Dado Rail Ideas
Dado rails are an easy, cost effective way to add a stylish finish to any wall. Whether your home is contemporary or classically inspired, there is an array of traditional and modern dado rail ideas which will help your home meet its true potential. In this blog, we’ll be exploring some of the best dado rail ideas and show you just how easily they can transform your decor.
What are dado rails?
In short, a decorative dado rail is a type of moulding fitted horizontally - or sometimes diagonally - to the wall. Usually running along the entire perimeter of a room, dado rails are often fitted above half height wall panelling kits to manifest a classically elegant appearance. While simple in design, a dado rail provides you with a dynamic selection of fashionable options.
Traditional dado rail ideas
One of the best ways to enjoy dado rails is as part of a classically designed room. By providing a natural break across the width of the wall, you are free to paint the space above the rail in any colour or, for a really stylish finish, apply an elegant wallpaper to the surface.
Traditionally, dado rails would be placed one third of the way up a wall to protect it from high back arm chairs. This height is ideal for many different styles, especially when paired with wall panels. When placed below a chic paint scheme or eye-catching wallpaper, a dado rail is perfectly completed with either wainscotting or tongue and groove panels.
To add harmony to the room, we recommend painting your dado rails and panels in the same colour. A top tip is to match the rail and panels with a shade in your wall paper, or - if you’ve painted above the rail - use a contrasting, richer shade of the same colour.
Modern dado rail ideas
While rooted in history, dado rails aren’t restricted to traditional home design styles - they can be ultra modern too!
In recent years, there have been some truly innovative approaches to using dado rails. In many spaces, the rail is much higher up the wall - similar to picture rails - and in others it’s used as a focal point on the wall.
To make a dado rail stand out, some innovative decorators have painted the whole wall a bright, modern shade of fuschia and painted the rail a brilliant white. Others have used refreshing, natural green shades and matched the rail with skirting boards and coving to give an almost striped effect.
Another exciting and dramatic way to use dado rails in a modern space is to fit the rails very high upon the wall. Once fitted, below the rail is painted in a soft, light neutral tone but the smaller section above, and the ceiling, are then painted in a vibrant hue of pink or coral. This inverts the traditional approach to painting ceilings and walls using dado rails as the perfect breaker.
Dado rail ideas by room
Dado rails can be enjoyed almost anywhere in the home, but the four best locations are living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and hallways.
For the living room, first decide upon the overall ambiance of the space. Is your living room cosy or chic, minimalist or maximalist? Once you have an overarching theme, finding the right approach to your dado rail should be easy. For chic minimalism, consider a dado rail with simple wainscotting. For a cosier space, combine a dado rail with MDF panels painted in a warm neutral shade. For something closer to maximalist, fluted or reeded MDF panels will add movement and peerless sophistication to your room.
The same flexible approach can be applied to both bedrooms and dining rooms. For bedrooms however, take into consideration the height of your headboard before fitting your dado rail, ideally it should run above the top of the board. For the hallway, a classic approach to dado rails is often best, especially when the rail runs parallel to the bannister. That said, a home should always be a representation of your own unique style so fit your rail in a way that best suits you!