Many people really love the idea of beams or coffers on the ceiling.
And I don’t blame them! Who doesn’t love a ceiling that reflects some style or pattern, or a ceiling that dances with the rest of the room!
Unfortunately, it’s not always feasible. And these are the factors you need to consider when exploring this type of ceiling treatment:
1. Beams and coffers need height
Some years ago, I had a new home construction project where the homeowners wanted such a ceiling. However, they had only planned 9’ ceiling heights in all the downstairs. So, to get the depth of the beams that was necessary to make the statement they desired, those ceilings should have been much higher. Adding beams or coffers to a 9’ ceiling height would just bring that ceiling down into the space and feel oppressive. Besides, coffers can feel especially heavy in a space with lower ceilings.
Sure, they are lovely, but they need a tall space to be properly appreciated. In this instance, I encouraged them to look at some kind of flat, or a slightly-raised effect, simply because the height wasn’t there to do the job they originally wanted.
This coffered ceiling was built into a home library with 16 foot ceilings. Designer: Carla Aston
A coffered ceiling adds depth and interest to a room with high ceilings. Designer: Carla Aston
This coffered/beamed look has been inserted into a raised area in the ceiling that has a soffit at the perimeter to contain the design.
A coffered ceiling in the home office of The New American Remodel, KBIS 2018, added a traditional feel and a layered look.
One way to get the effect of coffers without the depth is to panel the ceiling. Here’s an interesting effect created in the Pasadena Showcase House of Design.
An amazing paneled ceiling at the Pasadena Showcase House of Design. Designer: Interiors by Ranalli
A trellis effect was installed on this butler’s pantry ceiling for a garden room vibe without taking a lot of depth in the space. Designer: Carla Aston
Obviously, the same holds true for beams. You have to leave height on the side walls so that the beams have enough depth to be installed.
The beams in this vaulted living room were appropriate because the high ceiling. The side walls allowed plenty of space for the beam to hit the wall without interrupting door openings. Designer: Carla Aston
More beams for a vaulted ceiling, with the beams having plenty of room above the doors to die into the walls. Designer: Carla Aston
In The New American Remodel at KBIS 2019 the soffit running along the sides of the vaulted ceiling provided a perfect place to die the beams into.
2. Working with the walls
When a space is designed with beams or coffers, consideration of the wall elevations needs to occur. As you can see in the photos below, the beams/coffers align with the fireplaces, doors/windows, etc. Many times, beams serve to marry one side of the room with the other, and the beams have to die into the wall, that is unless a furr down or lowered section of the ceiling spans the perimeter of the room.
So... a beam that hits the wall on one side of the space will hit the wall on the opposite side, and consideration needs to be taken for how that will look on the wall elevations. This can also affect room layout, window, door locations, etc. That’s why it can be difficult to add beams and coffers in a remodel where openings, and such, are already existing and may not line up across the room.
This X design coffered ceiling in The New American Remodel at KBIS, 2018 directly related to the floor and windows.
3. Budget
While ceiling treatments are a wonderful addition to any space, they cost money. In many instances, it’s like putting up paneling on the ceiling, and that can be quite costly. If you’re working with a budget that needs to stretch, these treatments are likely to be icing on the cake.
