Often left unnoticed, your ceiling can actually make a style difference to your home. In fact, it is often considered the ‘fifth wall’ by designers and with a little thought can become a beautiful focal point in your home. But when it comes to style, there are many types of ceilings to choose from. To help your room reach new heights, we look up to five popular ceiling types found in homes.
Conventional
The most common type seen in homes, the conventional ceiling is both practical and easy to fit with all home décor styles. Typically 8 foot high, the conventional ceiling has a simple flat surface at an accessible height and is easy to decorate. Leave it clean and simple or style it up with recessed lights or an eye-catching pendant light centrepiece. With some know-how, conventional ceilings are the easiest to install and fit with standard home construction materials and sizes.
Suspended
Also known as a drop or false ceiling, a suspended ceiling is built below an existing ceiling, using a lightweight grid panel frame so needs to fit in a room that can take a reduction in height. The minimum height of a drop ceiling is 6ft 8 to ensure the ceiling is not too low, so is not a realistic choice for all properties. The plus side to a suspended ceiling is that it can be lit from behind and can also hide a ‘multitude of sins’ such as wiring, pipework and ductwork.
Coved
A coved ceiling is distinct as it has curved moulding at the top of the main walls, curving into the ceiling. The result is a rounded, concave effect around the ceiling edges that works to soften the room and is often found in formal spaces and more traditional homes. The coving is often painted a subtle, complementary colour to the flat ceiling space to create interest and warmth. Modern interpretations of the traditional cove can include angular or square designs.
Coffered
A classic design that is often found in luxury hotels and traditional homes, a coffered ceiling consists of a grid of sunken panels to create a lovely waffle-like pattern on your fifth wall. Traditionally made from wood or carved stone, today’s coffered ceilings come in a choice of materials that can also add a sense of depth to a room. However, coffered ceilings can be expensive and, as they are added to your ceiling, in a similar way to a suspended ceiling, require a minimum 9-feet room height so are not an option for smaller rooms.
Beam
Bringing a rustic charm to your home, beamed ceilings are increasingly popular and work well in contemporary as well as more traditional homes. This style of ceiling works to expose the load-bearing beams in a room to create interest and a sense of depth to the space. Typically made from hardwood, a beamed ceiling works best in a room with a good ceiling height. Alternatively, lightweight ‘faux beams’ can be installed to create the beam look without having to expose the original beams. More edgy alternatives to the traditional beam ceiling include metal for an industrial look.
