100 Rooms
INTERIOR DESIGN MASTER CLASS:
100 Rooms
SEPTEMBER 2025
Millwork
by GLENN GISSLER
Photography: PETER MURDOCK
Originally Published in INTERIOR DESIGN MASTER CLASS: 100 Rooms
One way to make a room memorable is by installing millwork, which refers to anything made of wood that is applied to surfaces other than the floors of a home. As a rule, millwork is architectural and permanent. It includes moldings, paneling, star banisters, cabinetry, and window and doorframes. Functionally, millwork addresses specific construction issues. It can smooth transitions from laster walls to wood floors and from walls to ceilings. It also helps to integrate openings in walls, such as doorways and windows. Kitchen, dressing room, and bat cabinetry are also considered millwork when either fashioned from wood on-site or crafted in workshops and then transported to a home.
Millwork can employ shadows and material contrast to add interest to an interior or, in the case of more minimalistic approaches, limit shadows to make interior surfaces appear more planar.
In Edith Wharton’s seminal volume on decoration, The Decoration of Houses, she speaks broadly about the importance of simplicity and restraint in millwork. She advocates for appropriately scaled designs that enhance architectural harmony with elegant proportions and reinforce hierarchies of rooms.
Millwork comes in a wide range of styles, from classical and orange to modern and minimalist. Traditional styles often feature intricate carvings, moldings, and detailed paneling. (Looking for more on traditional designs? Check out the essential references Traditional American Rooms: Celebrating Style, Craftsmanship, and Historic Woodwork and Roberts’ Illustrated Millwork Catalog: A sourcebook of Turn-of-theCentury Architectural Woodwork.)
In contrast, contemporary millwork favors clean lines, smooth surfaces, and subtle geometric patterns. It focuses on functionality and simplicity. Modern interior architecture can be distinguished from other styles by its lack of millwork or an attempt to have the millwork visually disappear.
Transitional millwork combines strategies from traditional design with cleaner, more modern sensibilities to create the types of spaces that suit many people today.
Millwork surfaces may be sealed or stained to take advantage of wood’s natural characteristics, or they may be painted. The choice largely is based on the type of wood used and the intended decorative effect and function. Invest in high-quality materials and skilled craftsmanship, as millwork is a long-term feature that adds value and aesthetic appeal to a home.
