Crown molding size recommendations for 10' ceilings?

That’s very helpful, thank you Bob Marvin.

I realized that I could get to the hallway cove from my stairway landing. It’s 10”, including the cove and the narrow molding on the top and bottom.

I’ll check out DecoCraft, thanks victorvictorian. I’d love to see the original crown moldings but the houses on either side don’t have them-the one that probably does seems mostly occupied by raccoons right now (this house is one of 4). We’ve got some original window and baseboards and they are large so maybe I should reconsider some that I’d ruled out because they seemed too big.

I don’t have the exact measurements in front of me, but we just installed some relatively historically accurate plaster moldings (from DecoCraft in north Clinton Hill). The designer/contractor picked out a few options from their catalogue, and my neighbor– whose home still has the original moldings– was kind enough to let me in to see them. I’d definitely recommend checking the homes of any neighbors with neighboring homes if they were built around the same time, since the same builder was probably responsible for them. And honestly, it wouldn’t be that much more expensive to have DecoCraft or a similar place cut a mold copying those existing moldings and then replicating them for you.

One thing I’ll point out, which may not be immediately obvious, but when you’ve got moldings on ceilings that high, the moldings themselves will actually be pretty tall when you see them up close. Just… you’re rarely going to ever be seeing them up that close! So don’t get too worried about them feeling overwhelming in the space.

Thanks, but no need to drag the ladder out 🙂

The ceiling is about 11’ high. I’m sorry but I can’t bring up a ladder now to measure

Bob Marvin, do you mind my asking the face measurement of your cove molding (if you know it) and ceiling height where it’s installed?

Thank you for the reply. I haven’t really settled on the style yet – I’m just kind of stuck on the size. I’ve actually ordered several samples and either they look too big or too small! I love cove molding and got a sample of that too but had decided that one was too big. Whatever I pick is I m probably going to attempt install first in the entry vestibule (I’ll try that myself) and hire someone for the parlor.

FWIW my 1899 house doesn’t have crown molding on the parlor floor. It has coved ceilings in the hallway and front and back parlors, outlined with fairly narrow plaster moldings. Perhaps that might be more historically accurate for a house of this age. Of course it also would be far more more difficult to install, so, IMO, if you like crown moldings go for it. While our ceiling cove is original I’m sure the paint co;ors aren’t especially historically accurate and I don’t care. [Ceiling cove and molding](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s1/:brownstoner:UDtg:ceilingcoveandmolding.jpg.jpg)