Plaster Corbels, What They Are and Where to Use Them

A corbel is a bracket that projects from a wall, originally to carry weight above it, such as a beam, a roof timber or a stretch of masonry. Indoors today, plaster corbels are almost always decorative. They sit where an archway springs from the wall, under the ends of a cornice, beneath a beam, or either side of a shelf or mantel, and they add the sense of support and craftsmanship that a plain wall lacks. The important thing to know is that a decorative plaster corbel is not a structural bracket unless its maker says it is.

This guide covers where corbels come from, where to use them, the main styles, how they are fixed and how to finish them. You can see the corbels and mouldings we supply and fit on our plaster cornice and coving page.

Where corbels come from

Britannica describes a corbel as a bracket or weight carrying member built deeply into a wall, so that the pressure on the embedded part counteracts any tendency to tip outwards. It links the name to an old French word for a crow, from the shape's likeness to a beak. Corbels could be single stones working like brackets, or continuous courses of masonry, for example under a projecting oriel window.

Medieval builders made corbels both useful and expressive. Writing on buildingconservation.com, conservation specialists explain that corbels were placed under principal roof beams and wall posts, visually linking the roof to the wall, and that Romanesque churches had corbels below the eaves carved as animals, figures or grotesques, with origins in classical brackets. The V&A holds a carved sandstone corbel from South West England, dated around 1125 to 1150, carved as a grotesque head with hands pulling at its mouth, and it describes as a projection of stone, timber or other material jutting from a wall, usually supporting a weight above.

Corbels, brackets and consoles

The words overlap. Britannica defines a console as a type of bracket or corbel, particularly one with a scroll shaped profile, an S curve ending in spirals, used to hold a window head, cornice, shelf or sculpture. In practice, a corbel often means a solid, blocky bracket, and a console means the scrolled version. Many decorative plaster corbels are console shaped, often dressed with acanthus leaves.

Where to use plaster corbels

• Archways. A pair of corbels at the point where an arch springs from the wall is a classic way to use them, and it gives a plain opening between two rooms a finished look.
• Under cornice. Corbels set at the ends of a run of cornice, or at regular spacing beneath a deep cornice, add rhythm and depth.
• Beneath beams. A corbel at each end of an exposed or boxed beam makes it look properly carried.
• Shelves and mantels. Corbels either side of a shelf or mantel shelf look the part, but read the section on fixing below before you put anything heavy on top.
• Alcoves and niches. A single corbel can act as a small plinth for a bust or vase, as long as the load is light and the fixing is right.

Corbels belong to the same family as cornice, ceiling roses, which you may also see called ceiling medallions, and plaster columns and pilasters. Choose them together, close in period and weight of detail. Our guide to choosing a plaster ceiling rose covers matching roses to a room.

Styles of corbel

• Classical scroll. The console form with a volute at top and bottom, often with an acanthus leaf down the front. Its classical roots make it an easy fit in Georgian and Victorian rooms.
• Foliate. Richer leaf and flower work, which pairs well with a deeper, more decorated cornice.
• Gothic. Carved heads, foliage or stepped profiles, inspired by medieval church work.
• Modern and plain. Simple stepped or curved blocks with no ornament, which work well in contemporary rooms and with sculptural plaster walls.

Fixing corbels, structural or decorative

This is where care matters. A stone corbel in an old building works because it is built deep into the wall. A decorative plaster corbel is fixed to the surface, so it is only as strong as its fixing, its material and the wall behind it.

• Treat plaster corbels as decorative. Unless the maker states a load it can carry, do not use a plaster corbel to hold up a shelf, a mantel or anything heavy.
• Hide the real support. If you want the look of corbels under a working shelf, the usual answer is a concealed steel bracket or fixing that takes the load, with the corbels purely for show.
• Follow the maker's fixing method. Decorative corbels are usually bonded with a suitable adhesive and mechanically fixed into a sound background. The right fixings depend on whether the wall is brick, block, plasterboard or lath and plaster.
• Check the wall. Loose or hollow plaster will not hold a corbel safely. In an old house, sound out the wall before you drill.
• Anything structural needs a professional. If a corbel is genuinely meant to carry weight, from a beam or masonry, speak to a structural engineer or builder, not a decorator.

Finishing plaster corbels

Once fixed, the joint between corbel and wall is filled and rubbed back so the corbel looks as if it grew out of the plaster. Plaster corbels can be left a soft white, painted in the wall or trim colour, or picked out in a contrast. On detailed corbels, thin coats keep the carving crisp. For a richer room, corbels can be gilded in gold, silver or copper leaf, either all over or just on the raised detail. Our gilding page explains how we pick out corbels, cornice and columns.

Questions we get asked

Can a plaster corbel hold a shelf?

Not on its own, unless the maker states that it is designed to carry a load. Use a hidden bracket for the shelf and let the corbels be decorative.

What is the difference between a corbel and a bracket?

A corbel is a kind of bracket. Traditionally it was built into the wall to carry weight, and the word is now used loosely for decorative brackets too.

Do corbels suit a modern home?

Yes, in plain stepped or curved forms. A pair of simple corbels under a floating shelf or at an arch can look very clean.

Do you supply and fit plaster corbels?

Yes. We supply plaster corbels on their own, or supply and fit them with the joints filled and finished, across the UK including London, Birmingham and Manchester.

Where to go next. See the corbels, cornice, roses and panel mouldings we supply and fit on our plaster cornice and coving page, or send a photo of the arch, beam or wall through our contact page and we will suggest a style and size.