If you have been following along with my Hollywood Regency Guest Room remodel you will already be familiar with this view. I did quite a few DIY projects in this space but today’s DIY Scalloped Window Cornice Board has to be my favorite. I never loved the ’90s orange slice window but I do love the light it provides in this room. The goal here was to give this window a little more style without losing any of the light.
Inspiration
The idea for this new cornice board was inspired by the opulent draperies at The Greenbrier Hotel designed by the iconic Dorothy Draper Curtains and cornice boards like the one seen below were the inspiration for this project.
The Shape
The first step was to work out the shape. Using a roll of brown craft paper I created a mock-up to get the shape just right. I added a border in green painter’s tape to give me a better idea of the finished border. Then I taped it in place to see how I liked it.
The Build
Once I had the shape finalized I used the template to create the base for my cornice. I built a 2×4 frame which I would use to attach the cornice to the ceiling. I used a jigsaw to cut the shape of the cornice out of plywood. For the cornice board, I had to get a little creative. The wall length is more than a sheet of plywood. I was concerned about having a seam in the middle and the weight of the fully constructed cornice. I decide, rather than a single thickness of 1/2″ or 3/4″ plywood, I would cut the shape out of thinner 1/4″ sheets.
To keep this thinner plywood rigid and the center seam tight I cut a second thickness of 1/4″ plywood for the center of the arch and along the bottom edges.
Using wood glue and a lot of weight I laminated the two thicknesses of plywood together along the bottom edge. Adding thickness to the center arch will be saved for later.
With the plywood sheathing off I attached the frame to the ceiling at the studs. By doing this without the sheathing, the frame has a little more flexibility can be pulled open a bit to get it fitted into the eave just right. It is also lighter and gives you better access to the points where you need to screw into the studs.
Now with the frame fitted you can attach the two halves of the front panel. I used my nail gun to attach them to the frame.
Once you have the front attached you will take the whole unit down. Using the same method as before we glue and weight the two sheets of plywood and leave them to dry. This creates a tight seam in the middle with a rigid edge.
The Upholstery
With the frame complete we are ready for upholstery. Here I ordered a full bolt of cotton twill and 4 yards of heavy quilt batting.
Lay out the fabric, then the batting, and then slide the whole cornice on top.
Then cut off the excess around the entire cornice base leaving about 3″ of overhang.
Now it was time to attach the upholstery. I use a pneumatic upholstery staple gun but a standard staple gun will work too. Starting in the middle go around the edges pulling the fabric tight and securing it with staples. Work in sections stretching and stapling each section at the top and bottom before moving on to the next section. You can see I am using a webbing stretcher to help pull the fabric tight as possible.
Where the edges curve you can cut small clips into the fabric edge to help it stretch more smoothly around the curve. When I got to the final edges I tilted the cornice up to check my work. I attached the upper corner last so that I could pull at an angle if any spots needed smoothing out.
The Details
With my scalloped cornice board upholstered I was ready to add my black trim detail. If I were doing straight lines I might have used a ribbon-type trim but I had some interesting curves I needed to make. My solution uses black fabric ironed to the fusible web to create appliques. Fusible web simply irons onto the back of the fabric and can then be cut to any shape you like. I used my template again to cut patterns for these shapes and then cut them out. After that, it is just a matter of ironing them on. When doing this you don’t want to press too hard on the appliques since the polyester batting beneath can melt if given too much heat. Just a light ironing, enough to adhere the applique to the cornice board. This will not be bent or handled so it will hold with any extra stitching.
I used stationary curtain panels which I hung on short rods before rehanging the cornice board just as it was before.
The Results
The results, a DIY scalloped cornice board that has all the luxury of a Dorothy Draper design at a fraction of the cost. The added bonus is learning to love my 90’s orange slice window.
