There are SO many options for treating a ceiling to elevate (haha) the design of a room! Why have plain and boring when you can have a ceiling with panache and style? We’ve rounded up some inspiration here for you to try.

Fabric

Not only does fabric on the ceiling make a style statement, it also offers some sound reduction value. Upholstered ceilings are an elegant look. An upholstered ceiling with mitered trim can give a flat ceiling the illusion of being peaked. This article from House Beautiful has a gallery of tented ceiling inspiration1

Another way to use fabric is in billowy swags for an exotic canopy.

Hand Painted Designs

If you are artistically inclined, or have access to an actual artist, nothing beats a hand painted ceiling for unique and personal style.

The quintessential painted ceiling design is, of course, sky. Nothing gives a room an airy feel faster than a ceiling that gives the impression of the sky. This beautiful conferred ceiling is painted a sky blue with beams in white giving the impression of a pergola overhead.

Textured Metal

Of course corrugated tin is a popular motif with farmhouse style and industrial style buildings. But intricate embossed metal or pressed tin ceilings were popular in Victorian era buildings in the early 20th century.

Embossed tin is often painted but is available in a variety of metal finishes as well for a wide range of moods. Chippy painted embossed tin was a hallmark of the romantic shabby chic style that predates the farmhouse craze.

Beadboard

Beadboard is a classic ceiling for casual styles. It works well for coastal, farmhouse and rustic style homes. Available in both tongue and groove boards and as faux beadboard paneling, it is also an excellent solution to cover ugly popcorn finish or damaged plaster ceilings. Painted or stained it adds a great textural element.

Millwork

Similar to beadboard and also sometimes used in conjunction with it, millwork offers an even broader range of styles. From applied moldings to beams and coffers, there are many different kinds of millwork.

Applied moldings come in all shapes from curves to straight runs and can be arranged in any pattern. You can frame the edges, highlight a feature or light fixture, or cover the whole ceiling in a design. Moldings are even available in synthetic options which are impossible to distinguish from wood or plaster one they are installed and painted.

Ceiling beams can be decorative or structural, rustic or refined. Coffers, which means indentations in architectural terms, refers to a series of recesses framed by beams and arranged in a grid pattern. Care must be taken to keep the beams in scale with the room - heavy beams in a small or low-ceilinged room will be oppressive. Ceilings of 9 ft or higher are the best choice for using coffers.

Coffers are generally used on flat ceilings, but this Gentleman’s Farm in Topsfield we decorated had this original coffered and beamed ceiling in the vaulted dining room. The dark millwork keeps the large space more intimate. The ceiling in the coffers is painted a dark blue and the pair of chandeliers we added with gold lined shades cast a soft golden glow.

Coffered ceiling in a dining room by JRL Interiors, Acton MA, photo by Eric Roth

Wallpaper

And finally, try wallpaper on the ceiling for an easy way to add pattern, texture, and color. Well, easy is relative - doing anything that involves working over your head is not easy!

Patterned wallpaper, from dramatic bold geometrics to granny chic florals to elegant metallics that mimic gold and silver leaf, can transform a room.

This foyer ceiling is covered in a grasscloth woven cane pattern with a metallic background peeking through adding a soft glow when the lights are on.

Grasscloth is a wonderful texture to add warmth to a ceiling. Available in a wide array of dramatic colors and patterns as well as in natural, it can be used in between beams or inside coffers, or on its own.

I hope you’ve found some inspiration here for YOUR ceiling!