Ceiling Design Ideas & Inspiration coming up…
Just between you and me and these four walls…or the more scandalous version…between you and me and the bedpost. Whoa. How’s that for the start to a risqué DIY blog post?! Sadly, that’s about as risqué as it’s gonna get around here today because we’re talking “ceilings”.
Follow our ceiling design ideas Pinterest board for even more ceiling inspiration!
That being said, if a risqué DIY blog/DIY home decor project is what you’re after, then as Mötley Crue once sang “girl, don’t go away mad, girl just go…to our 5-minute boob ceiling fixture fix post. You’re welcome.
Back to the bedpost,
or that whole between you and me and these four walls thing. Troublesome phrase. Because, in truth, a room has 6 “walls”. Four vertical, and two horizontal. Unless you’re lying down and then…well, doesn’t matter. Point is, people seem to forget at least one out of 6.
Sure, we remember the vertical ones. We pretty those up with paint and wallpaper and fancy vinyl decals and such. And we always remember the wall we walk on. We purchase nice, plushy carpet or gorgeous wood flooring. We buy a fancy-schmancy area rug.
Then, we’ll look around and admire our work. But what about when we lay down in bed at night in our gorgeously decorated room with those nice shiny floors and that designer shade of white in eggshell sheen on the walls…do you notice something? Nothing? EXACTLY. NOTHING.
Because for so many of us, when we look UP, this is what we see…
Don’t let this nothingness happen to your ceiling.
Let’s take it from the top. Literally. We’re talking the top of our rooms today. Ceilings are high, so they shouldn’t be low on the priority list!
A gorgeous ceiling treatment can make a room a knockout. Lofty words? Perhaps, but a ceiling is lofty if there ever was a lofty thing. And it should be treated as such.
There are multiple ways to dress a ceiling. And options for all kinds of budgets, high and low. Just because our ceilings are high, the sticker price for decorating it need not be. We’ll talk about 4 DIY ceiling design ideas in this post.
1. Glass Ceilings
Glass ceilings suck. Enough said. Moving on…
2. Medallions and Rings
Believe it or not, medallions and rings are a VERY inexpensive way to dress up a ceiling.
And bonus…installing them is not a difficult DIY project. Medallions and rings can be found in various sizes, shapes, and levels of ornate-ness, such as the variety seen in the image below from Anthropologie.
These days, most are made of high-density foam, so they are extremely lightweight and easy to handle. We have used these items in almost every room in our home.
Our son’s room coupled with faux antler chandelier, below.
We’ve got one in our dining room, and we are working on our daughter’s ceiling, which will have both rings, AND a medallion…and the whole technique will cost about $50. Not bad for such a big statement!
Most of ours are simply held in place by the canopy of the light itself. Yes, that’s right…it’s basically a non-DIY (we do have a tutorial on the process if you’re interested in the details).
But, to make sure it fits snugly to the ceiling, using some adhesive like liquid nails, or using a couple of staples from a pneumatic staple gun works too. Very simple.
For a small investment, this little architectural detail packs a big, fancy-looking punch.
3. Wood Beams or Faux Beams
There are SO many gorgeous examples of wood beams and faux wood beams out there.
Like this stunning bathroom from @collins__interiors…
There’s a big difference between real wood beams and faux beams in the cost department, however.
I love beams, so we opted for faux beams in our family room, since they were the only type that would fit within our budget.
And know what? It’s almost impossible to tell they aren’t real. Seriously. And they aren’t hard to install.
We used more faux beams recently on our kitchen ceiling as well…
We wrote a full tutorial on choosing and installing them if you want to learn more!
4. Planked, Shiplap or Barn Wooden Ceiling
Wooden ceiling treatments of all sorts have been popping up for a while. And admittedly, I’m a big fan.
Our guest room, shown above, is one of my favorite rooms in our home and that DIY ceiling design, made with reclaimed barn wood makes my heart go pitter patter each time I walk in the room.
Same goes for our guest bath…
We wrote a tutorial on how to install your own DIY wooden ceiling, and it would work regardless of the type of wood you select to use.
Shiplap is having a serious moment right now. It can be coastal, or country, it’s a clean, bright look. It’s certainly a lovely way of keeping a light-colored ceiling, but making it a bit more interesting than the norm.
5. Coffered Ceilings
So, not sure how super DIY-friendly this one is. We don’t have any firsthand experience with a DIY coffered ceiling. But boy, do they look gorgeous.
This project may be more of a budget-buster if you have to hire out, but if you got the budget, this is some serious ceiling bling (design @laurencollanderinteriors photo: @pictureperfecthouse)
6. Metal Ceilings
Tin roof! Rusted.
Anyone raising the roof to that jam?!
Oh snap.
Tin ceilings are pretty fly.
Early 90’s lingo still intact…phew.
Tin ceiling tiles, real or faux, are gorgeous as well.
7. Beadboard
We’ve used beadboard on a couple of ceilings, and I adore it. If you have an outdated popcorn or drop ceiling that you want to cover, beadboard may be a perfect solution. We have used it in several bathroom renovations, including this one:
As well as one in the first home I bought…
If you ever want to try it, I HIGHLY recommend using the PVC variety, NOT wood. The wood will more easily warp, especially in a space, like a bathroom where it’s exposed to heat and moisture.
I think it’s lovely in this dining room below, DIY’d by the talented blogger over at Designing Vibes…
8. What About Wallpaper?
YES! Please do. Look how lovely it can be!
We DID try it, and yes, we DIY’ed it. It wasn’t even close to being as bad as I thought it would be. And I LOVE the results!⤵️
9. DIY Ceiling Design Ideas #9 – Paint
Yes!! Paint!! It’s easy, it’s inexpensive, and it can add SO MUCH drama, beauty, what-have-you to a room! Do it, I dare you!!
Does someone in your family like pink?
Bottom line friends is that we need to stop looking DOWN so much in our homes. Let’s stop staring at our floors and spending all the decor budget on the wall we walk on.
Let’s LOOK UP! The glass is half full! The sky…or in this case, the ceiling is the limit! Do something grand, and great (and preferably budget-savvy) with it. You’ll be so glad you let your creative ideas flow. Unless your idea is glass. Just…no.
Pssst…before you go, I sure would love to hang out with you again really soon! Sign up now and get a FREE copy of “Builder-Grade To Beautiful: 10 Totally Transformative Home Decorating Solutions, All Under $100!” Click here to enter your email or on the image below. Your copy will be sent right away!
Mary Barnhill says
I have a “drop” ceiling in my basement with a criss cross of metal holders with foam tiles in them. What can I do to change the ceiling? It’s horrendous and hideous!
Heather says
Hi Mary! Lots of people definitely have that type of ceiling. You can certainly have it replaced with drywall, but an easier fix? They now make replacements for the unattractive foam squares! You can find really pretty ones with cool architectural details. They also make ones that are tin or faux tin tiles! Give those a look!