5 Ceiling Designs to Inspire You

Things are starting to look up, literally and figuratively, so I was inspired to post about ceilings. Often this part of the room can be ignored and just splashed with a bit of white paint and it’s done. In fact, the ceiling can be one of the most powerful design tools at your disposal. Here are 5 of my favorites, maybe one of them will inspire you.

1. Plank Ceiling

A beach home in Santa Monica uses a bleached oak plank ceiling.

This may be one of the most simple solutions, but depending on your style potentially one of the most effective. This bleached oak ceiling was the perfect feel for this Santa Monica beach house. It had just the right amount of coastal feel without getting nautical. We drywalled the ceiling and painted it black and then laid the planks so any gaps would not show the ceiling above.

2. Wallpaper

Wallpaper on the ceiling introduces pattern to a ceiling in a very cost effective way.

Wallpaper, despite the name, is not just for walls. I think it is a great way to introduce some pattern to a ceiling in a very cost effective way. In this Dining Room in Los Angeles we had very simply designed furniture and we felt that some design element was necessary so this drawn plaster wallpaper had just the right subtle feel for the space.

3. Painted Trim Ceiling

A flexible panel mould was used to create a design on this painted ceiling.

Now this one can take a bit of work, but if what you want is a totally unique ceiling design then this is for you. Painted ceilings have been around for as long as we have had ceilings, but in this room I used a flexible panel mould on the ceiling to create this design and then painted each section different colors. I was inspired by the plastered English ceilings I had seen in London years ago. Now this is a very traditional design, but you could create something much more modern or even art deco if that is your thing.

4. Wood Beam Ceiling

A wood beam ceiling is a great solution for a sloped ceiling.  Trusses were used to provide more detail and make the ceiling feel more substantial.

I have already shown a plank ceiling, which I thought was a great solution for a flat ceiling at the beach, however with a sloped ceiling, I think that adding beams makes the ceiling feel more detailed and substantial. In this Family Room in Hidden Hills, we used trusses to provide the additional look. As an aside note how we used small monopoint track lights attached to the beam to provide light in the middle of the room.

5. Groin Vaulted Ceiling

A groin-vaulted ceiling in a long hallway in a home in Beverly Hills.  The ceiling was inspired by old Tuscan villas.
5 Ceiling Designs to Inspire you

I will grant you that this is a ceiling that can be very hard to replicate, but it sure packs a punch. In a long hallway like this, adding a decorative ceiling can really help to make the space feel much more interesting. In this home in Beverly Hills we were inspired by the old Tuscan villas and hence this was the perfect solution for what we needed.

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