Is coving out-dated?

[Suomynona]

I’m sure this has probably been discussed before, but would like some fresh opinions please – we’re renovating a 3 bedroom late 60’s semi for rental, and are now at the decorating / finishing stage.

We’ve gone for a pretty contemporary finish, and more high end than an average rental (we may live there ourselves at some point). Our target market is young professionals.

The dilemma is should we have coving? Our paintwork is neat so it’s not necessary from that point of view. My gut feeling is that it’s a bit old-fashioned, but am open to general opinion!

Thank you.

I'm a 26 year old professional and I wouldn't say it's out-dated but I honestly wouldn't care in the slightest if it was there or not. If it's not necessary and your paintwork is neat then I'd view it as a waste of money. I'm not at home at the moment and I genuinely couldn't tell you if my rented house has it or not - it's just not something that registers.

I wouldn't. In contemporary areas of my home I do not. You would not have cornice and picture rail in a sixties house - why add faux period features in a contemporary space. Agree with you. Also as a rental is just extra expense and really won't make a difference to your rental prospects.

I think it's less a question of being outdates and more how good your plasterwork is. If it's a scrappy join between wall and ceiling, some giving will help it look neater.

You don't have to have the fancy type. I've put plain fairly narrow coving in a fairly ordinary rental and IMO it looked a lot better - just looked more finished, and as if someone had taken that bit more care to make it look nice.

Yes. I can’t think of anywhere that I’ve seen deep coving recently! Or even in the last 10 years! Don’t do it. However we have a narrow wooden sculpted “strip” (about 3 ins - like a door frame) in our family room. It frames built in cupboards, along the top and down each side of them and around the room at ceiling/wall joint. We have a Hamptons look in the room and it’s painted white and it works.

Try and get a neat join between wall and ceiling and if it’s a bit dodgy, paint walls and ceiling the same light colour. Hides a multitude of sins.

We had it taken out. So I’d say it’s not needed!

I don't like the sharp corners look, it just feels cosier if the edges are dulled by a bit of coving. I can always tell just by the feel of the room, & without looking up, if a room has coving. We're early 30s & DH is a professional. I'm not overly style-concious though & have never been at all trendy!

If it's a boxy, modern 60's house, then coving doesn't go.
And I say that as as person who went cornice and ceiling rose crazy in her own property ;)

I grew up in a sixties house, coving downstairs, upstairs not.

It's personal opinion, I like it and think it finishes a room nicely.

I live in a 60s house. It has thin coving in every room. I would put it back in myself but I do like houses to look of their era and not made to look fake inside.

Personally I like it. I think it’s softens the room. I really think it’s personal choice. If you are considering living in the house eventually, then consider what you would rather see.

We have very simple coving in our rooms, I think it finishes them off nicely (house about 13 years old). I've seen other houses in our street without and the rooms look a bit unfinished?

I removed all coving in our house. I like sharp angles.

To illustrate things a little better:

Modern or mid-century (like pic 1) - coving doesn't go
More traditional or elegant interiors (pic 2) - coving goes.

Coving and 60's don't go.

I prefer no coving but as someone else said if the join between walls and ceiling is cracked or shabby coving does a good job of smartening it up.

Period property - yes to coving.

Mid-century onwards - no coving.

Thinking about this a bit more, period property doesn't necessarily look right with coving either. If there is an original picture rail then where the ceiling meets the walls is usually plain 90 degree angle I think.

I love coving. The photo is of the coving in our Edwardian living room. So, to me, it isn't outdated at all. But in your position, with a 60s house being prepared for rental, I wouldn't bother at all.

Renting with coving wouldn’t bother me. I would love picture rails as most rental agreements don’t allow for things to be put up on the walls

I think simple coving like MiniCooperLover's looks good. We have a 70s house and it didn't have any coving in when we bought it and the rooms looked very boxy. Sounds strange but I feel coving makes a room feel a tiny bit lighter - fewer deep corners and edges.

That said, check-out how much it will cost to put in - it worked out fairly expense for materials and that was with DH putting it up. I wouldn't put it in a rental property unless I was sure I was going to liver there at some point.

I love crown molding and think it really finishes off a room nicely. In fact, rooms without it always seem a bit unfinished, to me.

God no. Will looks silly in a 69s house - faux period feature!

@WellTidy I love yours, I'd do that to our rooms if DH would let me.

Thanks Gummy. Ours is original, so we haven't made a consious decision to have it. I do love it though. That said, I like a much more modern look too. So many lovely styles around.