Special features like custom millwork make your luxury home more valuable, more attractive, and often more functional. From bespoke shelves to hand-crafted crown moulding, nothing offers the value and unique charm of custom millwork.
Whether you're undertaking a renovation of an existing home or you're working on a new construction home, millwork adds a touch of class and sophistication that signals the value of your home.
Below are some of the most popular millwork projects that homeowners request for their Connecticut homes. If you're interested in millwork but not sure which projects offer the best value and aesthetic for your house, ask your contractor for ideas. An experienced Connecticut contractor may have pictures of previous projects and ideas for ways that you can fill your home's unique spaces.
Built-In Bookcases
Nothing adds timeless sophistication to your home quite like a built-in bookcase. Whether you're storing your many books or installing a place to display a personal collection, built-in bookcases offer endless functionality.
Best of all, you can switch up the content of your bookcases on a regular basis. Although permanently installed in your home, bookcases make it easy to invent and reinvent your personal space.
3-Inch Floating Shelves
Floating shelves add a clean, modern chic to interior spaces. This is especially true of thick shelves, which offer heft and weight. Paint your floating shelves in colors to match the walls of your home, or in bold contrasting colors to create an accent for your walls.
Floating shelves provide helpful storage space for your kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom. Install floating shelves on a tiled kitchen wall to create interesting textures and visual contrast.
Window Seats
Install a window seat just beneath a bay window to create a comfortable space for sitting, reading, or studying. Custom-made window seats are more than just a good place to sit: they also create a feeling of coziness in your home.
Need more storage space? Ask your contractor to build a window seat that comes with built-in storage. Make your window seat from cedar to enjoy the lovely fresh scent every time you open it.
Crown Moulding, Chair Rails, Wainscoting
Handcrafted crown moulding, chair rails, and wainscoting enjoys a long history in residential construction. This type of decoration has long been used to dress up interior spaces, adding a custom beauty to luxury spaces. Chair rails and wainscoting also serve the purpose of protecting your walls from scuffs and scratches. Install this type of millwork to give your home a completed, grounded quality.
Cubbies for Kids Room
Adults aren't the only people who can benefit from built-in furniture. Kids need practical places where they can keep their toys, clothes, books, and school things. Create kid-friendly spaces with cubbies and other built-in furniture that's low to the ground and easy for them to access.
Concerned about installing furniture that your kids will eventually grow out of? Work with your contractor to design a cubby system with cabinet doors on the front. The cabinet doors can hide the toys, so you can eventually fill those cubbies with more adult items.
Mudroom Cabinet
The mudroom is a space that can get messy easily. Keep that space tidy with a cabinet designed to hold shoes and jackets. Want a space where your kids can sit down to put on their shoes? Ask your contractor to install a bench with hidden storage and cabinets on either side.
Install special features like an upholstered seat on the bench, hooks for your jackets, a mirror on the cabinet door, and a rack for hangers in the cabinets. This type of furniture adds value to your home and also makes your mudroom far more functional.
Hidden Closets
Picture this: a large cabinet door in your kitchen opens up, and inside the cabinet you see... a whole kitchen pantry, hidden from view. You can use custom millwork like false cabinet doors to hide whole closets. This fun feature makes creative use of your indoor space and adds character to your home.
Accessories and Features to Consider
Millwork takes many forms and comes with many features. This means there are decisions to make when you're installing millwork in your home.
Specialty woods. Poplar is the most common wood type used for millwork because it's the softer of the hardwoods, and has a straight, uniform grain pattern. It's easy to work with, accepts stain well, and its grain pattern is both subtle and attractive. However, there are many wood species that carpenters can use. When choosing a wood, consider grain pattern, hardness, and how well it accepts stain to decide what type of wood is right for you.
Lights. Built-in cabinets and shelves sometimes need lights installed to make them more functional and attractive. Your contractor can suggest when lights are a good idea, and where to install lights for the best value.
Hardware. Hardware selection is important in some millwork pieces. Handles and hinges do a lot to impact the appearance and functionality of drawers, cabinets, and more. Choose the hardware that matches your home's style and color scheme.
Finish. Will you paint your millwork, or stain it? This decision can have long-term consequences, as painted wood will not easily revert to a naked form that can accept stain.
Need Custom Millwork? Hire the Pros
Millwork is a high-end finish option that can add value to your home if you work with a contractor that has experience building high-quality millwork. Litchfield Builders' free guide for choosing a contractor in Connecticut can help you get started with the selection process.
