Ceiling Decoration. All Kinds of Variants

New and interesting ceiling decoration styles are invented every day, combining different materials, textures, shapes, colors, and techniques.

Artistic Ceiling Painting

Painting ceilings was a fashionable element of interior design in various eras. After being lost for some time, classical patterns have regained popularity in the 21st century.

Such a type of painting as frescoes has returned to homes, but to decorate your living space with refined artwork, you should have a decent ceiling height. Ceiling painting on wet plaster in a Khrushchyovka flat would look out of place.

Ready-made frescoes, executed on a layer of plaster, can be purchased from companies such as Affresco. Buying a ready-made fresco or even commissioning a master for painting is an expensive and demanding option in terms of interior style, but it greatly enriches the space.

Photo 1 — Fresco from the Affresco Ornament Collection — copy

Patterns on the Ceiling

A more economical option for ceiling painting is to do it yourself. For this, you need to decide on a pattern and the technique of its execution, but first prepare the surface.

The most convenient option for DIY is to use acrylic primer, paint, and varnish. The ceiling for painting must be thoroughly cleaned of old flaking plaster, cracks, and unevenness; these should be filled and sanded. The cleaned and washed surface must be well primed and finely leveled with finishing spackle. The final stage of preparation is priming the ceiling for painting.

Any pattern to be transferred onto the ceiling, regardless of its complexity, should first be sketched on paper. For artistic work, a high ladder is useful, and for transferring a small sketch onto the ceiling, a slide projector. Projection lines are traced with a pencil or charcoal.

Patterns on the ceiling are painted starting with the largest details and background, then small details are refined.

To make the pattern look three-dimensional, remember about light and shadow; add highlights where necessary and darkening where needed. It is advisable to seal the completed painting with varnish.

Photo 2 — Example of a Flower Pattern on the Ceiling — copy

One of the most popular motifs for ceilings is the sky. When contemplating how to draw clouds, it is important to note that in nature they have various shapes, so the drawing should also vary.

However, this does not mean there is no certain order: the shape of clouds should generally approach circles and ovals, and they should be arranged in one direction. The outlines of clouds are delicately drawn, and the sky background is filled with colors that are lighter in some places and darker in others.

For a child's room, there is an option of cartoon flat clouds, but in any room, clouds that resemble natural ones will look best.

Photo 3 — Painted Ceiling and Walls to Look Like the Sky

Photoprinting on Ceilings

Ceilings with photoprints are an excellent alternative to custom artistic paintings, ready-made frescoes, photo wallpapers, or self-painted ceilings. Photoprinting on ceilings is done on PVC film (stretch ceiling) and paper or fleece (photo wallpaper).

Photoprinting on ceilings is carried out by many companies specializing in wide-format photography. The convenience of printing on stretch ceilings is that the design and size can be ordered according to personal taste and vision. The price of a ceiling with photoprinting is approximately 1300 rubles per square meter in Moscow and about 300 hryvnia in Kiev.

Photoprinting on a ceiling costs significantly less than a fresco but is much more expensive than doing the painting yourself. This type of finishing looks very stylish and exclusive.

Photo 4 — Photoprinting on Stretch Ceilings

Clocks with Ceiling Projection

For a monochrome ceiling, there is an interesting and useful decoration option. These are clocks with ceiling projection. They not only show the time but also project it onto the ceiling.

These clocks can have many functions and, among other things, project a starry sky or play sounds of nature. You can adjust the size and focus of the projected image.

This toy won't disturb sleep, as the glow is very soft, but at any moment you can easily tell the time and in the evening the ceiling will look impressive. In the morning, such clocks can be used as an alarm clock.

Average projection clocks cost from 180 hryvnia or 750 rubles.

Photo 5 — Nightlight Projecting Time and a Starry Sky on the Ceiling

Ceiling Stickers

Same companies where you can buy photo wallpapers often sell interior stickers. They come in large and small sizes, with photos or drawings. This is the most convenient way to decorate a ceiling – it takes very little time to install them.

vinyl stickers can also be flat or three-dimensional, phosphorescent stickers glow in the dark. They can be themed beyond just star-cloud-sky.

Stickers can also be made to order based on your own photos or drawings. One interesting type of sticker is patterns, weaves, or knitting that can decorate the ceiling just as well as cornices.

Photo 6 — Fluorescent Ceiling Stickers

Ceiling with Starry Sky

Since the celestial theme, already mentioned numerous times, is an undisputed leader among ceiling motifs, it's worth highlighting the "Starry Sky" ceiling as a separate point.

To summarize, the sky on the ceiling can be achieved using various paints, photo wallpapers, stickers, stretch ceilings, and even clocks with projection. The choice of method for bringing the sky into the interior depends on its style and budget. Interestingly, clouds and stars in different variations can adorn almost any room decorated in styles from classic to modern, both children's and adult rooms.

Clouds with the sky in a classic interior, vanilla sky for a teenage girl, night sky covered with stars in a child's or bedroom – all this can be done by yourself.

Photo 7 — Ceiling with Starry Sky in the Bedroom

Figurative Ceilings

In ceiling decoration, not only patterns but also shapes are widely used. Figurative ceilings without patterns and painted in one color look just as luxurious as decorated and multicolored ones. Of course, creating them requires gypsum board.

Gypsum board boxes can be of various complex shapes, including curved ones. Gypsum board is very convenient to use for finishing non-standard ceilings, such as on a mansard.

To emphasize the ceiling shapes, many light sources are used, including colored ones.

Photo 8 — Gypsum Board Figurative Ceiling

Combined Ceilings

Generally, interesting results come from combining several ceiling finishing methods. For example, suspended and stretch ceilings, gypsum board boxes, and artistic painting.

When creating combined ceilings by yourself, it's helpful to look at designer ceilings. Their photos can inspire fresh ideas for some special combination and encourage experimentation to create an original ceiling.

If you're short on ideas, the same companies whose specialty is designer ceilings can help create an original ceiling.

You can also read more about combining wallpapers in detail.

Photo 9 — Combined Ceiling

Ceiling Color

The color of the ceiling and walls can transform the same room into a throne hall or a cellar.

Which ceiling color to choose depends on the room's interior and the owner’s character. Universal white and beige ceilings, champagne-colored ceilings.

For a bedroom, it's better to choose calm tones like soft green or pink. For a peaceful sleep environment, a lavender ceiling is ideal. In a living room, a colored ceiling or strict color scheme can be used.

Dark ceilings look very stylish: brown chocolate-colored ceiling, black ceiling, but they require significant height as they visually lower the ceiling. Black-and-white ceilings are equally stylish but an even more demanding option: the room’s interior for such a ceiling should be restrained, monochromatic but also feature bright color accents.

One of the interior design trends is turquoise, which blends well with white, brown, violet, and similar shades of blue and green.

In a child's room, a sunny yellow ceiling or a sky-blue ceiling is good. For a warm southern room, a gray or blue ceiling might work, while in a cold northern room, a bright yellow or orange ceiling can serve as an anti-depressant.

Photo 10 — Turquoise Ceiling in the Bedroom