Baseboards, also known as skirting boards or moldings, are an important yet often overlooked aspect of interior design. As the lowest part of a wall, baseboards serve both practical and aesthetic purposes in a home. They protect walls from scuffs, moisture, and debris while also adding style. Over the years, baseboard trends have evolved to reflect changing tastes and new materials. Today, there are many on-trend options for baseboards that can help create a stylish, contemporary look in any room. In this article, we will explore some of the most popular current baseboard trends.
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Simple and Streamlined
One of the biggest shifts in baseboards is a move toward simple, streamlined designs. Bulky traditional baseboards with intricate carved details have given way to thin, low-profile options. Sleek, modern baseboards with clean lines work well in contemporary homes. They help rooms feel bright and open rather than heavy and ornate.
Popular styles in this trend include:
– Square painting baseboards with crisp 90 degree edges. These can be painted to match or contrast walls.
– Base shoe molding, which is a subtle 1-3 inch curved or angled piece that hugs the bottom of the wall.
– Base cap molding, a flat, narrow strip that sits just above the floor.
Minimalist baseboards like these spotlight other elements of the room rather than drawing attention to themselves. They give a light, airy feel that suits open floor plans. Streamlined bases also allow for flexible design choices in furnishings and decor.
Natural Materials
For a warm, earthy aesthetic, many homeowners opt for natural wood or stone baseboards. Natural materials provide an organic, cozy look. Options range from rustic to refined.
Some popular natural material choices include:
– Unfinished, raw wood baseboards for a cabin or farmhouse feel. These allow the natural grain to show through. Common types of raw wood bases are pine, fir, and cedar.
– Stained wood bases made from oak, walnut, or bamboo. The stain adds color while allowing the wood grain to show.
– Distressed wood with visible signs of wear and tear for vintage character.
– Polished wood moldings, such as cherry or mahogany, for an elegant, timeless look.
– Slate or travertine marble baseboards for natural stone texture.
– Limestone, sandstone, or granite bases in earthy beiges, grays, and browns.
Natural material baseboards work especially well in arts and crafts, traditional, cottage, or farmhouse style homes.
Painted Baseboards
While painted baseboards have been common for years, the range of colors for them has expanded. Homeowners are moving beyond basic white or off-white to bold, colorful baseboards. Paint allows the flexibility to easily change a room’s look over time. Creative painted baseboard ideas include:
– Contrasting bright colors, like glossy red or aqua bases. These make the baseboards pop rather than fade into the background.
– Dark saturated hues like black, charcoal gray, or chocolate brown for drama.
– Two-tone bases combining colors like gray and white or navy and pale blue.
– Ombre bases transitioning from light to dark tones.
– Handpainted bases with decorative accents, geometric patterns, or faux-finish techniques like ragging or sponging.
The following table summarizes popular paint colors for baseboards:
| Color Family | Specific Colors |
|---|---|
| Neutrals | White, cream, gray, beige |
| Blues | Navy, robin’s egg, sky blue |
| Greens | Sage, mint, emerald |
| Reds | Brick, coral, cherry |
| Metallics | Silver, gold, bronze |
| Blacks | Ebony, charcoal |
The color choices are virtually endless with painted baseboards. It’s a great way to add a splash of color to a space.
Integrated Baseboards
Some contemporary baseboard designs integrate lighting or heating into the trim. Integrated bases streamline these features into the structure rather than having them be stand-alone elements.
Popular types of integrated baseboards include:
– Heated baseboards with electric wires or hot water pipes concealed inside.
– LED illuminated baseboards to wash walls with ambient lighting or create decorative accents.
– Baseboards with built-in cable conduits forpower and media wires to eliminate clutter.
– Night lights or motion sensor lighting in base trim.
– Wireless charging stations hidden inside baseboards.
– Acoustic sound dampening insulation inside bases.
Integrated baseboards provide both form and function. The complex wiring and mechanics are neatly hidden away while still being conveniently accessible. This maintains clean sight lines for a sleek, cutting-edge look.
Mix and Match
Eclectic spaces need not limit themselves to one baseboard style. Mixing and matching baseboard profiles, heights, colors, and materials in one space is an emerging trend. This allows for more individualized expression.
Some ways to mix baseboard designs include:
– Using one style on the top half of walls and a different one on the lower portion.
– Having varying baseboard heights in different rooms or zones.
– Alternating between wood and painted bases from room to room.
– Blending materials like metal bases in the kitchen, wood in the dining room, and tile in baths.
– Running baseboard colors that complement wall colors rather than match.
There are no set rules with mix and match. Whimsical variety creates custom style not limited by uniformity.
Molding Insets
Baseboards do not have to be flat planks attached to the bottom of walls. Another trend is using decorative molding insets as baseboards. Intricate molding profiles, rosettes, corbels, and appliques can elevate a basic baseboard.
Some examples of insets include:
– Dentil details, which are small, repeating rectangular blocks.
– Classically inspired egg and dart, bead and reel, or acanthus leaf moldings.
– Carved medallions, cameos, or floral designs as mid-wall accents.
– Fluted pilasters or faux columns at inside corners.
– Inlaid wood designs in geometric or nature-inspired patterns.
– Metallic insets like bronze bullnose accents.
Inset molding baseboards feel graceful and unique. They bring ornamental architectural flair to a space in an elegant way.
Coordinating with Flooring
In the past, baseboards were often treated as an afterthought. Today’s designs pay more attention to coordinating baseboards with the room’s flooring. Similar tones and materials are selected to give an integrated look.
Some examples of coordinated bases include:
– Matching wood species as hardwood flooring, like oak floors with oak baseboards.
– Thin sliced limestone bases with limestone tile flooring.
– Concrete look porcelain plank floors paired with matching concrete baseboards.
– Bamboo flooring with bamboo base shoe accents.
– Stained baseboards to match the tone of wood or laminate flooring.
– Ceramic tile bases in bathrooms with ceramic tile floors.
– Custom colors on painted bases that pick up accent shades in patterned carpets.
A holistic floor-to-wall design makes spaces feel polished and pulled together. The baseboards finish the look instead of appearing tacked on as an afterthought.
Conclusion
Baseboard trends offer lots of innovative options beyond plain, white trim. From sleek and streamlined to natural and organic to bold and colorful, today’s baseboards make a stylish statement. Integrated function, eclectic mixed metals, ornate molding insets and coordinating floors all take baseboard style to the next level.
Baseboards deserve more design consideration. They can creatively anchor the room’s aesthetic. Whether going for a modern, traditional, minimalist or maximalist look, baseboard choices can elevate a space. As an essential yet underutilized component, baseboards are seeing overdue innovation. The latest trends reveal the versatile potential of this foundational detail. With limitless shapes, materials colors and configurations, baseboards are kicking the “boring” label to become an integral part of contemporary interior design.