Stop Neglecting Your Ceilings! Creative Ceiling Design Ideas: Alternatives To The Wood Slat Ceiling
If there’s one thing I constantly hammer home when doling out design wisdom, it’s this: don’t let your ceiling sulk in the shadows! Cookie-cutter houses may have lulled us into neglecting our fifth wall, but I’m here to give you some ceiling design ideas and rescue your ceilings from obscurity!
So, my wood ceiling lovers, vertical wood slat enthusiasts, lend me your ears (and your ceilings). As a proud wood slat ceiling enthusiast myself (check out: HOW TO: DIY A Woods Slat Ceiling), I’m going to regale you with some brilliantly beautiful ceiling ideas to inspire your next room overhaul.
Add Rusitc Charm With A Tongue and Groove Wood Ceiling
“Tongue and groove ceilings provide a traditional warm, authentic ceiling design, and can provide a great cover up for an ugly ceiling!”
In our recent blog post on “Triple Bunk Beds for a Shared Small Bedroom,” we embarked on a journey to transform our girls’ shared bedroom into a cozy haven. One of the standout features of this makeover was the introduction of a Tongue and Groove Wood Plank Ceiling. This ceiling design not only added visual interest and character to the room but also exuded a warm, rustic charm reminiscent of a cabin vibe, which was exactly what they wanted 🙂 To achieve this, we carefully sanded, stained, and sealed the wood planks, giving them a rich and inviting tone that instantly made the space feel like a woodland retreat. The result was a ceiling that perfectly complemented our triple bunk beds and brought a touch of the great outdoors into our girls’ shared bedroom.
Explore New Heights Trying a Wallpapered Ceiling
“Using wallpaper on your ceiling adds a touch of uniqueness and style to your space, enhancing its visual appeal and making it a more distinctive part of your room’s design.”
It may be called “wall-paper”, but this out-of-the-box design idea is all the rage and for good measure. Beyond the traditional painted ceiling, wallpaper opens up a world of design possibilities. It adds texture, pattern, and color to a space that’s often overlooked. With carefully chosen wallpaper, you can create a cozy atmosphere, draw the eye upward, or even mimic the look of a starry night sky. Whether you opt for subtle elegance or a bold statement, wallpapered ceilings provide a unique opportunity to personalize your space and make it truly unique. It’s a design choice that adds visual interest and brings your interior decor to new heights…literally!
Here are some of my favorite wallpaper designs for the ceiling:
Turn Back Time to A Coffered Ceiling
“Coffered ceilings offer both form and function, turning ordinary rooms into extraordinary spaces with their striking visual appeal and acoustic advantages.”
Another great ceiling design idea is a coffered ceiling! Coffered ceilings are making a stylish comeback as these architectural show-offs add a layer of elegance to your ceiling that’s fancier than a top hat at a tea party. Best for ceilings 8 feet or higher, they’re like the high heels of ceilings, adding some much-needed height to your space. It really provides a sense of depth and dimension. It’s a versatile choice, whether you’re going for a classic, traditional look or a more modern aesthetic. Their visual appeal can also help draw the eye upward, making rooms feel more spacious. Additionally, they offer an opportunity for personalized creativity with various paint colors and finishes. You can paint between the beams, and add wallpaper or stain the wood.
Add Some Elegance With A Ceiling Medallion
“A ceiling medallion not only elegantly frames your light fixture but also adds a touch of timeless charm, turning your ceiling into a work of art that effortlessly ties the room’s decor together.”
For those who appreciate an approachable yet practical ceiling design idea, consider the use of ceiling medallions. These unassuming yet highly effective elements bridge the gap between your ceiling fixture and the otherwise plain ceiling surface. Today’s ceiling medallions are designed with cost-efficiency and convenience in mind. They are crafted from lightweight coated polyurethane foam, a modern alternative to the traditional heavy hand-molded versions.
Rather than being individually crafted by artisans, they’re mass-produced in factories and readily available at major home improvement stores like Lowes or Home Depot. To make the most of your ceiling medallion, ensure it’s sized to be almost the same diameter as your chosen chandelier. For a comprehensive guide on selecting, installing, and choosing the best materials for a ceiling medallion, refer to my article on “12 Ceiling Medallions For Under $100.” You’ll find all you need to know about these practical and aesthetic enhancements for your home decor.
Try Beadboard Ceiling Panels
“Beadboard is an excellent choice for those just starting out in DIY looking to add dimension to their ceiling. It’s a great way to hid uneven ceilings by using shims and is relatively inexpensive.”
Julia Marcum, shows us above in her primary bedroom just how beautiful this often neglected ceiling design ideas can be. The beadboard draws your eye straight up, immediatly making the room feel regal and thought out.
Beadboard ceilings are also excellent for concealing imperfections, like cracks or stains, and offer easy access to utilities hidden in the ceiling. They are cost-effective and can be installed without extensive labor, making it a budget-friendly way to enhance your interior decor. With a range of paint colors and finishes, beadboard ceilings provide endless opportunities for personalization, allowing you to match your home’s overall aesthetic. Whether you’re aiming for a rustic farmhouse look or a coastal cottage vibe, a beadboard ceiling is a practical and aesthetically pleasing choice.
Incorporate Ceiling Beams
“Ceiling beams provide height and lenght to the room while drawing the eye upward. It is a desing element that has stood the test of time.”
My mind was blown seeing the photo above designed by the amazing Amber Lewis of Amber Interiors. To even think of placing the beams so precisely on an arched ceiling is a true game of tetris and design function.
Ceiling beams are the heavyweight champs of ceiling design. They’re the stars in custom-built and older homes, boldly exposing those hidden ceiling joints. With a variety of styles to choose from – whether it’s the warmth of stained wood, the crisp look of paint, or even the illusion of faux beams – they’re the head-turners that elevate your space. Furthermore, what’s truly enchanting is how they effortlessly direct your gaze upward and infuse a healthy dose of drama into your room’s story.
Jessica Helgerson of JH Interior Design incorporated understated, petite beams into this bedroom’s decor, painting them with a cozy, warm gray hue. To recreate similar ceiling design ideas like this aesthetic without breaking the bank, consider using affordable, squared-off 2x4s.
Be Unique With Stained Wood Crown Molding
Stained wood crown molding is a true design sentimate to archictural millwork and often seen in Northern American homes still preserved since the 1900s. They offer a beautiful decorative cornice at the intersection of a ceiling and wall.
Richly stained wood trim, such as this walnut-stained crown molding showcased by @pinestreetcarpenters, imparts an air of classic sophistication to your surroundings. Unlike MDF, hardwood trim boasts superior durability and enhances even straightforward profiles with intricate, well-defined details, as elegantly illustrated here.
A true design classic, stained wood crown molding stands as a unique and imaginative choice for ceiling design ideas. Additionally, it’s warm, rich tones add an immediate touch of sophistication to any room. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, stained wood crown molding offers durability that surpasses alternatives like MDF, because it promises long-lasting beauty for years to come. What truly sets it apart is its ability to turn even the simplest rooms into showcases of intricate, well-defined detail, making it a standout choice for those seeking a distinctive and refined ceiling design.
