Cornice and architrave misalignment

[DanFtx]

Hi all,

This is the first time I am posting here as I cannot find an answer anywhere. I have an annoying problem with many possible solutions. I would like to find the best practice rather than a quick fix.
I just got my new timber box sash windows fitted today, and I am waiting for them to be made good next week.

Windows from far

Far.jpeg (297.39 KiB) Viewed 281 times

The problem: The new windows are all placed level and plumb. As you can imagine, in a victorian house nothing is straight. So the windows now are not aligning with the original swan neck cornice.
See photos and drawings below:

Photo closeup problematic corner (top right)

PhotoTopRightCorner.jpeg (157.5 KiB) Viewed 281 times

Photo from bottom right corner

PhotoBottomRight.jpeg (127.36 KiB) Viewed 281 times

How it should be

Shouldbe.PNG (146.68 KiB) Viewed 281 times

How it is from the right side

IsRightSide.PNG (273.51 KiB) Viewed 281 times

How it is from the left side

IsLeftSide.PNG (138.92 KiB) Viewed 281 times

How it is from the bottom right corner

IsBottomRightSide.PNG (254.42 KiB) Viewed 281 times

Solution 1: Architrave on window frame
The installer said that they will fit the architrave on the wood of the frames and then fill the gaps. The difference between the left-corner architrave-cornice distance will be much more visibly smaller than the right-corner architrave-cornice distance.

Solution 2: Architrave under and parallel to the last groove of the cornice
This means that the architrave will be uneven in the face of the wood frames, but we can add a long wedge between the architrave and the face of the wood frames, for the length of the gap, similar to this thread viewtopic.php?t=40881, but horizontally.

Solution 3: Remove the cornice and repair it to align with the face of the window frames.
I would love to avoid that, as it would be very difficult to recreate it and fit it. But also it could be done whenever I got time and I don't have to address it now.

I hope I was descriptive enough. Please provide me with your ideas and any other solutions too.

[Someone-Else]

Let the window fitters "make good" then worry about it. Look at it this way, does anyone come to you and tell you how to do your job?

[big-all]

Between waist height and eye level you will possibly notice two surfaces not parallel as your normal eye focus using the room above head and below knee unless massive you wont tend to notice once your obsession eases
it will off course still be there but short off rebuilding you need what is visually pleasing 90% -95%off the time
in general you can loose 20-25% difference over 6ft without it looking too bad you just need a plain unfussy surface to not draw the eye as in a plain triangle 6" at one end and 4.5" at the other minimum detracting visuals queues as opposed to pinstripes or ridges

ahh just realized its horizontal above head height well same applies it must be unfussy to minimize the attention it attracts

iff they are similar colours or different colours will also effect the choice tone off the infill but as it will be in the shadows from window and room lights probably matched to the darker tone

[Grendel]

It might be possible to remove the bottom section of the cornice and run it in closer to the line of the window . The discrepancy would then be on the flatter part of the cornice. An alternative might even be to put up a curtain pelmet which would hide the joint ( also makes curtains more efficient but that’s another matter) .
I’m assuming the windows fit into a brick rebate on the outside ? That could have been packed out a bit to ease the problem . Part of the issue is that many people work slavishly to the spirit level rather than relying on the eye . I put a window in today , it looked right and just for interest I put the level on it afterwards . It was around 5ft wide but an inch out of level across the cill .

[DanFtx]

I appreciate your help. @Big-all your point about colours and shades is very interesting. I don't have any harsh direct lighting in the room (no light bulb is visible), which I think might be a very good disguise. Also the difference on the two different whites will help too. I decided to let the installer add the architraves parallel to the window frame plane. There is no point in paying all this money for hardwood sash windows and trying to fix other problems with their finishing.

@Grendel, I was thinking to do something similar to your suggestion. The bottom of the coving is already damaged. I can try to recreate it using the architrave as the reference axis, so that the bottom of the coving and the top of the architrave will be parallel. If the result is bad, I can always fall back to the other options.

I will update on the progress. Thanks again