Georgian Architrave

Georgian proportion, not ornament

Georgian architrave is defined by restraint and proportion. Expect clean ovolos, fine steps and symmetry — detail that reads as quiet from across the room and precise up close. Of all the period architrave profiles it is the one that sits most comfortably in a modern house as well as an old one, which is why it is the safest era to specify when the house is not strictly Georgian.

Choosing a Georgian profile for your house

Georgian openings generally carry a wider architrave than a modern one — 95mm and up looks right against a tall skirting, where 70mm can look mean. Set it against the skirting first: the pair should share a profile, with the architrave the narrower of the two. Matching Georgian skirting boards, dado rails and panel moulding run in every profile here.

MDF or solid hardwood

The same profiles run in both materials. MDF architrave is the cost-effective choice for a painted finish; hardwood architrave suits a restoration or a doorway that takes knocks.

How Georgian differs from Victorian

Georgian is lighter and more geometric; Victorian is heavier, with deeper curves and more ornament. A Georgian room aims at proportion, a Victorian one at richness — so Georgian profiles tend to suit smaller rooms and lower ceilings where Victorian ones crowd them. Compare with Victorian architrave, or the lighter Edwardian architrave that followed.