Typically we see decorative corbels used in architectural designs both indoors and outdoors. But they are much more versatile than that. Corbels can also be used as a very diverse element to your interior design. There may even be ways to use them that you might never think of because of the emphasis put on the use of corbels for the purpose of supporting structures.
One way to use decorative corbels in your interior design is by getting a few very intricate and custom designed wood corbels. You can finish these or paint them or leave them as bare wood, since it is indoors it’s your personal preference. Mount these in a descending line on the wall. Now you can use them to hold any design objects that you wish.
For example, put photos of your children on these corbels. One picture for each child and a family picture in the center. Or if the room has a particular design theme, then you can get objects that match that theme. It will add a very custom touch to the room but also be very understated and elegant.
There are also ways to use these decorative corbels to enhance your kitchen and dining room design as well. Even though structural support for your kitchen counters is not necessary, adding a few corbels at set intervals throughout the room will give it a very dramatic flair.
Then paint these corbels to match the cabinet or the décor and it will have the desired effect on the room. In the dining room, you can use corbels to make your own table. Of course these need to be more of a block shape and not the pointed variety or it will not hold the table very well. Wood corbels would work very well as would polyurethane corbels.
Attach four corbels to the four corners of a tabletop, wood or glass would be perhaps, allow the adhesive to set and you have a custom table that everyone will admire.
Wood corbels are also perfect for creating shelves in your home. Everyone could use more shelf space and this is a very easy way to get it. Simply mount the corbels to the wall and attach the shelf-top to them. Again, these corbels can be finished or painted to match the surrounding décor and you have an easy, yet amazing accent to your interior design.
Decorative corbels have many applications on the inside of your home, but the thing they were originally intended for was exterior use and this is where they truly excel. There are so many uses for exterior corbels that it could not possibly be covered in a limited amount of space here. But whether your home is Victorian, New England or California Mission in style, there is a way to add interest and detail to your home.
One of the first places that is simple enough to add in some detail, yet is often overlooked, is the overhang of a second floor. Often times if you have a second floor there is some overhang somewhere, whether it be over the garage or the door. Why not accent this with decorative corbels? It is easy enough to find a corbel that would compliment your style of home, and if you wish you can even have a pattern custom made specifically for you if you can find nothing in existence that you like.
Another great area to add in a few accents is at the roofline. You know the place where your roof makes a nice “V” shape. Well, in between the two edges of the roof, there is a naturally made straight line there, and it is just begging to be accented. Get some simple, block like exterior corbels and install then along this line and it will bring all the attention straight to your home’s face and the uniqueness that it presents.
Decorative corbels are also perfect for highlighting your home’s window boxes. Or perhaps your home doesn’t have window boxes and you’d like to install them. Be sure to get some lovely exterior corbels that match the color of the window boxes and install them right underneath. One for each end of the box should be more than sufficient, although if it is a large window box then adding one in the middle might present a more finished look.
Any other way you may possibly use then, exterior corbels should bring focus to the part of your home that you want to highlight. If you are exceptionally proud of your bay windows, then this is what you should accent with the corbels. If you just love overhang over your door, then give this a little punch of detail with corbels. The options are only limited by your imagination.
Over the past few decades there have been thousands of different corbels that have come onto the market and become tremendously popular. Despite their popularity what exactly they are and how corbels came to exist is not very commonly known. In the most basic definition decorative corbels are a piece of stone, wood, or other material that juts from a wall to support a weight. Just what weight it is supporting is dependant on where it is.
But while performing this weight bearing function architectural corbels can offer a throwback to the past in the décor of your home. The name itself is derived from the French word for crow, since the corbel is shaped similarly to a beak. They can also be called a corbeau in France, a mensola in Italy, or a kragstein in Germany.
Architectural corbels are most well known for being used on the sides of churches and cathedrals as gargoyles. This of Notre Dame in Paris or the Gallarus Oratory in Ireland and you will see their influence in historical architecture. The appearance of decorative corbels through history does depend on that region of the world you are looking at.
For example, Romanesque corbels are often made of stone and elaborately engraved with animal or human figures, or mythological beasts. Italian corbels from the 16th century are generally made of wood and are mostly used to create very richly decorated balconies.
Another technique used with decorative corbels is a corbel arch. This is a method of construction that creates an arch using the technique of architectural corbels to span the space. This same method can be used to support a roof but is referred to as a corbel vault.
All of these types of corbels can be traced back to Neolithic times, making them some of the oldest architectural techniques. These days corbels are used not only as a way to provide structural support but also for simple home decoration as well. They are a very affordable way to add style and culture to your home, while maintaining your own unique sense of design.
When decorative corbels are used most effectively they will not be noticeable unless you are looking for them. They simply add an understated design element to your home that provides the right atmosphere without being overtly styled.
Some of the aspects of finding and buying antique corbels are similar to finding any other antiques. But some aspects of it are very different since you are not looking for something like a painting or an antique boot remover. You will be looking for a piece of architecture, and that means that you will need to adjust your strategy a little.
Sometimes you can find occasional antique corbels in an antique shop or an estate auction and things where you would normally look for antiques. The same goes for online auction venders like Ebay. You can find corbels on there from people who are moving or remodeling that want to rid themselves of their current corbels. However keep in mind that your choices will be limited. When people are thinking of selling antiques, they’re soon to be remodeled corbels are not usually the first thing that come to mind.
One of the easiest ways to find antique decorative corbels is to do a little dumpster diving. It sounds unpleasant but it really is not that bad. If you know of a building that is scheduled to be demolished they often bring in huge dumpsters for anything they deem to be valueless. Often, corbels will be on this list. Taking a look in these dumpsters can provide you with everything that you might need. If not, the demolition companies often take things back to their warehouse that they get on these jobs. That is probably where you are most likely to find your decorative corbels. If they have an overstock of them then you may even be able to haggle for a lower price.
Also, a lot of historical and charitable societies run salvage centers specifically for architectural salvage. This is another of the best ways for you to find decorative corbels for a very reasonable price. You can search for these salvage centers online or call around to a few demolition companies since it is likely they may donate some of their debris to these organizations.
Of course the antique corbels that you find in salvage centers and demolition warehouse may not be in the best shape. Often they have been damaged in the demolition process, but they are your best resource for antique corbels. Just keep in mind that you will probably have to do some type of reconstruction or repair on them.
Most decorative corbels are great to accent both the interior and exterior of your home. But it cannot be denied that some materials are better suited to being outdoors than others. Use of polyurethane corbels has increased a lot recently, and with good reason. But just what are the benefits of using this material?
Most of the decorative corbels made of this material are constructed with a high density furniture polyurethane. Typically they are cast with the use of a custom, hand made mold. Because they are cast with a mold, this makes them perfect for commercial contracts, or really any contract that will require large numbers of the exact same piece. Most contractors or carpenters simply do not have the time to sit down and hand carve several hundred identical pieces. This makes polyurethane the best and least expensive option in those cases.
Polyurethane corbels are also very durable because of the high density material used to make them. This also provides the added benefit of making them very resistant to large temperature fluctuations. This makes polyurethane decorative corbels ideal for outdoor architectural projects. The material used for these corbels also allow for a little bit of flexibility.
So, if the surface that you wish to use it on is not completely flat then this is a huge benefit. Most other materials would chip or break the decorative corbels under these circumstances, but the polyurethane would not.
One of the biggest drawbacks or using the popular wood corbels outdoors is that they warp, shrink, and swell if exposed to moisture. Using polyurethane eliminates this problem since moisture and temperature have no effect on it. So if you live in a place with big fluctuations in temperature and moisture throughout the year, these are the corbels for you.
In general you will also find that you can get the widest variety of corbel styles in this material since it is so easy to manufacture. Some of the most intricate designs and motifs would not be able to be done with wood since the structural value of the wood may be compromised. If you are looking for something that is very fancy and elaborate than these corbels are the first place that you should look. The benefits make it more than worth the search for the right ones.
Recently there has been a huge demand in commercial and residential housing to bring back a large amount of architectural detail. There is great demand to see less of the cookie cutter buildings that have cropped up everywhere and to make a residence unique and custom. One of the most popular ways to bring in that architectural detail is the use of cedar wood corbels.
These types of wood corbels are among the most affordable for a few simple reasons. One if that cedar wood is generally very inexpensive to get and is perfect for intricate carving designs. You can also find a multitude of local people that can provide the perfect decorative corbels for you; working locally can save you a lot of money.
Be sure to look for carpenters, trim companies, and siding companies in your search. Trim companies may be the best option since they cannot only build the cedar wood corbels but install them as well. If you have a very large project, like a commercial building, then a manufacturing company may be more able to handle that kind of mass production at a cheaper price. Also with mass production it may be better to consider using polyurethane corbels since the mold for the kind you want may already exist or is easy to produce.
If you need your corbels to be both structural and custom, then stick with the cedar wood corbels. They are among the most durable since they can be painted or sealed to preserve the wood. Cedar also contains natural preservatives that will help it resist the elements and make it perfect for exterior use. Cedar decorative corbels are a great way to add a unique touch to your home and make it stand out in your neighborhood. Using them under the eaves, in soffits, and on overhangs to be functional and add understated style as well.
Structural installations usually involve lag screws that are counter sunk through the corbels and then attached to a load-bearing beam of the home. These counter sunk holes are then covered for cosmetic purposes and to make the corbel appear as though it were part of the original structure. This sort of craftsman style with decorative corbels has been increasing in popularity recently since there is more of a leaning toward high quality and more elaborate detailing.
When you begin your shopping for corbels, you will likely notice that there are two different genres of corbels. There are the ready made, usually polyurethane, that are generally cheaper and able to be mass-produced. These are very lovely and great for any kind of corbel project that you have in mind. However, if you want to have something a little more custom and a little more special, you should be looking at the custom hand carved corbels. They are generally more expensive because of the amount of labor involved, but it is worth the cost for the craftsmanship alone.
As with most things that you think of when something being carved, hand carved corbels are primarily wood. Occasionally you will find them available in different resins, but wood is easier to work with and therefore most often used. The three woods that are most commonly seen are maple, cherry, and oak. This is probably due to a few factors. One is that these woods are very popular. They will obviously be very popular with decorative corbels since these woods are so popular in all aspects of home design. Second is that these woods are typically easy to work with, which keeps the labor costs down as much as possible. These woods also have the unique quality of really showcasing the minute details that are placed into it.
One of the best ways to find carved decorative corbels is to locate your local carpenters. Since this is a custom job, you will want the very best working on it. Nobody knows more about custom carving than a carpenter so you should definitely shop around with them first. Of course there are many carpenters who advertise their company’s hand carving services online and they may be even more affordable because of the nature of selling on the Internet. But you need to be sure that they are a reputable company that you can trust. Be sure that you do your research and that the company can provide references for their services.
If all of these measures to find a reputable carpenter fail then contact other contracting companies that sell decorative corbels. They may or may not offer hand-carving services, but some might. If they do, be sure to ask exactly what their process is for doing so and who will be doing the actual carving. Ask for examples of their work if you can.
