When you look up and see a beautiful truss system gracing the ceiling of a structure, how much thought do you give to the design? For most of us, the visual effect of the design draws us in, but we never stop to appreciate how or why a truss works. Let’s break down some of the secrets behind truss design so you can fully appreciate how each truss adds to a structure.
Tag: architectural beams
Incorporating Mediterranean Design in Any Home
Mediterranean design is popular throughout the world, but too often we feel like we can’t pull it off in our own homes because of its complexity. The truth is that the Mediterranean region is quite large and encompasses a wide range of lifestyles. As such, there are many ways to incorporate the concepts of Mediterranean design in your home without having to go way overboard.
Aquatic Colors
One of the major staples of Mediterranean design is rich aquatic color schemes that feature blues, greens and purples. These are also accented by bold gold and some deep browns and light beiges. An easy way to do this in your home is to pick an accent wall and splash it with bold color, while leaving your trim a natural wood color that will tie the whole room together.Complex Textures
The Mediterranean is home to some of the world’s most extravagant construction featuring natural materials. Much of Mediterranean design features rough cut stones and naturally textured woods. With faux wood beams, you can mimic the look of these beautiful elements easily. There are also a number of faux stone options that can give you the perfect hue for your room. Texture can also be added to your home with unique plaster finishes that infuse your home with traditional-looking natural warmth. Browse our Italian Lime plaster gallery to get some ideas. As you can see, Mediterranean design is all about creating a space that takes advantage of the seaside appeal of the region. You can replicate this by bringing in bold colors mixed with strong natural elements. Volterra has a wide selection of faux wood and stone products to help you recreate the rooms in the magazines.]]>How Durable Are Faux Beams?
Whether you’re planning on adding faux beams to the interior of your house, or you want to use them to build a gazebo or other structure outside, understanding durability is an important part of your planning. You don’t want to invest in products that will not stand up to the test of time, so it’s important that you know your faux beams are virtually maintenance free.
Heavy Duty Construction
Faux beams are made of a high density foam product that is both lightweight and extremely hard. This allows it to mimic the look and feel of real wood beams while making it significantly easier to work with in construction. High density foam is poured into a master mold and when extracted is very dense.Durable Finish
Beams are available in a variety of textures that mimic natural wood. Once the beam has been formed, a finish coat is applied to the outside, or the beam can be left primed for a custom faux finish application. Faux beams are a great option for updating your home’s interior and exterior without having to worry about future maintenance. These beams are made to last, and they come in many varieties so you can order exactly what you want the first time. To see more options, visit Volterra online today and check out our gallery of colors and designs.]]>Fresh New Ceiling Design Ideas
One of the biggest trends in interior design these days is using faux wood beams and trim to create patterns on an otherwise bland ceiling. Most often, this is done with straight beams, or in a crosshatch pattern. But if you’re looking for something really flashy, here are a few new design ideas.
Geometric Shapes
Instead of using perfectly symmetric boxes on your ceiling, consider changing things up with geometric shapes. You can do this by creating individual boxes of varying sizes, along with rectangles, triangles and even open ended Ls. Then, you can secure these shapes to the ceiling by rotating them at different angles to create a pattern that is unique to you. Alternatively, you can start with one central shape, and attach your geometric designs in an outward pattern to form a snowflake.Herringbone
If you are not sure that the texture of beams and geometric shapes is right for you, consider using faux wood planks for your ceiling design instead. However, instead of running your planks in long straight lines, cut the ends at opposing 45° angles so you can generate a herringbone pattern across the links of your entire ceiling. This will add dimension while keeping the installation simple and straightforward. These are just a few ways that you can change up the ceiling designs that are already becoming popular, and add something fresh to your room. To learn more about these products, contact Volterra Architectural Products online. ]]>
Creating a Vintage Interior Design Aesthetic in Your Home
It is commonly known that something that was once popular will always come back around. True, some design aesthetics should stay in the past, but bringing a vintage look to your home can be a great way to make it stand out from the rest. Here are a few interior products that can give your home a timeless, classic design aesthetic.
Faux Wood
Adding faux wood products to your home can be a major way to give it a vintage look. Wood can be added in minimal or maximalist ways to your home, through simple wooden shutters or a large faux wood truss system that adds depth and structure to an overall space. If the faux wood can be made to look rustic or faded, this can give your home even more of a vintage look.Ceiling Tiles
Tin ceiling tiles were all the rage in interior design during the early 1900’s before wartime shortages and the Great Depression demanded their use for more pressing needs. Bring life into a commonly neglected design aspect of your home –the ceiling– with the vintage look of decorative ceiling tiles.Decorative Plasters, Stuccos and Stone
Adding an alternative finish, such as Italian lime plaster or Variance acrylic plaster, can texturize your walls in a way that sets them apart from modern plaster and stucco finishes. Adding Volterra stone products is another way to add a vintage ambiance without the dedication that entire wall finishes require. For help achieving a vintage design look in your home, contact Volterra or peruse our product offering online.]]>Turning Your Master Bedroom into the Perfect Retreat
Your master bedroom should be a special place. It should stand out from all the other bedrooms in your home, and really speak to your personal tastes. Many people want their master bedroom to act as a personalized retreat from the daily grind and the messiness that exists in the rest of their house. Now’s your chance to turn your master bedroom into just the right kind of retreat for you.
Add Ceiling Accents
Don’t settle for plain ceilings in your private space. Instead, go for something a bit more rustic by adding an accent to your ceiling with faux wood planks. These planks can be easily installed to create a textured ceiling with lots of character. Planked ceilings are unique and really make a room pop.Raise the Roof
Not literally, but creatively. By adding ceiling beams made of faux wood, you can create a ceiling that has multiple layers, giving it a heightened appearance that makes your room look larger than life. If you aren’t ready to take on a major project like ceiling beams, you can use some beautiful crown moulding around your room to achieve a similar effect.Accent Moulding
Do you want to give the impression of more space within your bedroom? One easy way to do so is to draw the eye upwards using accent moulding. Bedrooms often have creative, organic lines that may defy straight lines. Have no fear–Volterra’s flexible moulding makes it easy, even around curves. Volterra has everything you need to turn your bland master bedroom into a retreat that your friends and family will really envy. Visit our gallery online for more ideas about how to update your room today.]]>Using Faux Wood Exposed Trusses in Your Home
Exposed trusses can drastically change the appearance of any room by drawing the eye upward, adding a pop of color depth, and even changing the way light falls through your room. While most homes do not come with naturally beautiful trusses, you can easily add some to your large rooms with the help of faux wood.
Selecting a Style
As you shop for faux wood trusses, you will find that there are several common designs ranging from very simple to very complex. The more complex the design, the more hardware is involved and the heavier the beams will be. In general, complex designs are best reserved for very formal rooms with vaulted ceilings, similar to a cathedral, because the extra complexity can make a smaller room feel crowded. On the other hand, there are some very plain options which are ideal for creating a farmhouse aesthetic.Choosing a Color
The next thing you need to do is select a color for your exposed trusses. If you want your trusses to blend seamlessly into the rest of your room, you need to choose a wood grain pattern and color that matches the rest of the woodwork in your home. You can find anything from dark walnuts to light blondes and ashes. Exposed trusses are a beautiful addition to any oversized room, and they can be easily installed thanks to faux wood products. Shop Volterra online today to see our full selection of truss patterns and colors.]]>Why Choose Faux Wood for Your Interior Architectural Elements?
Faux wood is now widely available for a number of interior design projects in any home or commercial building. However, you may be wondering what benefits faux wood has to offer when compared to natural wood materials. Here are a few of the biggest highlights that you can expect to see.
Improved Durability
Faux wood architectural elements are made using a high density foam material. This material is lightweight while still offering superior durability against scratching, breaking, and more. In addition, it is not subject to warping or rotting when exposed to moisture or temperature variations. This makes it suitable for any room in the house.Easier Installation
Thanks to the lightweight nature of faux wood and the unique molds used, it is significantly easier to install faux wood elements such as ceiling beams and trusses. These faux wood additions are also easier to cut and fit into place without the need for specialty tools, but they still look like the real deal.Low Maintenance
Finally, while real wood accents look great at first, they do have a tendency to fade and change over time. They often require sanding, staining, or repainting to keep them in good shape. By contrast, faux wood beams have a unique baked-on finish that will keep them looking new with almost no maintenance. If you are ready to dress up your room, now is the time to check out all new faux wood accents designed for interior architectural design. Visit Volterra online today to get an idea of all the ways you can use faux wood inside your home or building.]]>Add Rustic Accents with a Faux Truss
Decorative Styles that Benefit from a Faux Truss Decorative wood beams can add continuity to a design scheme and reinforce a certain architectural style. This is especially true for certain designs that have a rustic flavor. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Farmhouse: The ultimate in rustic accessibility, this style is extremely popular in the US, where functional yet prosperous farmhouse style buildings were the norm during our developmental years. A farmhouse style building has many charming decorative elements, from warm wooden tones to functional exposed shelving and deep farmhouse style sinks. Faux wooden beams in a farmhouse style building aren’t often as grand and ostentatious as other styles. Instead, exposed beams might be flush against a flat ceiling, or stained with light, rustic colors to lend the appearance of age and comfort.
- Lodge: This style is popular in western cabins that want large picture windows and vaulted ceilings to bring the outside in. Tall pitched ceilings keep snow buildup from adding pressure on the roof, and add visual interest to an open interior. Often, a faux truss will add dimension to a large common room and stand out with strong color contrast and intricate lines.
- Pueblo Revival: Popular in arid regions of the southwest, these homes often feature wooden posts that span a flat ceiling and protrude on either side to add ornamental elements to a plain, rounded-corner facade seamlessly blending into the desert surroundings. Often, these faux trusses are strictly decorative, but have dark contrast with the neutral whites and beiges of the pueblo revival style.
- Traditional Scandinavian: If you’re ready to take the “lodge” aesthetic one step further, consider looking into traditional scandinavian styles. The ancestral longhouses of viking times provide the blueprint for long vaulted chambers that housed entire villages. Oftentimes, this style is accented with exposed wooden beams in the facade as well.
Some FAQs About Engineered Wood Beams
Discover the essentials of engineered wood beams, a modern alternative to traditional lumber, in our comprehensive FAQ guide. Learn about their composition, strength, eco-friendliness, and aesthetic appeal to make an informed decision for your construction projects.
What is Engineered Wood Made Of?
Engineered wood beams offer a high-strength, versatile alternative to solid wood. Comprising multiple wood layers bonded with adhesives, this material encompasses a variety of products like laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and glulam. These technologies allow for larger, customizable sizes beyond what solid wood can offer, combining durability with flexibility in design.
How Does Its Strength Compare to Natural Wood?
The strength of engineered wood beams can surpass that of many natural woods, particularly in moisture resistance and load-bearing capacity. This performance advantage is due to its engineered structure, providing reliability and stability where traditional wood might falter.
Is Engineered Wood Eco-friendly?
Contrary to initial assumptions, engineered wood beams represent a sustainable choice. Their production maximizes the use of harvested wood, reducing waste and the number of trees needed for construction projects. Furthermore, the use of low-toxicity adhesives minimizes environmental impact, aligning with increasing customer demand for sustainable building materials.
Aesthetic Possibilities with Engineered Wood
Engineered wood beams are not just about strength and sustainability; they also offer diverse aesthetic options. With the capability to mimic the appearance of exotic hardwoods without the associated cost or environmental toll, engineered wood provides an attractive and practical solution for achieving desired design outcomes.
Engineered wood beams present a compelling option for those seeking a balance between aesthetic appeal, structural integrity, and environmental responsibility. With their ability to emulate the beauty of natural woods while offering superior performance and sustainability, they stand out as a smart choice for modern construction needs. Interested in exploring engineered wood beams for your project? Contact Volterra Architectural Products today to learn more about how these innovative solutions can elevate your next project.