You need not be an industry professional to know that the ceiling is a design space worth exploring, a true “fifth wall” that can help transform a room from ordinary to extraordinary. It’s been one of the most consistent and growing trends for the past 10 years or so—the era of the matte white ceiling is well behind us, and that’s something to celebrate.
Of course, it’s one thing to hear about that, and it’s another to see it in action. Designers can talk about beautiful ceilings all day, but nothing beats seeing a real one in place.
With that in mind, we dove into NJ HOME’s archives to present some bold, elegant, daring and innovative ceiling designs we’ve featured in the past. From powerfully subtle to eye-catchingly bright, we hope they inspire you!
One of the stand-out features of this basement in Warren, created by Maria Bowers of BDesign’D, is a vaulted brick ceiling that unites the bar with the seating area. It lends a grounded, rustic vibe that harmonizes with the sleek, modern cabinetry.
How’s this for bold? Risha Walden went all out on this Maplewood home when the owners expressed they wanted a mid-century modern design. The family room is bathed in retro colors all the way up to the ceiling, done in a deep orange. Jetson’s-like light fixtures finish the look off.
Built in 1910, the dining room in this Montclair Tudor had style to work with—Rachael H. Grochowski of RHG Architecture + Design just needed to wake it up. In addition to port ruby-colored velvet chairs, she added black paint to make the existing plaster artistry on the ceiling pop, giving the whole space new life.
Wood beam coffers on the ceiling of this home office in Basking Ridge add a classic vibe to an already masculine-chic space. Pam Cooper of Cooper Interiors kept the “wow” factors coming with brass accents and grass cloth-enhanced shelving.
Why add shiplap to a ceiling? To capture a feel that’s as timeless as it’s coastal, as Michael Ziman and Donna and Victoria Grimes of Serenity Design proved in the open-concept dining room and great room in this Long Beach Island summer home. The result is light-filled, breezy and sings of summer.
There’s eye-catching, and then there’s a copper ceiling. But it’s perfect for a smoking room in Tenafly, and Jennifer Pacca enhanced it with plush blue tones and more warm metals—in addition to adding more ventilation and sourcing smoke-repellent fabrics so cigar time stays blissful.
In Mendham, a guest cottage got a serious upgrade under the capable hands of Anna Kroesser and Amelia Strat of Kroesser + Strat Design. They took the space’s original details, including stunning beams and plaster texture of the ceiling, and enhanced them with fun pops of color, modern furniture and a coat of moody Benjamin Moore Knoxville Gray.
When designing this Verona colonial, Leslie Kramer of Lighthouse Home & Design made the most of color drenching in the den. Bringing the wall color up to the ceiling above—that’s Sherwin-Williams Night Owl—makes the large space feel intimate and cozy.
When Edelweiss Fromm created her own home in Morristown, she knew exactly what she wanted—even if it was unorthodox. The dining room boasts black wallpaper on the walls and a bright pink ceiling, creating a singular space that’s part moody, part playful and all personality.
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