A Guide to Design-Forward Ceiling Details

Enhancing your ceilings can elevate your design to the next level, dramatically change the mood of any space, and draw the eye upward to create an illusion of a larger space. Shea and the design team love designing beautiful ceiling treatments into our projects, from the double beam vaulted ceilings of the Studio McGee Spec Home to the plaster barrel ceiling in the entryway of Water’s Edge. Organic wood beams bring an element of nature into a room, and pair well with a rustic modern aesthetic, while coffered ceilings can go a long way to dress up a space and give it an air of grandeur. These details add an impressive architectural element to any room and shouldn’t be forgotten. Today, we’re sharing our favorite examples of Studio McGee-style ceiling treatments to remind you that a considered ceiling can truly transform a space.

Wood-stained ceilings are an excellent way to bring warmth, depth, and character to a home, setting the tone for the rest of the space. We love the coziness a wood ceiling offers, from spacious great rooms to intimate entryways. These ceilings offer a rich, natural aesthetic that enhances the architectural bones of a design and creates a welcoming atmosphere throughout the home.

Look at the living room and kitchen in our Summit Estate project for a good example of how a wood-stained ceiling can elevate a space.

If you love the idea of adding a wood element to your ceilings but prefer something more subtle than a complete stain, wood beams are a beautiful option. They’re great for adding a lot of organic texture to a design and they can be utilized it large spaces like a great room, but also bring a more intimate feeling in smaller spaces like a bedroom. While every project calls for different elements, we typically stain our wood ceilings and beams to match the wood floors, creating a cohesive look and feel throughout the space.

Wood beams are stunning on their own, but they can also be painted white to blend more seamlessly with your walls or paired with other ceiling details like tongue and groove for added interest.

Tongue and groove is another ceiling element we love and frequently incorporate into our projects. Often painted, this is just what you need to add an extra layer of detail. It feels subtle and fresh and pairs well layered with other features like beams and coffered details. If you’re considering using tongue and groove in your home, try varying the layout in different areas to create both cohesion and visual interest.

The vaulted ceilings in the McGee Home are a great place to look for inspiration on painting wood beams, as well as layering tongue and groove under additional ceiling design elements.

Coffered ceilings bring a classic, sophisticated touch to any space. We love incorporating coffered details in areas like the dining room, where they add a special ambiance for intimate gatherings. This classic design element enhances the architectural interest and sophistication of a room, making it feel both inviting and refined.

One of our favorite coffered ceilings in past Studio McGee projects is the wine room in Hilltop Estate. Midnight by Benjamin Moore adorns the walls with a coffered, stained wood ceiling above. “We wanted it to feel dark and moody like an old lounge,” Shea explains.

Wallpaper isn’t just for the walls! Shea and the design team love experimenting with wallpapered ceilings when the design calls for it. We’ve used wallpaper on ceilings in kid spaces and love how it instantly makes the room feel playful and full of charm. This unexpected touch can add a whimsical and child-like element, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the room.

The playroom in our Houston Estate project is a fun example of implementing wallpaper for a one-of-a-kind space.

While we often keep ceilings white, painting them a bold tone to match or contrast with the walls can add significant visual interest. It’s a simple way to make a room feel tonal and sophisticated, creating an enveloping atmosphere as soon as you enter. This technique adds depth and character, enhancing the overall design and making the space more dynamic.