Look up, see more in your ceiling

The year-end holiday season is fast approaching and you're running out of novel ideas to redo your interiors. You want to try something new. Ever glanced up at your ceiling? That's one area which is grossly neglected in the process of interior designing. Usually, ceilings are flat and white. How about deviating from this norm? Here are some ideas.

Firstly, it is important to keep in mind that the chosen ceiling design must be in consonance with the rest of the decor of your living space. Then there are other decisions to make: 'Will you do up all the ceilings in your home?' 'Or will you restrict it to one or two, spaces like the living room or the kitchen?' Since the living room is the most frequently visited and sighted space in your house, it's almost mandatory to spice up the ceiling here.

New ideas

Choose the right material, depending on the overall design theme or the room where the target ceiling is located. For a living room with an ethnic feel, wooden panels or tiles on the ceiling will enhance the beauty of your artefacts. Huge wooden pillars and a wooden swing in your living room with traditional paintings and terracotta artefacts will look even better with this kind of a ceiling. Symmetrical wooden strips all over the ceiling and running down across a portion of a wall up to the floor will look excellent. This is especially suitable for the kitchen. For a minimalist and modern look, use fabric or metal. For a funky look, get the ceiling tiles haphazardly arranged. As for ceiling design, false ceilings can always be created with ceiling tiles of different hues and textures to suit every decor.

Coved ceilings can elicit a second glance. A rounded, curved, framing detail at the spot where the wall meets the ceiling forming a cove, gives the ceiling an aesthetic look. Here, avoid garish colours, for the design itself is a subtle one. A coved ceiling with moulding looks pretty if the ceiling is very high. A strip of contoured wood or other material placed at the junction of the wall and the ceiling can remarkably alter the room's appearance. A faux fireplace will ally admirably with this ceiling design.

Go classic

False beams with out-of-the-box designs form another interesting addition to your room's decor. Wood or metal finishes find their place here. Adding lights will also draw attention to your specially designed or decorated ceiling. The light will also be reflected down to lend an ethereal look to your room.

As for other lighting ideas, you can create a niche where the ceiling meets the wall and fix a few light bulbs out of sight. If you're interested in a cathedral or vaulted ceilings, then the common feature of the two is that they aren't flat and they rise high up. But vaulted ceilings may have only one sloping side or two sloping sides that aren't mirror images of each other. They may have a curved finish or an arch. Cathedral ceilings, as the name indicates, have a central point to where the ceiling rises up from the walls.

These ceilings can make a room appear magnificent. Since they rise high, the room is bright and airy. Use timber for a rustic look. To introduce a homely feel in rooms with such ceilings, use decor tricks like low-hanging pendant lights. Avoid using huge mirrors. Cover the French windows with lovely floral window treatments. Use long wall hangings to nullify the feeling of awe and create a warm ambience instead.  

 Though both cathedral and vaulted ceilings can create an illusion of spaciousness, difficulties in their maintenance prevail. Since they are too high up, cleaning, changing bulbs or repairing fans may prove to be difficult. That apart, these ceilings cannot be used for bedrooms, where cosiness and privacy is the priority. These ceilings may seem distasteful to some people.

Add textures

If a smooth ceiling looks mundane, texture it, but in tandem with the room's overall decor theme. Pre-textured paint is available in the market, simply paint it on the ceiling. Else, mix either oil-based or latex paint with special sand or other materials and in the proportions that your decorator advises to create your own texture paint. 'Popcorn' ceiling texture is a popular spray-on ceiling texture, 'orange peel', 'sunburst' and 'starburst' are other common ceiling textures.

Faux painting your ceiling wall will work wonders for an aesthetic appearance. But do not to overdo this, use a simple pattern. Else, the result will be garish. If you've already faux-painted the walls of your living room, avoid replicating it on the ceiling. If you're using copper, be sure to co-ordinate or contrast the red-brown hue with the rest of the living room items appropriately. If your room's decor is minimalistic, you can opt for broad stripes on the ceiling. If all this appears too challenging, then simply paint your ceiling in a bright colour. Bear in mind that it should either blend or stand out in contrast with the rest of the room decor.