Look Up and Dream: 11 Ideas for an Inspired Ceiling

There’s nothing wrong with a white ceiling. White works beautifully with most colors, and it’s an easy way to deal with vast stretches of open space. But sometimes it’s nice to create something special above your head. Drape your ceiling in fabric, cover it in tin (real or faux), apply a lustrous Venetian plaster, or layer on wood strips — the possibilities are endless. Here are some inventive solutions that might inspire you to look up more often.

This elegant sitting room in a historic Chicago house is adorned with a sinuous, one-of-a-kind plaster relief. Architects dSPACE Studio designed the ceiling, creating a custom plaster mold that was fabricated by a local company and finished on site.

The sultry gray wall color (Solitude by Benjamin Moore) complements the snowy ceiling and marble mantel, as do the dark-stained, wide-plank white oak floors.


Generally used outside on roofs, corrugated tin comes inside to make a design statement in this Colorado mountain home. These panels are reclaimed, and their well-aged look complements the rustic feel of the stone house. Note the wood valance at the roof-wall junction: a clever solution that provides space for LED strip lighting.


Even with spectacular views of New York’s Central Park, it’s still hard to miss the gorgeous ceiling here. Covered in silver leaf, in which thin sheets of silver are applied by hand, the technique provides a rich touch to the elegant room. The process is time consuming — and thus expensive — but as designer The Interior Edge points out, “There are metallic paints by Benjamin Moore if this is out of reach.”


Home to a lucky set of twins, this ethereal nursery has a ceiling draped in cream linen, artfully hung on PVC pipes. (Cleaning may be a concern, but a thorough weekly vacuuming would help to keep the dust down.) The sparkly Restoration Hardware chandelier, wide-striped wall (that’s Sherwin-Williams’ Balanced Beige and Alabaster) and chic chevron rug add to the appeal.


Built in 1956, this colorful midcentury modern family room still has its original cork ceiling with wood strips. Other modernist touches: the orange Jonathan Adler table, olive green Draper chairs (from Thayer Coggin), and the iconic George Nelson bubble pendant over the dining table.


Although this ceiling looks like vintage tin, it’s covered in a lightweight PVC tile designed to look exactly like metal. The color on these tiles is antique silver, which goes beautifully with the soft gray on the walls — Silver Lining by Benjamin Moore.


The ceiling of this Hawaiian living room features an interesting material between the wood beams and joists: woven bamboo plywood. Available from Amazulu, it highlights the polished wood beams and adds an island-appropriate texture.


The ceiling of this alluring bedroom is covered in a pale gray Venetian plaster (plaster mixed with marble dust, applied in layers and highly polished). The burnished surface gleams in the light streaming through the room’s French doors, accentuating the moody grays of the bed’s plush headboard and comfy settee.


The open-beam design in this Delaware beach house kitchen is as good looking as it is utilitarian. It allows the sun to flood in from the upper window (with its flashy red shutters), and provides an anchoring spot for a trio of Circa nautical-look pendant lights.


Here’s a easy way to add texture and interest to a standard stretch of white: just layer on squares fashioned out of strips of molding. Notice how the square motif is picked up in the pale orange buffalo-check fabric on the back of the dining chairs.


What child wouldn’t want to sleep in a tent every night? This room might be the closest thing, with its draped canvas ceiling and leather fasteners. The outdoor theme continues with the clever branch-like handles on the built-in chest of drawers.

More: 11 Reasons to Paint Your Ceiling Black

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