Crown molding is an interior decorative element that makes a room come alive. This artistic piece adds value, beauty, and effective originality to a room. However, just like there is a bad side to everything, there is a bad side to crown molding. The crown molding is bad not because it is hideous, but because of the circumstances surrounding it.

This bad side is realized in the confines of architecture, sight, and beauty. It is probably puzzling that there is a time when crown molding is not acceptable.
In this article, we explore a couple of scenarios where you don’t want to use crown molding and when crown molding is not suitable.

Scenario 1: When the architecture dictates

The architecture of a house is very important. This is because it dictates the stability of a building as well as what can and cannot be used as accessories and elements to decorate the interior of a home, building, or office.

Crown molding affects the ceiling and the top of the walls. The length, height, and type of ceiling of a building therefore matter. With an already incredible architectural feature such as beam ceiling or plank ceiling, crown molding is too much. Therefore, installing crown molding may take the aesthetic appeal away from the feature.

When installing crown molding, it needs to go round a room in both directions so as to meet again into its definite starting and stopping points. A room or hallway that ends into another room with a different ceiling height will not meet- proving to be discordant. Here, if the crown molding is still desirable, the layout ought to be so designed in a manner that the two rooms exhibit flawless continuity.

For cathedral or vaulted ceilings, a standard crown molding is too much. Crown molding will distract from its beauty at best and take away from the beauty of the ceiling at worst. In addition to that, the molding itself may seem out of place especially where the style of the ceiling completely draws the eyes. Can you imagine crown molding aligning the ceiling and wall of the Sistine Chapel?

Scenario 2: When beauty is compromised

The area where crown molding is placed is key to knowing the material to be used, the amount of crown molding needed, and the durability of the crown. Crown molding can be placed atop the interior of buildings including atop fixtures such as kitchen cabinets or the exterior of buildings such as front door entryways and roofs.

Yet the aesthetic appeal of the whole room will not always be improved by adding crown molding. Assuming that the idea was a minimalist style, then regular crown molding would just get in the way. If crown molding must be part of the decor, then consider thin, simple trim.

Moreover, to attain a wholesome, elegant, and harmonious look, crown molding should not be placed where the room is crowded with or shrunken by other interior accessories and elements.

A building experiences temperature and humidity fluctuations as the weather and seasons change. As delightful as wood crown molding is to a room, it is a poor choice where it would be exposed to moisture and temperature changes. Humidity will trigger rotting and the growth of mold while heat and cold changes will cause warping and cracking.

(Lucky for you, we have the remedy here. Our crown molding is made from dense polyurethane that is resistant to moisture and temperature and as such, does not rot, warp, crack, or facilitate the growth of mold.)


Scenario 3: When the size is ignored

The size of crown molding matters because it accounts for the compatibility and proportionality of the area where the molding is placed. The position of crown molding makes it more conspicuous because it is put atop walls, windows, cabinets, columns, and doors.

Bad installations are therefore obvious. Do not ignore the appropriate size of moldings to install crown molding that is oversize just because it is elaborate and dismiss a simple, well-designed piece that would fit better. While there may be the temptation to go for a larger, more detailed piece of molding, sometimes less is truly more.

The appropriate crown molding width depends to a large extent on the ceiling height. As such, not every ceiling height will be suited to a particular size of molding. The general consensus is that taller ceiling heights are better suited by wider crown molding pieces while shorter ceiling heights will prefer narrower molding so the room doesn’t feel too choked out. 


The square footage of a room matters just as much as the ceiling height. A large crown will look overbearing if a room does not have ample square footage.

The right crown molding size should range from 2 ½ inches to 6 inches for 8-foot ceilings, 3 inches to 7 inches for 9-foot ceilings, and at least 4 inches for 10-foot ceilings. Determine what type of crown molding is best suited for the room once you know the size.

Scenario 4: When crown molding is not readable

Crown molding communicates the beauty of a well-done building and its completion. An expensive home might look sloppy, unfinished, and poorly thought out if the crown molding and other interior accessories do not match the elegance.

Avoid installing crown molding with too many contours that it appears too busy. This does not mean that there is anything wrong with a detailed motif- On the contrary, consider how artistic this crown molding is. The key is that like any other accent element in a home, crown molding is a work of visual art and ought to communicate this. A piece that is too heavily contoured and off from the rest of the decor may instead communicate disorder.

When creating a built-up crown molding, be mindful of the individual pieces and how they come together. Even where the pieces are in different sizes or styles, they must come together in a harmonious fit or the whole idea will be lost. Ill-considered stacked crown molding can easily look bumpy, uneasy to read, and disproportional, even if the cutting and installing was done right.

When adding crown molding to different rooms, a haphazard selection may cause chaos. While there is room to exercise the different personalities that exist in one home, veering in totally different tangents for separate rooms, especially those that lead into each other may render the crown molding pieces unreadable and in constant competition with each other. Stick to at least one feature that adds harmony, be it the size, the style, or the color of the molding.


Crown molding in itself is a timeless masterpiece. It adds a touch of beauty to any space and is a wonderful part of any home’s interior. However, not all situations call for this fine piece of trim. Sometimes, as gut-wrenching as it may be, crown molding is just a simple no, or a yes but with caution. 

In what other case would you suggest leaving crown molding out?

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