I have a hallway in my house with a thick doorway. It’s plain white and I wondered if I could add some decorations to it to make it little prettier? After looking on Pinterest at historic homes, I decided to do a DIY plaster appliqué doorway to add some much needed detail. This has European manor house vibes. Let me show you how I created it-

First, here’s a before picture of the doorway. It wasn’t offensive or anything, just a blank slate waiting for some magic!

I also wanted to show you the inspiration for the project. Arched Baroque doorways.

I’m choosing to not arch mine, but I found similar styles multiple times so I thought it’d be perfect to add to my historic home.

diy plaster applique doorway

SUPPLIES

Plaster of Paris
Disposable cup and knife
Latex paint in your color of choice (I’m using Glade Green and Ultra Pure White, both by Behr)
Onlay to make a mold from- Large Rosette
Putty Mold Making Kit
Baroque Silicone Mold (this is similar to the one I used. Mine is out of stock)
Wood Onlay Appliques Round
Wood Trim
Outside Corner Trim
Cove Molding
Stop Molding
Rope Casing
Fluted Trim
Miter Saw
Nail Gun
Construction Adhesive (make sure to get “Instant hold”)
Wood Filler
Finger Sander
Caulk

step 1- trim out the doorway

To begin the DIY plaster appliqué doorway, start installing trim. This project is fun because it’s so small in scale that scrap pieces from old projects can be utilized! The doorframe already had l-shaped outside corner trim. So we added that to the top of the doorway as well.

Then we continued with cove molding in the two top corners. Some stop molding to create 5-1/2″ squares 65″ up on both sides and across the top of the doorway. And some rope molding at the top and bottom of the sides below the squares.

Each square will have enough space for the plaster appliqués we’ll be making in the next step! Below the rope trim, we added a fluted trim. At the bottom of the wall is more rope trim and on top of that, we also put in more fluted trim.

All of the trim was cut on a miter saw before being brought inside to be installed. A nail gun is used to attach the trim to the walls.

For the final touch, we added some wood panel molding to create a rectangle in the bottom section. Plus, it went over the plain corner trim on both sides of the doorway. Without it, some of the trim sides were showing. This really helped finish the trimming off.

Once the trim is installed, fill all nail holes with wood filler. I like to apply two layers of wood filler and then lightly sand afterwards. Then, caulk all the seams. Use a wet finger to smooth down the caulk. Let dry.

step 2- make the plaster appliqués

Next, it was time to make some plaster appliqués. To do that, I used a plastic knife to mix equal parts Plaster of Paris and water in a disposable cup. Then I put it in my mold. I shook the mold well to remove any air bubbles and make sure the back lays flat.

After it set for 20 minutes, I took the set plaster out of the mold to reveal a beautiful appliqué!

I also created my own mold for this project. I took an appliqué I already had and then put equal parts of this putty on it. After drying for 30 minutes, it becomes a mold that I can use to make more appliqués. Note, if an appliqué breaks while de-molding it, just glue the pieces back together. I use E-6000 glue for this.

Of course, you can also just buy appliqués. This rose appliqué is $10 each. I also used these wood appliqués that are 4 for $14. Once I finished making and gathering all of my appliqués, I painted them Glade Green by Behr.

step 3- paint

And now, start painting. I began with using Ultra Pure White– the same color I have on all of my walls to paint the trim white. It took 3 coats to get everything totally white. But I did notice that I lost a lot of the details with the trim all painted one color.

step 4- attach the appliqués

Finally, take the appliqués and apply some construction adhesive to the back of them. Make sure to choose a variety that is “instant grab” so they’ll hold onto the wall immediately. Most construction adhesive doesn’t hold itself immediately.

Glue each piece on. Make sure to perfectly center the pieces.

This step is fast and so gratifying!

At this point I felt like the appliqués felt disconnected from the rest of the trim on the doorway because they were the only green items. So I painted more of the trim with the green paint. This was slow and took two coats, but was definitely worth it!

I had found this picture of beautiful green plaster flowers on the wall. It’s what inspired me to go green on the appliqués and trim. I love how it looks and I’d just finished the painting the ceiling green, so I had the paint on hand.

after

I really love how this DIY plaster appliqué doorway turned out! It feels like a historic home- full of detail and well thought out.

We have high ceilings in our house and the appliqués bring your eye up. I recently read that it is good for your mental health to look up in awe at things, so that’s an added benefit!

The green pulls in the painting on the ceiling of the hallway. And looks so cute next to the gingham pleated shade!

price breakdown

This project was not expensive because I had most of the supplies on hand and we used a lot of scrap trim.

We did buy $31 worth of the wood trim.

And I spent $10 on the silicone mold I used.

So in total, this project cost $41. Not bad for a statement doorway!

time spent

I did this project slowly over 4 days. With school getting out for my son, it was a busy week and we only had a few hours each day dedicated to working on it. It’d definitely be doable to get done in 2 days over a weekend.

I thought you’d like to see how the doorway looks at night with the lights on. It’s so cozy!

It’s also really nice next to the plaster living room ceiling. The large rosette is used on both projects to add a little continuity.

I am so happy with how this DIY Plaster Applique Doorway turned out. Adding the trim details and handmade appliqués gave this plain doorway so much more character and helped it feel like it belongs in an old historic home. It’s proof that even a small architectural project can make a huge impact and add a little extra magic to your everyday spaces.

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