6/29 Thoughts on Designing the 5th Wall (Ceiling Treatments)

Ceilings are often overlooked as a design element in a room.  Rather than ignore it and provide the default white drywall ceiling one should approach a room's ceiling as another surface that can help define the room and to the add to the room's aesthetic.  Possible ceiling treatments include moldings, trim, medallions, light fixtures, paint, textured finishes, skylights, trellis, exposed beams, bulkheads and coffers and the use of diverse surface materials such as wood planking, perforated metal panels, stamped tin, panels wrapped in fabric, draped fabric, and clerestory windows.



Glistening tin ceiling adds another dimension to room.



Coffered ceiling creates depth instead of the normal flat surface.



Recessed lighting and color used to turn ceiling into a major design element.



Vaulted ceiling used to provide depth and a visual contrast with the, of necessity, plain gallery walls.



Wood planked ceiling mirrors the wood floor and helps create the enclosed feeling of a room despite the lack of a wall on the right.