A village with an eye for detail
Rustington has more architectural pedigree than its seaside bungalows suggest. Knightscroft in Sea Lane was designed by Norman Shaw in 1879 for the composer Sir Hubert Parry, who lived there until his death in 1918, and it is listed Grade II*. The Gothic house on Worthing Road originally called Rustington House was designed by J L Pearson. Even the modest older houses show a liking for crisp detail at the eaves: Old Orchard House in The Street and Palm Cottage in Ash Lane both have modillion eaves cornices, and Cudlow House in Sea Lane has an eaves bracket cornice. The parish also records locally important houses on Sea Avenue, such as Fairholme, Sark House and Twyford Lodge, among its Buildings of Special Character.
Inside, the same principle applies. A well-chosen cornice or cove sets the tone of a room and covers the crack-prone joint where wall meets ceiling.
Picking a profile for the room
Rustington's homes range widely in scale, and the moulding should follow the room rather than a catalogue. The parish's village design work describes districts of 1950s and 1960s bungalows, pre-war streets of bungalows, semis and terraces, and areas of large traditional detached houses. In a bungalow with a standard-height ceiling, a slim 127mm cove or a shallow ogee keeps the room feeling light. Taller rooms in older detached houses can carry a deeper stepped cornice and a ceiling rose without looking crowded. In a flat, a simple cove often sits best with modern lighting. If you are unsure, send a photo of the room and its ceiling height and we will suggest two or three profiles. There is a practical side too: in many rooms the line where wall meets ceiling cracks as the house moves with the seasons, and a moulding bridges that line for good.
Roses, panels and dado rails
Not everything goes at the top of the wall. Panel mouldings can give a plain hallway, staircase or bedroom some structure without building work, and a dado rail at around waist height protects a busy hallway from scuffs. Ceiling roses, friezes, corbels, niches and arches are all available in fibrous plaster, which is strong, light and takes paint well. A ceiling rose also gives a pendant light a proper setting, and where a ceiling has just been skimmed it can be centred on the new light position. In a period house where a length of original cornice has been damaged by a leak or a removed wall, we can match the profile as closely as possible so the repair blends in.
Fitting it well
Good coving is mostly about the corners and the lines. Mitres should meet cleanly, joints should be filled until they disappear, and a run should stay straight even where an old ceiling dips. Mouldings are best fitted once ceilings and walls are sound and flat, so they are often added after a ceiling has been skimmed or a textured finish covered; our pages on plastering over Artex in Rustington and skimming in Rustington explain those jobs. Our main coving, cornice and mouldings service lists the full range, and the Rustington page shows our other work here. For free advice and a quote with no obligation, call 07824 165672.
