like to entertain and spend a lot of time hanging out in the kitchen you’ll appreciate this one. While I do love stone countertops and have written about the pros and cons of each of today’s popular options, a wood countertop is warmer to the touch. If you’re going to be leaning on the countertop for long periods of time, consider upgrading to wood. You’ll definitely appreciate the warmth during our long, cold winters here in Cranbrook.

Drying Rack

This millwork upgrade is just for you as opposed to your guests. In this previous project, my client was looking for a solution to a common problem. How to hang clothes to dry without having a giant rack in the middle of the laundry room. I designed this rack to slide in and out of the wall so it’s only out when it’s in use. When not in use, it tucks back into the storage space.

Turning The Millwork Vision Into Reality

So now you’ve decided to go ahead with millwork but how do we begin? When it comes to cabinetry design, I always start by creating the floor plan layouts in Chief Architect (you can read this post to learn more about how I use CAD drawings in my projects). Once I’ve created the initial layout I work with my clients to find the perfect design for them.

Next, I meet with the millworker or cabinet maker for input. I love to pick their brain and see if  they can see something that would further enhance the design. 

When it comes to mouldings, particularly when it’s a more detailed design I like to defer to the pros. In this case, it’s the millworker and I truly value their expertise. They have the experience in putting together layers of millwork details so that it all works together. 

In this previous project I worked with the millworker to create a custom entry into the living room. He built mockups of the design for the client to review and although it took several revisions to get it just right, the end result is quite spectacular. 

Have you ever noticed how much wasted space there is in your bathroom vanity? This is partly because of the sink that drops inside the base taking up precious space. The solution is typically to add a false panel to cover this area. 

One of the ways I like to maximize storage in the bathroom is to remove the false panel and instead move the doors up higher. This allows me to add drawers at the bottom of the vanity. In this project we found a few ways to take advantage of additional space. You can see below that I added the drawers below the doors. I also had the medicine cabinet removed and instead designed a custom tower to sit on top of the countertop. This created so much more storage space than my clients previously had for toiletry items and makeup. And lastly, I added a pullout into the vanity that holds the homeowner’s curling irons and a blow dryer. There’s no end to the customization that can happen so whatever you need to store, there’s a viable solution with custom cabinets.

Materials Matter

Selecting materials is the last stage before construction begins on any millwork design. It’s important to respect the architecture and design style of the home when you’re selecting materials. We select what’s right based on each different home we’re working on, whether it’s a renovation or a new build but we typically rely on either stained wood or MDF.

Stained wood works better for homes that have a more rustic design while I might also use stained wood to bring warmth into a minimalist design. If everything else is white or light coloured, it’s a nice contrast to add some wood into the mix. 

Most of my designs in Cranbrook lean towards a transitional design style. That style looks great with a combination of both stained wood and MDF. This can take shape with the kitchen perimeter being painted and adding in a wood stained island.

I typically specify MDF when using painted millwork because it’s inexpensive and extremely stable. The only exception is when there’s a possibility that the millwork will be exposed to water. Baseboards in a bathroom or a window ledge in the kitchen both have a tendency to experience even small amounts of water. It’s always better to be safe than sorry so in those cases I prefer finger jointed pine.

I hope this gives you a new sense of how designing with custom millwork can change the look and functionality of your home. If you’re interested in speaking with me to learn more about this or to discuss an upcoming project, reach out to me. I’d love to speak with you. 

Warm regards,

Adrienne