F or centuries artisans have adorned ceilings with medallions decorated with relief moldings or carvings.
Italian Renaissance artists created plaster ceiling medallions along with elaborate rosettes and molding. Medallions were popular too in early 19th century Greek revival architecture, showing up on the ceilings of Southern plantation homes and later in Victorian homes.
You, however, will not need to spend any time searching for a master artisan to outfit your home.
Ceiling medallions are in vogue and homeowners can find easy-to-install, inexpensive versions at the local home improvement store or through a seller online.
Your home doesn’t need to be straight out of a Margaret Mitchell novel to use these decorative pieces.
Manufacturers are producing the flat accent pieces in a range of sizes, shapes and styles. The flat decorative pieces usually come in one or two pieces and can be used around a light fixture or ceiling fan or alone.
Designs can be anything from frilly foliage to bold geometric designs. Shapes are round, square, oval, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, octagon, stars and rosettes. Leave them white or customize with faux finishes, gold leaf or sponging.
Modern materials have had their influence too. Architectural Depot, a company that sells online, produces medallions with high-density urethane foam rather than plaster. A company spokesman said the material is lightweight, making it easier to install. The medallions still have the sharp detail of wood or stone without the drawbacks of weather or bug damage, he said.
This company’s medallions come with a white finish that can be painted with latex or oil-based paints.
As for installation, some medallions can be installed with a screwdriver and construction adhesive. Others require the installer to measure and drill a hole to fit around a light fixture. Usually the light fixture is removed and then reinstalled after the medallion is in place.
Medallions sold by Architectural Depot start at $20 for a 12- to 15-inch piece to nearly $500 for one that spans 74 inches.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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