Wood Corbels

Wood corbels can really bring a home to life. I know, it's a funny little word and it even feels funny saying it.

The not so humorous thing is though most people don't even know what a corbel is and probably just heard the word and is trying to find some kind of information on them as it peaked their curiosity.

So before we get into everything surrounding a wood corbel and what you can do with it, let's try and answer some questions along the way like what are corbels? Why would I need a decorative corbel? Do people really hand carve corbels and how are corbels made. Follow along and maybe we'll all learn a thing or two as we delve into the wonderful world of wood corbels.

Before you know what a wood corbel is you gotta know what's a corbel? In architecture terms a corbel is a piece of material that protrudes out of the wall and is meant to support something. So a wood corbel would be this same thing but simply made of wood. Yes, corbels are made from all different kinds of materials like wood, stone, marble and even plastic. You can get wood corbels in just about any type of wood that grows from oak to ash, cherry to maple, aspen to even pine. If it's a specific timber that you are looking for, there will probably be a corbel made from it.

How long have corbels been around? Forever! Just kidding, but they've been around a very, very long time. Just think back to all the medieval pictures of castles and church buildings and fortresses. You can see corbels all over the exteriors of them. As you go back further and further in the history books you'll see if you take a closer look know that you know what they are that many early societies and cultures used these as structural and design elements in the housing that was built.

Where are corbels used? Well, these days they are used practically everywhere in and on a home and in just about any room where you can see the design element "fitting". One thing to note about wood corbels, you don't typically see them as an exterior design element to a home. Typically exterior corbels are made of marble and stone. Corbels are being used to not only support countertops, fireplaces, shelves and whatever else might need some support to stay up, but also as functional pieces where a large wood corbel may be used to support a vase on the wall or as bookends in a really great built-in bookcase. Home owners and builders are becoming very artistic in the design and construction of homes these days.

When you start talking about the decorative elements to these pieces you really need to start looking at the carved wood corbels. Some of them are simply fantastic. The one thing that you need to be careful of when you start to think about these carved items though is to not be misled. They are not trying to trick you or anything there's just two different ways to get a carved corbel. One method is in thanks to the advances in technology. There are actually laser cutting machines now that can mass produce carved wood corbels very quickly and with outstanding detail. The other way is the old-fashioned way, hand-carved by some excellent skilled craftsman. So if you're looking for a piece that can be talked about with all the handy-work that was put in it, make sure you are getting a hand-carved corbel versus a machine carved corbel. If that's not something that you're particularly into don't worry about it and go with the regular machine carved wood corbels, they are just as beautiful, just no story behind them.

Decorative wood corbels are more than just pieces of wood, they are so beautiful in fact that many people would consider them a piece of art rather than a shelf bracket. There are so many styles to choose from that you can almost get dizzy from checking them all out. They are turning into almost a piece of the platform rather than just something holding it up. People these days are using these decorative corbels in many different places throughout their homes including family rooms, living rooms and even the kitchen.

In family rooms and living rooms a common application for a decorative corbel is to be used as book-ends on large focal point bookcases, or on very visible shelves for that extra element of design. You might even see them as part of the shelf as well. They are being applied as mantle brackets over the fireplace, cut as cornices for the corners of the room, even as standalone window decorations that sit in the corner of the window sills. It's incredible sometimes to see the different pieces and places that people will use decorative wood corbels as part of their design element for their homes.

In kitchens they are using them as decorative elements to hold the ventilation over stoves, underneath corners of islands, and shelf brackets as well to store cookbooks and knick-knacks on.

It's crazy to see sometimes but if you can design it or visualize it in your head as to how you want it to look, you can probably find a use for a decorative corbel to really top it off.