Ceilings can and should dazzle. A standout example can signal thoughtfulness in the design of an entire room, acting as a kind of decorative Easter egg: Look up and you might be rewarded with witty gestures, virtuoso craftsmanship, optical tricks, or lush colors. So which ceiling trends are all the rage right now? We spoke to imaginative designers with distinctly different aesthetic views to find out what inspires them when designing the fifth wall of a room.
Geometry and non-planar planes
Playing with colour, shape and geometry can add movement and momentum to a ceiling. London-based studio Vero decided to make the most of the low ceiling on the ground floor of a west London apartment building. “This space is a small lower ground floor vestibule leading to a garden – it has a low ceiling and could have been a forgotten space, so we wanted to transform it into something special,” says partner Venetia Rudebeck. The team layered stripes, used bold colours and created a low-profile version of a classic circus tent on the ceiling, with a green lighting fixture from Urban Electric that recalls the pleasingly plump cylinders of Irving Harper’s 1956 Marshmallow sofa. “As the room connects to the garden and houses a home bar, its almost tent-like design brings a fun element to the room. Yet this has been done in a clever way – with the antique table and chairs from Martin Brudnizkis And Objects. It’s playful, but at the same time very elegant,” adds Rudebeck.
By cleverly using the depth of multiple floors, a space that might otherwise be overlooked can become the focal point of an interior. Marco Angelucci of Marguerite Rodgers in Philadelphia recently used a skylighted stairwell to frame a dramatic lighting installation, bringing two types of lighting into the interior. “Don’t limit yourself to walls when thinking about how to let natural light into a room,” advises Angelucci. “A skylight can also do this job while showing off the ever-changing sky. It’s a work of art for the ceiling.”
Art History
Architectural history is replete with examples of ceilings as canvases for great works, from Giotto’s deep blue starry-sky masterpiece in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua to the stunningly complex carved stone ceiling of the Hall of the Kings in the Alhambra Palace in Granada. Designers can draw on centuries of inspiration when it comes to anchoring ceiling trends in a historical context. Chicago-based designer Sarah Vaile studied Henri Matisse’s paper cutouts when designing her entry hall for the 2023 Lake Forest Showhouse. Working closely with a decorative artist, she placed linen appliques in the shape of paper birds on the ceiling of the two-story space, making it appear as if the birds were flying upward from DeGournay’s colorful Matisse-inspired wallpaper.
