Coving vs Cornice: What Is the Difference?
If you are renovating a period property, decorating a new room or simply looking to add more character to your home, you may have come across the terms coving and cornice.
They are often used interchangeably, but are coving and cornice actually the same thing?
The simple answer is that both coving and cornice are decorative mouldings fitted where the wall meets the ceiling, but cornice is generally the broader term and can include much more decorative and elaborate designs.
Coving traditionally refers to simpler, more uniform profiles, while cornice can range from understated mouldings to highly ornate period designs featuring steps, curves, enrichments and decorative details.
What Is Coving?
Coving is a moulding fitted around the top of a room where the walls meet the ceiling.
Traditionally, coving tends to have a relatively simple profile. One of the most familiar examples is the classic concave or C-shaped coving, which creates a smooth transition between the wall and ceiling.
Coving can be made from several different materials, including:
- Traditional fibrous plaster
- Lightweight polyurethane
- Duropolymer
- Polystyrene
- Gypsum-based materials
Simple coving is particularly popular in modern homes where the aim is to soften the junction between wall and ceiling without introducing too much decorative detail.
However, the word “coving” is now frequently used as a general description for almost any decorative moulding fitted at ceiling level.
What Is Cornice?
Cornice is also fitted at the junction between the wall and ceiling, but the term covers a much wider variety of profiles and decorative styles.
A plaster cornice can be extremely simple or highly detailed.
Traditional cornice designs can incorporate features such as:
- Swan neck profiles
- Stepped sections
- Ovolo mouldings
- Dentils
- Egg and dart detailing
- Beading
- Leaves and floral enrichment
- Decorative brackets and modillions
Cornice has been an important architectural feature in British properties for centuries, with different designs becoming associated with Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian and later architectural periods.
At Victorian Cornice Company, we manufacture our traditional plaster cornice by hand using fibrous plaster techniques, allowing us to produce everything from relatively simple period profiles to large and highly decorative designs.
So What Is the Difference Between Coving and Cornice?
The easiest way to think about it is:
Coving is generally a simpler type of cornice.
Both are fitted in the same area of a room, but the shape and level of decoration are normally what distinguish them.
| Coving | Cornice |
|---|---|
| Usually simpler in design | Can be simple or highly decorative |
| Often has a regular curved profile | Available in a huge variety of profiles |
| Common in modern properties | Particularly associated with period properties |
| Usually smaller and less prominent | Can be much larger and more architectural |
| Often used to soften the wall-to-ceiling junction | Can become a major decorative feature of the room |
There is no absolute rule, however.
Within the decorative plaster industry, the two terms are regularly used interchangeably. A product described as “Victorian coving” by one person might quite correctly be described as “Victorian cornice” by somebody else.
The important consideration is not necessarily what it is called, but which profile is right for the proportions and style of your room.
Is Cornice More Decorative Than Coving?
Generally, yes.
Traditional cornice often projects further across the ceiling and drops further down the wall than standard coving.
This gives manufacturers considerably more scope to introduce architectural detail.
For example, a traditional Victorian cornice might incorporate several different curves, steps and decorative mouldings within one profile.
A simple coving might consist of a single smooth curve.
That does not mean that every room needs an elaborate cornice. In many properties, a relatively simple plaster profile provides exactly the right amount of detail.
Coving or Cornice for a Period Property?
For a genuine period property, we would normally recommend choosing a profile that is sympathetic to the age, proportions and existing architectural features of the building.
A large Victorian property with high ceilings can often accommodate a substantial plaster cornice.
A smaller Victorian terrace may suit a more compact profile.
Georgian interiors often benefit from elegant, well-proportioned mouldings, while Edwardian properties can suit both simpler designs and more decorative cornices depending upon the character of the building.
The size of the room is just as important as its age.
Installing a very small cornice in a large room with a high ceiling can make the moulding disappear visually. Equally, installing an oversized decorative cornice in a small room can overpower the space.
This is why we always recommend considering both projection and drop when choosing a cornice.
What About Swan Neck Coving?
Swan neck is a good example of where the terminology begins to overlap.
People regularly search for both swan neck coving and swan neck cornice, and both descriptions are commonly understood.
A traditional swan neck profile incorporates an elegant S-shaped curve and is particularly well suited to Victorian and other period interiors.
We manufacture a wide range of handmade plaster swan neck cornices in different sizes, making it possible to select a profile appropriate for everything from smaller rooms to large properties with high ceilings.
Plaster Coving vs Lightweight Coving
Another decision is the material.
Traditional Plaster Cornice
Fibrous plaster remains the traditional choice for period properties and high-quality restoration work.
Its advantages include:
- Crisp architectural detail
- Authentic appearance
- Excellent definition on decorative profiles
- Ability to manufacture large profiles
- Ability to reproduce existing mouldings
- Bespoke manufacture when required
Because plaster cornice is handmade, damaged or missing original mouldings can also be replicated.
At Victorian Cornice Company, we can take moulds from existing cornice and manufacture new sections to reproduce an original design.
Lightweight Coving and Cornice
Modern lightweight mouldings provide another excellent option.
Ranges such as Orac offer lightweight cornice and coving manufactured from modern materials, with designs ranging from simple contemporary profiles to more traditional decorative styles.
They are particularly useful where reduced weight, quicker handling or additional features such as flexible profiles and integrated lighting are required.
The right choice therefore depends on the property, the design and what you are trying to achieve.
Can You Mix Coving and Cornice Within the Same House?
Yes.
There is no requirement to use exactly the same cornice throughout an entire property.
In fact, traditionally, important rooms often had more elaborate decorative plasterwork than secondary spaces.
For example, you might use:
- A larger decorative cornice in the living room
- A slightly smaller profile in the dining room
- A compact cornice in bedrooms
- A simpler profile in hallways or utility areas
The key is to choose designs that complement one another and suit the proportions of each room.
Should Cornice Match the Ceiling Rose?
It does not have to match exactly, but the two should work together.
A highly ornate ceiling rose combined with extremely plain coving can sometimes look unbalanced.
Similarly, a very decorative cornice with a tiny ceiling rose may not have the visual impact required.
The size of the ceiling, height of the room and overall architectural style should all be considered when choosing decorative plasterwork.
Do You Need Coving or Cornice?
If you simply want a neat, understated transition between your walls and ceiling, a straightforward coving profile may be ideal.
If you want the moulding to become part of the architectural character of the room, plaster cornice provides far greater choice.
For period properties in particular, carefully selected cornice can completely change the appearance of a room and reinstate architectural detail that may have been removed during previous renovations.
Handmade Plaster Cornice from Victorian Cornice Company
Victorian Cornice Company has been manufacturing and installing traditional decorative plasterwork for over 30 years.
Our range includes handmade plaster cornice, coving, ceiling roses, panel mouldings, corbels, arches and other decorative plaster products, together with a comprehensive range of lightweight Orac mouldings.
We can also reproduce original cornice where sections have been damaged or removed, creating bespoke moulds and manufacturing new plaster sections to match existing decorative plasterwork.
Our experienced installation teams undertake projects throughout the UK, from individual rooms and period-property renovations to large residential, commercial and restoration projects.
Looking for the Right Coving or Cornice?
Browse our range of handmade plaster cornice to compare different styles and sizes, or contact Victorian Cornice Company if you would like advice choosing a profile for your property.
If you require both supply and installation, we can also provide a quotation for professional installation by our specialist fibrous plaster installers.
