Taking Trim to Stairways, Walls and Lampshades

Most trim turns up on the edges of draperies, pillows and table skirts, but it doesn’t have to stop there.

“The uses for trim are almost limitless because it’s usually a small part of a larger treatment,” said interior designer Carol McMahon of Corona del Mar. “Trim is the fine detail.”

McMahon and Edward Goodman of Scalamandre, a company that makes silk trim by hand, offered these suggestions for unusual trim treatments:

* Instead of placing trim on the edge of your sofa or pillows, use it to create a pattern on the surface.

* Attach tasseled cords to pictures and mirrors to imitate the old-fashioned way of hanging objects from picture rails.

* In lieu of a banister, make a rail rope using thick, decorative rope with tassels that could be swagged through brass rings installed in the wall.

* Put trim on a lampshade.

* Tuck decorative rosettes with tassels into the rolled arms of furniture.

* Make an ottoman the focal point of a room by using bullion fringe and opulent trims.

* Upholster a wall and use five-eighths-inch braid or a rope to cover the staples.

* Put trim in unexpected places, such as an upholstered seat in a master bedroom.