While you may think that the largest interior trend of the 90s, the dado rail, went out of fashion decades ago, there has been a resurgence of this popular moulding in the last couple of years.
As a simple yet highly impactful visual element that can be added to rooms for multiple reasons, let’s take a look at just why you may want to bring these back in 2024.
Top 5 ways dado rails are improving home aesthetics
Before we get into the finer details, it’s important to know that a dado rail is a popular choice for homeowners that want to maximise space, but they can also fit the needs of modern aesthetics whether they have a focus on art deco styles, hope to honour period features, or anything in between.
Here are 5 ways to improve interior design with dado rails to fully take advantage of their functionality.
1.Choose The Right Dado Rail
Dado rails are cheap and easy to install and as trends and manufacture have changed, there are now so many styles to choose from.
Slimline options will likely look better in more contemporary homes, more intricate, carved designs can add elegance to a room and wider bands will draw the eye and bring some much-needed visual interest. The fantastic news is that they can be painted in any colour for various uses.
2. Set The Right Height
Interiors that feel small, dark and closed-in can hugely benefit from dado rails. These will draw the eye and create an illusion that will widen, lift and even brighten home spaces, and when set at the right height, you can even do all three!
When defining the right positioning, measure from floor to ceiling and place your chosen rail style at one-third of this length (working from the floor up). This rule will work for rooms of all shapes and sizes, as opposed to sticking to a specific level for all, which can throw off proportions.
3. Match Dado Colour To The Ceiling To Increase The Illusion of Height
Making a room feel more spacious has never been easier than when adding dado rail, and painting it the same colour as the ceiling will boost this further by creating the illusion of more wall space.
With modern trends, ceilings are no longer limited to a brilliant white, so you won’t be stunting your creativity. Having said this, bright colours will have the best effect and a top tip is to paint the bottom half darker, as contrast will further stretch the eye upwards.
4. Use A Blend of Wallpaper and Paint
Speaking of not limiting creativity, the great news is that dado rail will allow you to take things to the next level. Mix and match wallpaper with paint, experiment with textures, patterns and colours to create a space that really speaks for your personal style.
Wallpaper works best above the rail and will really pop if you add lacquered wood or metallic tones to furniture and accents around the room.
5. Experiment To Create New Features
For ultimate flair, a dado rail can be used in multiple ways. It can be added vertically, used as framing, border walls, to create a 3D geometric pattern and a in myriad of other positions.
Fantastically, these can even protect walls with high traffic and can be used for hiding pipes and more, so why not be inventive and come up with your own ideas?
Why Use Dado Rails Today?
When properly placed, used creatively and design techniques are utilised, you can curate a visually appealing home that ticks every box.
The dado rail was traditionally used to protect walls from furniture, but today it can be enjoyed for its design aesthetic in both period and modern properties. Need some more inspo? Take a look at these dado rail hallway ideas that are on-trend for 2024.
