Ceiling Decoration Ideas
24th July 2013When it comes to decorating our homes, ceilings are often overlooked and left bare or just painted over with whitewash. This is a great shame and a waste, as this space could be used to great effect.
Grand ceiling designs really make a property; they can take a room that looks great and turn it into one that looks amazing. You only have to look back in history at some classic buildings and their elaborate, ornamented ceilings to see what we’re missing out on.
Ok, so you don’t have to go so far as trying to recreate Michelangelo’s grand ceiling paintings of the Sistine Chapel in your own living room, but there are a number of fabulous options available to help brighten up your ceiling and give your home that added wow factor!
Ways to Decorate your Ceiling
There are many different ways you can add interest to your ceiling, depending on your personal taste and the existing style of your property. You can use wallpaper in a similar style or colour to the walls to form a complementary look or you can go for something a bit edgy by creating contrast and using different colours, patterns and even materials for the ceiling.
When decorating your ceiling it’s important to consider how it will fit in with the rest of the room’s décor. In modern properties, the ceiling designs that work best are usually those that are subtle. Don’t be tempted to overdo it or go for something too overpowering or attention may be drawn away from key features of the room that you want to emphasise.
Provide a Focal Point for the Ceiling
Ceilings need a focal point, a key feature that adds interest and draws the eye towards it. Hanging light fittings can provide interest to ceiling areas and these can be complemented by ceiling roses and domes. These fabulous pieces of architectural moulding can bring a flat, boring ceiling to life instantly.
Ceiling roses come in a variety of styles with most featuring symmetrical patterns of a natural theme involving flowers and leaves. They are a popular feature of Victorian properties and look great in traditional homes.
Traditional Ceiling Design Ideas
If you’re lucky enough to be living in a Victorian, Georgian or Edwardian home with its original period features intact, then you may already have some elements of traditional ceiling decoration in your home.
During the Victorian era in particular, ceilings were viewed as just another surface with which wealthy people could show off their riches. As a result many properties from this period have decorative ceiling mouldings including ceiling coving, cornice and ceiling roses, with elaborate designs and intricate patterns commonplace.
High quality ornamentation was widespread in Victorian ceiling mouldings, with the classic egg and dart pattern being hugely popular during this time. Some design ideas came about from some of the limitations of the period, for example ceiling roses were originally used to protect ceilings from heat and charring caused by old fashioned light fittings. As it was easier to replace the ceiling rose than redecorate the ceiling, they quickly became a popular feature in Victorian homes.
Create Period Style in Your Home
As mentioned you may already have some features of a particular style era in your home, so when decorating your ceiling, it’s important to keep that style in mind. Choose elements that work well together. If you have traditional coving and cornice, you may want to choose a ceiling rose to complement this look. For more modern properties, ceiling domes or roses can create a more contemporary look to match your existing décor.
Decorating Properties with High Ceilings
High ceilings present a more difficult challenge to decorate. This is partly down to the height and the difficulty of reaching them, but also due to the vast expanse of space created in a room with a high ceiling. The ceiling should be decorated in a way that reflects the overall style of the room; otherwise it can appear divisive and unbalanced.
There needs to be interest to draw the eye upwards towards the ceiling in a way that celebrates and accentuates the height. This is why buildings with high ceilings often are those with the grandest decoration. For high ceilings choose grand light fittings and chandeliers combined with decorative coving to add elegance and class. Don’t be afraid to experiment with colour as this can help accentuate height and give a space unique personality. Be aware that dark colours may have a shrinking feel though, making the space feel smaller.
Adding other elements such as large curtains that cover the entire length of a wall or artwork is good for achieving impact, although this may give your home an art gallery like feel! It all comes down to your own individual taste and experimenting with what works and what doesn’t.
For some inspiration on how you can decorate the ceilings in your home, view our unique range of coving, cornice, ceiling roses, domes and tiles on our website.