Exterior Window Trim Ideas
A gallery of real world decorative moulding and exterior window trim / molding applications. Find new exterior window trim styles, ideas and inspiration for your home using pre-coated styrofoam shapes, including moldings, sills, trims, cornices, columns, column caps, pilasters, keystones and quoins.
These exterior house trim ideas are real world examples, so you can get an example of how other home owners have designed their windows and doors. It allows you to visualize the design in your mind to assist you in deciding what sort of trim styling you want for your home's windows.
Idea: Stacked or Built-Up Moldings
Moldings may be stacked or built-up to create a larger moulding or merge 2 or more mouldings. You may also build up a molding by sumply adding styrofoam underneath of it, thereby pushing the molding out further from the wall. This is particularly effective when your molding is large and you only want a portion of it to follow along a deviation in a straight wall. Building up moldings also adds depth to the molding and eases the transition between the eavestrough or roof and the wall.
In the example here, the molding breaks off into 2 parts - one following the gable and the other running along the bottom of it.
Exterior trim in the photo:
- Flat Band 001
- Flat Band 010
Idea: Gothic Style Arched Molding
Aside from the traditional arched molding, moldings may also be made into gothic arches by meeting two curved moldings at a sharp midpoint. The arches are separated from the window side trim by a small horizontal molding, giving it the impression of the arch resting on the side trim and further reinforcing the gothic style.
This look is particularly effective in the above picture, with a stoney-gothic tower protruding from the roof. The dark shingles further enforce the gothic architecture and really emphasize the stone and architectural moldings
Exterior trim in this photo...
Idea: Dentil Cornices
Dentils can be added to crown moldings to make them look more sophisticated. Typically this is done by simply adding decor pieces (dentils) to the flat part of the crown molding. Care must be taken to evenly space out the dentils when attaching them. Adding dentils must be done manually, making dentil crown moldings (cornices) very expensive compared to other cornices.
Exterior trim in this photo...
Idea: Stucco Columns on a Porch
Wrapping unsightly front porch posts with a stucco column can greatly enhanced the aesthetics of the front of the house. Stucco columns add style, character and definition without the costs normally associated with similar large columns made of concrete or fibreglass.
You can see here that the stucco plays a secondary, understated role to the stone on the porch and rest of the house, but the two materials work fantastically in unison. Due to synthetic stucco's light weight, it is ideal for areas such as a porch overhang where a good portion of the weight rests on thin posts. This reduces the stress on the posts and porch floor, increasing their longevity. The stucco columns wrapped around the posts provide no structural support for the porch overhang, however they tie in perfectly with the stucco above them and the stucco window trim.
Exterior trim in this photo...
Idea: Square Columns Made From Pilasters
A well decorated house with square columns and pilasters to match. There is ample use of crown and window molding to decorate the walls.
The square columns are certainly less common than rounded ones, and are well chosen for the house. They match the door pilasters behind, and second story pilasters above.
The window moldings are well ornamented, with header moldings instead of trim the full way around as well as window sills. The arched windows have also had custom arch moldings made which "flare" at the bottom of the arch.
Exterior trim in this photo...Idea: Decorative Quoins
Quoins make the corners of a home look more pronounced, and sturdy. In this project, the home owner and architect made ample use of quoins on their multiple corners resulting in not only a stylish exterior, but a unique interior floor plan as well.
In addition, the architect had the good sense to install a molding along the break between the first and second floor, which will go a long way in hiding any cracks which might occur at this weaker portion of the house.
Exterior trim in this photo...With 10-12 different styles of window trims, window sills and wall mouldings, there are thousands of possible combinations for your home. Add accents like keystones to your windows, quoins to the corner of your home and columns or pilasters to your entry way to make a home stand out.
Design services are available for all projects for a flat fee of $300, which is deducted off of your order total.
Idea: Exterior Window Trim and Decorative Flower
The exterior trim surrounding the window is actually made of a larger flat trim, with a thinner one on top of it. Combined with the fence, it makes for an attractive faux balcony. Instead of leaving a blank space above the windows, the home owners decided to add a keystone into the trim and a decorative flower piece, adding a nice finishing touch for little cost.
Idea: Stucco Columns and Arches
Combining multiple architectural elements in stucco such as columns, arches, keystones and a medallion adds an air of sophistication to your home. In the example above, the stucco columns flow up into panels, then into a stucco arch with a decorative keystone centerpiece. To further reinforce this focal point, a flower is added just above the keystone.
In general, having the eye follow up along the stucco columns as they rise, and curve along the arch towards the center keystone and flower, is what the architect is trying to achieve. After following the flow of design, the viewer is focused on the focal point (the flower), and with the details fresh in their memory, the observer can fully take in and appreciate the carefully thought out design of the architect. Most people do this subconsciously, and don't realize it takes time and planning to create something of this effect.
In this image:
Columns
Column Capitals
Keystones
Stucco Arch
Medallions
Idea: EIFS Veranda using Trim to Create Negative Space
Even flat trim can greatly enhance an otherwise plain-looking portion of the house (like a veranda) by using negative space and a decorative flower. The surrounding trim creates a negative space on the front of this veranda, making it seem as though the darker area is "cut out". Adding a small, unassuming flower subtly adds character to the front portion of the veranda.
Also note that the trim hangs about 1/2" below the soffit (on the right side of the veranda), creating a drip edge that prevents water from running across the soffit.
In this image:
Flat Bands
Medallions
Idea: Double Columns and Panels
Unique looks can be created for a house simply by using materials differently. Instead of the standard single column, the architect widened the bases the column stands on and added double columns. In addition to using two columns per side, traditional use of negative space is tossed aside and the architect uses positive space to create stucco panels which outline the flowers. On the walls behind the porch, they went a step further with the stucco panels by layering the panels so as to add depth. The result is a truly unique house, a great demonstration of what architects can do with synthetic stucco when they think outside the box.
In this image:
Medallions
Keystones
Columns
Column Caps
Cornices
Window Trim
Window Sills
Idea: Stucco Molding on Brick
Here you get a great example of the contrast that can be achieved by placing a smoothly-textured stucco molding on top of a roughly-textured brick surface. In addition to the surface texture of the molding, they've chosen a lighter beige colour on the stucco moulding to complement the dark rose/flesh brick.
In these images:
Idea:Tower Trim
An interesting design, the architect made the corner of this house in a cylindrical shape, similar to medieval towers. There is ample use of trim, around the windows, trim between the stucco and stone, and trim as purely decorative elements.
Flat trim was cut into rectangles for decorative purposes in lieu of flowers.
Idea: Curved Window, Trim and Quoins
Curved windows and trim are no longer only a way for the rich to flaunt their wealth. Window manufacturers make energy efficient windows in all shapes, including curved. In response to the increasing popularity of curved windows, architectural trim manufacturers have made it easier than ever to frame them with window trim and decorative elements such as keystones.
Quoins provide a fantastic way to frame the corners of your walls to match your window trim. Quoins may be adhered to stucco and brick walls even after the wall is finished, using a cementitious adhesive.
In this image:
Keystones
Cornices
Window Trim
Window Sills
Quoins
Idea: Concrete Masonry Unit with Dentil Crown Molding
This project used Concrete Masonry Units (CMUs) for the wall construction, and added architectural features to it using styrofoam crown moldings. The designer went a step further by adding dentils to the crown molding, which must be applied piece by piece but give an overall different look in the end.
The mid-wall molding is craftily cut to allow the downspout through it instead of around the band.
Using a different color exterior paint for the crown moldings and mid-wall molding would have gone a long way towards making the molding stand out from the sandstone CMU.
Idea: Door Pilaster and Header Molding
Instead of using a molding as a door surround, pilasters may be used with great effect. It almost looks as if the pilasters are columns, holding up the door header trim and the door itself.
The header molding also has the effect of "capping off" the pilaster, in a similar way that the pilaster base starts it.
Idea: Flat Pilasters and Trim
Even plain, flat trim and pilasters can be used to outline more decorative moldings inside, surrounding a window or similar feature. They provide contrast not only in trim details, but also in size.
Instead of quoins, the architect opted to use a flat trim to imitate pilasters
Idea: Square Stucco Column
Not all columns need be round or fluted - square columns provide a wide array of design options using positive and negative space, as well as more opportunity for design on the column itself. The square column effect can also be achieved by using pilasters.
In this image:
Cornices
Window Trim
Window Sills
Pilasters
Exterior Trim Color Ideas
The most common color scheme for exterior trim is a two-tone theme, with trim or molding around windows one color and decorative accents like quoins, cornices and pilasters a lighter or darker shade. This provides an elegant and simple contrast, as well as highlighting the separate features.