Ceiling Design

The main thing is that it looks smooth and dignified, like an unspoiled eggshell. However, this very surface is capable of transforming any space, making the room bright, spacious, beautiful, and unique in its elegance with a whole bouquet of modern possibilities in finishing and decoration.

Modern trends in ceiling design

Modern times dictate that ceiling design and decoration should expand space, be functional, natural in color palette, cozy harmony, and zoning of the ceiling space. Current trends are as follows:

• absence of wallpaper on the ceiling, presence of the most modern finishing materials that hide flaws and surface irregularities;
  
• moving away from white color to eco- and ethnically-inspired motifs with rich color tones in harmony with the overall "mood" of the room;
  
• originality is achieved by combining materials, changing surface levels, using built-in lighting systems, soft yet not overly saturated color tones.
  

Classical canons are also preserved:

• white color and light tones visually expand spatial boundaries;
  
• zoning the ceiling surface by level and light adds extra opportunities for overall room improvement;
  
• 3D effects in the room can be achieved with glossy and mirror surfaces with multi-functional lighting systems;
  
• a matte ceiling in the bathroom combines with glossy wall and furniture finishes.
  

Modern ceiling design leans towards advanced, technologically sophisticated finishing materials that successfully hide surface irregularities and defects during construction work and serve for a longer period. Eco-motifs, rich color palette, material combinations, harmony with the overall design style of the apartment make ceiling decoration in line with modern trends.

Photo: Eclectic style design:

Photo: Countryside style design:

Photo: Classic style design:

Design: Alesia Sahno and Anna Muravskaya

Photo: Loft style design:

Design: Olga Borovikova and Irina Nikolaeva

Photo: Scandinavian style design:

With Timur Abdurakhmanov, we talk about the pros and cons of the most popular coverings

Photo: Modern style design:

Design: Maria Dadiani

Photo: Hi-Tech style design:

Design: Irina Krashennikova

Photo: Eastern style design:

Photo: Minimalist style design:

Whitewashing and Painting

Design of a ceiling involving painting or whitewashing is considered the most labor-intensive and polluting way to decorate an apartment, requiring careful planning during renovation of the entire upper surface of the room, meticulous and solid joint sealing and panel joints. But one cannot ignore its budget-friendliness, relatively presentable final appearance, and the possibility of artistic color and tone selection in decoration.

Wallpaper

Wallpapering the ceiling is considered a relatively cheap and clean way of finishing, but an undesirable option for modern design that also requires more contemporary approaches to material selection.

For current solutions, special wallpapers for painting, designer color and pattern combinations are suitable. The surface to be covered must be even. Liquid wallpapers last longer, can hide minor irregularities and roughness. However, they are not suitable for finishing in rooms with high humidity: kitchen, bathroom, or shower room.

Plastic Panels

Modern ceiling design does not oppose using PVC panels in finishing. They are considered a cheap alternative to suspended and covered ceilings. Their common advantages:

• durability and longevity;
  
• resistance to moisture and temperature fluctuations;
  
• enhanced sound insulation properties of the surface;
  
• possibility to install spot artificial light sources, use zoning techniques;
  
• optimal for toilet and bathroom, kitchen, and balcony rooms.
  

Wood

Finishing the ceiling with natural, processed wooden structures requires careful designer planning. It is important that it fits into the overall style of the room. Choosing wooden finishes in cramped spatial volumes: Khrushchev-era apartments, small apartments with low ceilings – is not the best finishing solution.
Beautiful modern ceiling design in an apartment or house involves using wood. Moreover, it is a timeless trend for classical style and modernism in spacious rooms. Such an execution adds harmony and refined aesthetics to the room along with durability, practicality, and eco-friendliness.
Budget-friendly options for designers are using wood paneling, veneered panels, and blockhaus in ceiling cladding.

Wood paneling is suitable for balconies and loggias in urban apartments, as well as for room finishing in country wooden houses: cottages and villas in a rural style or Provence style. It breathes, is eco-friendly, easily paintable, moisture-resistant, and sound-insulating.
Blockhaus imitates logs or timber with hydro-isolation components, is quite cheap, but has a very attractive and presentable appearance. Veneered panels are MDF boards with a veneer coating. They beautifully imitate natural wood but are significantly cheaper.

Polystyrene Tiles

Polystyrene ceiling tiles are also called a substitute for wallpaper on the ceiling, so they are good for cottages and low-demand rooms. They add moisture resistance and practicality to the room by hiding minor imperfections in the upper finishing.

Gypsum Board

Gypsum board ceilings are practical and versatile. Designers have long noted the positive aspects of using this material.

• Affordable price makes gypsum board a mass finishing material with fire resistance, sound and thermal insulation.
  
• It can hide any surface imperfections, including electrical wiring, low-voltage systems, various communication and ventilation systems. For this purpose, a suspended ceiling on a wooden or metal frame is chosen.
  
• The surface from gypsum board becomes smooth and even, supporting various painting techniques. The simplest variant in finishing is a covered ceiling.
  
• Ability to install multi-level ceilings, built-in lighting systems, flexibility in accepting any rounded forms makes gypsum board a truly universal material.
  

One cannot ignore the minor drawbacks: it fears moisture, requires frame installation, and takes up about 10 centimeters of room height.
Covered ceilings are also made from MDF and particle boards. Unlike gypsum board, they are moisture-resistant but also safe and durable.

Stretch Ceilings

Stretch ceilings are gaining more popularity. They look expensive, stylish, and practical. Unlike gypsum board – they are moisture-resistant, so they suit any room in a house or apartment.

Advantages: they cover communications, wires, and irregularities; create a perfectly smooth surface with a rich choice of color palette and texture; suitable for multi-level execution, built-in light sources.

Disadvantages: not a budget-friendly finishing option; requires professional installation; steals up to 20 centimeters of room height; loses technical properties at temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius; fears external impacts: sharp, piercing objects, cork from a champagne bottle...

Styling

Minimalism is universal, suitable for any room from a budget apartment to business-class apartments or country houses. Its distinguishing feature is simplicity of design solutions when choosing forms, decor, and lighting. The ceiling color palette is based on soft tones of basic minimalism colors: beige, gray, brown, green. Light colors are mostly chosen, playing with their undertones. White is traditionally preferred. Metallic notes and glossy glass surfaces are gaining popularity, along with wood and brick motifs.

Modernism has prepared a series of special details for the ceiling: strict harmony, soft lines that are not always symmetrical, plant motifs, presence of wood, glass, and metal in decoration. This style fits well into living rooms, large rooms, bedrooms, and hallways. Plastic panels, wallpapers, and suspended structures are not appropriate here.
Hi-Tech style primarily considers options with stretch and gypsum board ceilings with straight geometric lines, symmetry, and moderate color solutions. It suits individual rooms and studio apartments.

Provence traditionally leans towards light tones and white color. It is also painted in white on wooden ceilings.

Individual approach to the design of the upper space zone is commonly called a designer ceiling. A specialist can advise where it's better to play with color, where it's appropriate to connect moldings or apply vaulted ceilings. All this is aimed at developing a personal style and achieving an original, unique look for the entire room.

Ceiling Design in Various Rooms

• Living Room
  

Living rooms prefer a flat ceiling in a harmonious color palette that blends into the overall interior style. All types of finishing are suitable, from stretch to wallpaper. Everything depends on room size, financial capabilities, and personal preferences. Attention should be paid to plastic panels and suspended cassette systems. They do not feel cozy and add an inappropriate office-hospitally "charm" to the living room.

Photo: Living Room Ceiling Design:

Design: Pavel Zheleznov and Tatiana Borisova

Bedroom

The ceiling in a bedroom tends to be finished in a non-irritating way. It can be identical to the living room. One should avoid mirrors and metal strips. A stretch ceiling with a glossy surface looks great. A successful solution can be textured ceiling tiles, gypsum board, MDF panels.

Photo: Bedroom Design:

Children's Room

A children's room requires eco-friendliness, brightness, and, in short, designer imagination. The starry sky effect, plots from favorite cartoons, an abundance of pink, yellow, green, and blue – all of this will be fully justified on the ceiling of a child's room. Stretch, multi-level gypsum board solutions are the best fit here.

Photo: Children's Room Ceiling Design:

Kitchen and Bathroom

Kitchens and bathrooms, as places particularly susceptible to moisture, steam, and temperature fluctuations, are decorated with an eco-friendly, moisture-resistant, fire-safe, and easy-to-clean ceiling. It can be stretch, suspended, made of laminated polystyrene tiles, or PVC panels. Gypsum board and wallpaper are not suitable.

Photo: Bathroom and Kitchen:

Design: MEDIANA Interiors Studio

Hallway

Popular options are stretch ceilings, gypsum board, and painting. For a stretch ceiling option, a glossy surface is chosen, visually increasing the space. Gypsum board allows creating different levels and attractive niches, making the space look more spacious and volumetric. Mirror surfaces and light tones in finishing fill the room with additional air.

Photo: Hallway in a Private House

Design: Eugen Zadorozhny, Architecture Studio CHADO Photo: Inna Kablukova

Options for Ceiling Finishing in Apartments and Private Houses

For a modern new building, any type of finishing is chosen. Ceiling height and modern quality make any designer approach possible. However, considering potential building settling: it is necessary to install structures with a certain margin. Suspended and stretch systems are most optimal for a new house.

Low ceilings in Khrushchev-era apartments suggest stopping at wallpaper, painting, or whitewashing. Here, proper upper surface lighting is important for giving the room an effect of expanded space.

In a private house, ceilings often serve as additional thermal insulation. This is helped by frame structures – stretch and suspended systems.

Design: Irina Bronnikova

Color Palette

White color with deep tones remains in competition. Pale shades pull away from elegance. Popular derivative shades from white: ivory, milk, cream, with silver notes. They harmonize in children's rooms, living rooms, and dining rooms. They blend well with any colors of warm and cool palettes. As with any stylistic solutions.

Soft, "calm" tones of bordeaux are trendy, adding warmth and elegance to the room. They suit living rooms, bedrooms, and studies.

Lighting Options

The choice of lighting affects the visual perception of room volume, creating an effect of dark or bright, cold or warm, cozy or spacious space.

In a classic variant, chandeliers are placed in the center. They are replaced by spotlights capable of zoning the room. LED strips are currently an unconventional option but are excellent for selecting a color solution for light and dynamic properties – changing brightness and color. They are also incomparably economical and eco-friendly. 

Unusual Designer Ceilings

Artistic ceilings use plaster, frescoes, and gypsum as decorative materials. It is an expensive pleasure, but the spent money and effort are worth it. The result: beauty, uniqueness, expressiveness. Suitable for solid, wealthy rooms.
Eastern style implies finishing the surface with textile. It is good in themed interiors, when drapery with different textures and color palettes come to the foreground.

Combining various finishes is very relevant and considered a designer find. Mirror embedded in gypsum board structure, natural wood mixed with stretch execution, small beams painted, glossy ceiling with local matte inserts give an original look and unusual appearance. In any case, expert opinion, photo and video examples of implemented projects will help avoid mistakes in choosing your unique style. 

Photos of implemented projects:

Photo: Cover Design of a Project by the Architecture Bureau Faber Group.
Design: Elena Franchyan, Boris Matveyev;
Photo: Sergey Morgunov