When renovating or decorating a room, one of the most impactful decisions you can make is choosing interior joinery that works together as a cohesive set. Matching your skirting boards, architraves and door frames creates a polished, professional look that ties the whole room together — and it's easier than you might think.
In this guide, we'll walk you through exactly how to do it.
Why Matching Matters
Mismatched profiles are one of the most common interior design mistakes. A chunky Ogee skirting board paired with a slim Square Edge architrave, for example, can look disjointed and unfinished. When your joinery matches, the eye flows naturally around the room, creating a sense of harmony and quality.
The good news? You don't need to be an interior designer to get it right. You just need to follow a few simple rules.
Rule 1: Match the Profile Style
The profile is the shape of the moulding when viewed from the end. The most popular profiles are:
- Torus — a classic rounded profile, suits traditional and period homes
- Ogee — an elegant S-curve, ideal for Victorian and Edwardian properties
- Bullnose — simple and clean, works in both modern and traditional settings
- Square Edge — minimal and contemporary, perfect for new builds and modern interiors
- Chamfer — a subtle angled edge, suits transitional styles
- Lambs Tongue — a delicate traditional profile, great for period renovations
- Ovolo — a bold, decorative profile for statement interiors
- Pencil Round — understated and versatile, suits most room styles
The rule: use the same profile across your skirting, architrave and door frame. If you choose Torus skirting, choose Torus architrave and a Torus door frame set. This creates a seamless, intentional look throughout the room.
Rule 2: Match the Height and Width Proportions
Profile style alone isn't enough — proportions matter too. A tall 145mm skirting board paired with a narrow 57mm architrave will look unbalanced. As a general guide:
- Standard rooms — 95mm skirting, 57mm architrave
- Rooms with high ceilings — 145mm skirting, 69mm architrave
- Contemporary minimal rooms — 68mm skirting, 45mm architrave
Your door frame set should complement these proportions — wider architraves pair naturally with chunkier door linings.
Rule 3: Match the Finish
At Univers, all our MDF skirting boards, architraves and door frame sets are available in both primed and unprimed options. For a consistent finish:
- Choose primed across all three if you're painting — saves time and gives a smoother paint finish
- Choose unprimed if you prefer to apply your own primer or specialist paint system
Mixing primed and unprimed joinery in the same room can result in inconsistent paint absorption and finish quality.
Rule 4: Match the Material
All Univers profiles are manufactured from moisture-resistant MDF — so your skirting, architrave and door frame will all behave consistently when painted, cut and fixed. This matters more than it sounds: mixing MDF with timber or softwood joinery in the same room can lead to different paint finishes and movement over time.
Our Recommended Sets by Style
| Style | Skirting | Architrave | Door Frame |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional | Torus or Ogee | Torus or Ogee | Torus Door Frame Set |
| Contemporary | Square Edge or Bullnose | Square Edge or Bullnose | Square Edge Door Frame Set |
| Period/Victorian | Lambs Tongue or Ovolo | Lambs Tongue or Ovolo | Ovolo Door Frame Set |
| Minimal/New Build | Chamfer or Pencil Round | Chamfer or Pencil Round | Chamfer Door Frame Set |
Shop Complete Sets at Univers
At Univers Skirting & Architrave, we manufacture all our profiles in-house in the UK, so you can order matching skirting boards, architraves and door frame sets in the same profile, same finish, delivered together.