Ceiling Design
Ceiling - the largest unused area of a room - has been given special
attention for hundreds of years. In many current interiors, the
ceiling's potential to add character to the room has been neglected. In
recent years changing interior styles have produced exhilarating ceiling
designs, which add new dimensions to interior space. With smart interior
design through the use of creative materials and finishes the ceiling
can become the focal point or an important backdrop for other interior
elements. Add welcoming dimensions to your ceiling by bringing
decorative ceiling elements: ceiling medallions, ceiling rims, beautiful
moldings and ceiling domes. Whether it is a Historical restoration, new
construction or remodeling with our products you can create impressive ceiling design
When ceiling become enclosure of our private heaven...
In grand houses the ceilings were tall, vaulted, and the ceiling design was elaborately ornamented. Some ceilings were carved of wood and were
beautiful in their own right. Look up at all the beautiful ceiling designs wherever you travel. Take picture, gather inspiration, because when
you return you can implement it in your ceiling, creating your own grand ceiling design.
Our Days Ceilings
Ceiling today don't carry the same visual impact, yet
the ceiling is a fundamental feature that contributes to the overall
presentation and feel of a house. One of the greatest differences between the
decoration of houses one hundred years ago and now is that today there is an
appalling disregard for the ceiling design and aesthetic dimension of a
ceiling. While ceiling take up the same space as the floor, few people
consider spending even a fraction of their decorating budget on the ceiling
design to make ceiling beautiful.
Think of your ceiling as the sky. Whether the roof of a house is flat, sloping,
or curved, most interior ceilings are flat, mirroring the image of the floor
in size and shape. If your ceiling isn't flat or symmetrical, consider
correcting it. Feng shui practitioners believe that an angled ceiling
dissipates energy. If you have a gable roof with exposed interior beams, the
symmetry of one part answering to the other is visually pleasing. The slopes
of the ceiling can be painted sky-blue in contrast with the wall color to
give both wall and ceiling definition.
Although modern architecture does not emphasize ceiling, you can make your
ceiling design more fascinating by learning how to create ceiling illusions.
If you have unavoidable structural elements as part of your ceiling, such as
air conditioning ducts or beams in awkward places, make them part of the room
color scheme rather than trying to hide them, because that often draws more
attention to the problem. It's forgivable in ceiling design for an old house to
have some pipes running along a ceiling, whereas boxing them in would lower
the height of the ceiling, making you feel crushed.
Ceiling in houses and apartments usually range from about eight feet to an
expansive twelve feet high. Many New York apartments are prewar buildings with
ceiling averaging nine feet six inches high; most newer buildings have lower
ceilings. Ideally, the ceiling height should be in proportion to the size of
the room. The larger the room, the higher the ceiling can be and still
please the eye.
A Suspended Ceiling Design
If you have a suspended ceiling, it is a popular element that serves a great
purpose in the modern interior. The “areal” design of the suspended ceiling
does not have any particular boundaries—from the older houses and apartments
with ceilings that range from about 8-12 feet to the office buildings and
newer homes. The suspended ceiling has a great use in reducing noise levels
and creating particular acoustic in the space. It is also a great element to
add a dramatic impact in the space without feeling the need to clutter it
with furniture to overcompensate for the blandness of the space. With the
right lighting it becomes an indispensable architectural part of the room. A
big plus with the suspended ceiling is that it transforms a flat and
overwhelming space—a suspended ceiling is a way to sculpt the room from a
box to a uniquely shaped masterful space.
Suspended ceiling consists of a metal casing that is suspended in the corner
and the actual surface that will allow for lights/ architectural details
(such as ceiling medallions or appliques)—also, depending on the placement of the
suspended ceiling, you may use it to creatively cover up grates or any
elements of the space that you would not want to be shown. The most common
materials that are used to create a suspended ceiling are metal and wood
panels—you can also use different materials for faux finishes and other effects
on the ceiling. You can use the metal frame and the wood panels as the skeleton
and then use plaster to smooth over it making it look like the original
architectural aspect of the house.
Ceiling Design Tips
Creating Illusions
Many large rooms with high ceilings in apartment
buildings have been divided into smaller rooms, creating awkward
proportions. Rooms feel most comfortable when they are squares or fat
rectangles. A tall ceiling in a small space makes you feel as though you're
in an elevator shaft.
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Ceiling ornamentation that borders the ceiling
rim - strong architectural detail that draws the eye down from the ceiling.
- Painting your ceiling a dark color also has the effect of bringing the
ceiling down.
- Blue ceiling because of their association with sky,
will always make you feel as though you are looking up to infinity. Painting
clouds on the ceiling evokes the ancient Chinese meaning of wisdom and
heavenly blessings.
- Chinese silver or gold-leaf rice paper installed in
squares in a small for small room warms the ceiling so it shines like the
sun to warm you emotionally.
- There's nothing more effective in bringing a ceiling down than a shimmering
crystal chandeliers,
brass chandeliers or
lanterns. In a small room with a
fourteen-foot ceiling, chandelier can became the sky, the sunset, and the spirit of place.
Some ceilings feel oppressively low, especially to tall people, to people
accustomed to being outdoors, or to those living in older, classical
architecture.
- By painting all the ceilings a soft glaze of blues and white,
an Impressionist cloud illusion, joy will feel lifted up, expansive, and cheered.
- By keeping the height of the furniture low, the ceiling appears higher.
In the eighteenth century, small rooms with low ceiling were easier to heat.
The same applies today. New England has severe winters, and heating bills are
high enough. Small rooms with low ceiling in old houses have an exclusive charm
and atmosphere. Built to accommodate the local climate, these small rooms make
you feel cozy, not cramped. Even for tall people, these small rooms seem
inviting when the colors are cheerful, there's good lighting, and the taste and
style reflect the owner.
There are several architectural elements that
create vertical "orders" on the walls and help add height to a low-ceilinged space.
- Pediments and
pilasters will bring your eye upward creating illusion of ceiling height.
Just as a crown molding can bring a high ceiling down visually because of its
architectural projection, a substantial crown molding can also draw the
eye to the height of the room. Keep in mind the eye wants to be pleased by
ceiling decor.
- By adding attractive details that enhance the scale and proportion, you are satisfying the eye.
To literally gain height in a room, in some cases it is possible to cut out a ceiling, opening up your
room to the roof height. This way you may also gain another window from the
attic. The "great rooms" that now omit formal living rooms incorporate the idea of openness and light.
Creative Ceiling Design
Be creative with your ceiling design. Look up at your ceiling. As each room has a different ceiling that affects the feeling of the
space, a range of creative options is available to you if you decide your ceilings deserve or need decorative attention. Lighting, texture, paint, paper,
and fabric can all be apply to your ceiling. In a coat closet, for example, to bring a too-high ceiling down, you
can have your walls shirred in a blue-and-white small-scale print and tented the
ceiling so the eye is delighted with the color and texture of the rich folds of
fabric. In the center of the ceiling where the material gathered together, hang
a hand-painted lantern in blues and greens. If you have beautiful carving or
plaster work, it can be articulated and enhanced.
If your ceiling is low, you can make the space feel more expansive
by installing our architectural products. Installing
crown molding with indirect
lighting will flood the ceiling with light and create a beautiful ceiling design
with an illusion if height. Adding a ceiling dome a great way to create a felling
of a high ceiling. Check our our extensive ceiling domes collection. If you already have a ceiling dome, color and a decorative
chandeliers may be what you need. If you have a cathedral ceiling with exposed
structural beams, you may want to color them in bright, fresh shades in your
ceiling design rather than use the traditional dark stains.
Walls and ceiling take on different moods throughout the day and at night as
well as at different times of the year. Be aware of the wide range of creative
ceiling design options and have the courage to make changes so your walls and
ceiling feel right for you.
Ceiling, in addition to protecting you from bad
weather, should allow you to feel free and open, as the sky.
