Origins of the historic designs

The historic mouldings represent a broad spectrum of architectural periods and styles. The designs were collected from books, magazines, and historic sites around the country, with the majority coming from reference materials found in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

In creating this section, it was impossible to include all mouldings from a certain period. Therefore, the profiles presented here reflect Belle Artae’s choices for the best representation of a particular period or style.

Historically appropriate designs

While historically appropriate, all mouldings presented here may not be absolutely authentic. In some instances, the profiles have been modified to reduce prohibitive material costs and/or to enable them to be manufactured using today’s machinery. These modifications are minimal, however, and do not detract from the true historic flavor of the mouldings.

Styles represented

The mouldings in this section are grouped according to the following architectural styles:

Additional or authentic designs

Other historic profiles not shown here may better suit the requirements of a particular project. In such cases, Belle Artae can usually create a custom moulding which will achieve a reasonable authenticity and which can be made using modern milling techniques. Such custom designs normally involve a custom knife charge. Contact a Belle Artae professional for more information on custom mouldings.

For truly authentic historic designs for use in restoration or reproduction projects, contact an architectural historian for guidance. Belle Artae may be able to assist in locating an architectural historian, and we may be able to provide accurate, authentic historic mouldings.