The 5th Wall

The most ignored plane in rooms today is the ceiling, known in the design community as the "5th Wall".  Historically it was critical to the room.  There was no HVAC, no plumbing, no mechanical engineering to consider.  Sometimes the ceiling design was the primary focus of the space.  Where ceilings are certainly considered, often times we wish to have them disappear and not intrude into the design of the room.  This is an opportunity that has been missed.  Wouldn't it be nice to go to the dentist office, and look up seeing something pleasant to distract from the job at hand.  Bed canopies used to be for warmth, but today they create a romantic statement giving shape and texture where there otherwise would be none.  I find it almost comical as the folks on TV go house hunting and then oooh and ahhh over a simple tray ceiling when one trip through nearly any historical building will render a result much more complex.

Having the good fortune to visit Westminster Abbey in London, I will never stop regretting not looking up at the proper moment to witness the majesty of their fan vaults.  Now I teach the History of Interior Design to students at a local college where ceiling design is discussed in every chapter until the 20th century when mechanical engineering and the modern age stepped in.  Ceiling design had to happen around the comforts we have all come to enjoy and expect.

Consider how to enhance the space above you as part of your next design plan.  Layer moldings, tape off graphics, engage a faux artist to design around your ceiling fan or register, or simply run a paper border at the vertical crown and on the horizontal perimeter of the ceiling, defining the wall that encompasses your room.  There are no rules in art...think and then just do it.