My first instinct is to ground and envelop the space in a rich chocolatey brown. Then get pops of color by following a sort of mod-70s color scheme, which is already happening on the bedspread. Also accent with white, which is going to look nice and mod against the chocolate. This room could be transformed into a super-inviting, cozy space. Finally - don't forget about art on those walls!!

ps. for example, a white Panton chair, white mod nightstands, some mirrors, and a funky burnt orange area rug and curtains.

You can take a light, gauzy fabric, and make a canopy over the bed that extends back towards the windows (to double as canopy and window treatment.) the feeling should be casual and beachy, not fussy. I would make the fabric white, and save the color for the wall or covering.

Wow. That is one grim looking soffit. I feel your pain.

Got to say, though, that I'm bugged more by the mini blinds, the clutter on the window sills, the lack of headboard, and the ceiling light fixture.

I would

--install floor to ceiling curtains that cover the windows. Try a sheer fabric in a bold color that complements the bedding (keep the mini blinds for privacy, and because most landlords won't let you remove them)

--paint the wall under the soffit the same color as the curtains

--get a headboard, and center the bed between the windows

--get matching nightstands that organize and hide the clutter

--get matching, substantial table lamps for the nightstands

All of the above will make your bed the focal point, and draw attention away from the soffit. As things are now, there is nothing to compete with it visually.

I do not recommend painting the soffit tile. If you must, take it down and spray paint it, then reinstall.

I can't see the ceiling fixture clearly enough in the photo to make a recommendation. It looks like a bare bulb fixture that's missing its shade.

Could you cover that part with a custom-made painted or fabric-covered wooden "box"? Or maybe just the front? Something like this might work for you: http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/02/over-our-heads/

Adding fabric or otherwise trying to cover the dropped area will only draw more attention to it. The better solution is to make it blend with the other walls and ceiling. And the best way to do that is with paint.

Paint your walls, and paint the lowered/tiled area the same as the wall color. And since you want to make it cozy, go with a darker color. Brown, red... whatever YOU like.

FYI, though, I actually think the fake dropped ceiling is less distracting than the clutter and off-kilter lamp.

i like the idea of using paper pinned to the tiles with little map tacks in the same color, then carefully replacing the tiles neatly in the frame. i hate how dingy those tiles look & how sloppily they've been installed, yowza.

i'd use a color like light blue or something - and pretty please don't paint your walls a dark color, i think it'll make your sleeping area look like a cave - unless your garden level pad gets a lot of light, i'd stick to a pale blue or green to play off your cute bedspread.

You could also run some sheer fabric over the ceiling tile structure and toss some string lights behind it. There's a venue that has that kind of setup for wedding receptions here in St. Paul - it's called Ideal Hall.

You can get a good idea of what I mean here:
http://www.tstcreativecatering.com/newphotos08/ceiling3.jpg
...and here:
http://www.tstcreativecatering.com/newphotos08/424tst.jpg

Good luck!
---www.bymaggie.com---

Is there a way for you to just remove the soffit? Exposing the pipes will make the space less stuffy and make it feel more like a loft!

Wish there was a floor plan to define the space. Anyway, a couple of ideas:

Get rid of the clutter on the sills. As a matter of fact, use spring rods and some semi-sheer curtains close to the wall color and hang them pretty much flush with the wall to minimize the shadow box effect of the windows. You can adjust the blinds to allow whatever level of light you want. Spring rods are portable when you move.

Paint walls, ceiling, soffit all the same to make the space seem bigger. With a fairly neutral color and a plant or two for texture and height, you can get most of the color from your bed linens and rug.

Consider putting he head of the bed on the other wall with the long side of it parallel to the window wall and pulled out at least the depth of the soffit for walkspace. Definitely set up a headboard. You can make one.

If you do bedside tables with lamps you can replace the ceiling fixture with a cap or a very simple, and cheap, low profile fixture [$15.00 or less] to minimize it. If you do a low profile fixture and bedside lamps, use low wattage lamps in the ceiling to cozy up the space.

Declutter. Use a single tall shelf for smaller items and consider putting some of them in boxes or baskets on the shelf. If you use artwork on the walls chose something large enough to make a real splash rather than small, distracting pieces.

Obviously Arroyo and I disagree on this one. I think painting the ceiling tiles is a very bad plan. They'll still look like ugly tiles. Just more colorful. Plus that would draw attention to the bent grid and the horrible fluorescent light cover.

You might try building a fairly tall cornice board and attaching it to the ceiling (easy to do with L-brackets and the proper anchors) in front of the ugly soffit and then hanging floor-length curtains panels behind it. Keep them open and pushed off to the sides or possibly tied back and swagged to expose most of the wall. I'd then center the bed, get pair of nice end tables to flank it and hang an interesting collection of smallish artwork in the remaining white space between and around the windows. Add a pretty pendant light in the center, above the bed. With the curtains framing a well-composed arrangement they'll look less like they are meant to hide something unsightly. Plus, you'll gain some hidden storage on the floor in the space on either side behind the curtains. Were this my room, I'd replace the blinds with the bamboo variety (not matchstick) and keep the clutter off the sills.

Aside from the comforter* we aren't provided a lot of information about your tastes, so I'm unsure about color but I'd suggest keeping it warm in order to create for yourselves a cozy little cave. Good luck!

*The comforter (duvet cover?) looks cheap. I'm sorry. It had to be said.

I like the idea of draping sheer fabric. This is how I'd do it: Hang a rod just above the windows. Depending on the width of that wall, you could use metal conduit (cheap @ lowes) or a wood dowel. Hang another rod parallel to the first rod, but just beyond the ceiling light fixture. Hang a third rod between the wall and ceiling opposite the window wall. Drape your fabric over these rods, adjusting the amount they hang down so they just clear the soffit and light fixture. It would be a good idea to have some kind of glass cover on that light- that's probably a code issue anyway. Your fabric should be long enough to hang behind the head of the bed. On the opposite wall, you can stitch a rod pocket to hold that end of the fabric, or let the fabric hang down that wall, too. A semi-sheer crinkly gauze would be pretty.

Not 100% sure of vendor name (never had this issue myself) but there are definitely suppliers who make faux tin ceiling / coiffered ceiling / etc. replacements for the ugly tiles you are dealing with. I believe it's "plug and play" so to speak so you would just swap out current tiles for better looking ones.

Is the bed facing the entrance to the room? That would be most appropriate as the focal point though sometimes space doesn't allow for such positioning. If that is the only place to put the bed, definitely at least center it evenly between windows. Some file cabinets make great bedstands http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sauder-New-Cottage-3-in-1-Stand-Antiqued-Paint/6958189 but if you can't have matching stands, at least paint them a matching color to tie them together. An lampshade from a restore might help cover the bare bulb fixture. Hang in there and we'll look forward to seeing your bedroom when completed! :)

I second Tmoore's suggestion of a "panel" to cover the tiles. The floor length curtains are also good ideas in combination with that - will make the room more elegant, warmer and far more attractive! Good Luck!

I'm curious: What does it look like if you remove all the tiles? Not sure that will lead to a solution, but I'd be curious to see what the space looks like. You might come up with a different set of ideas for solutions if you leave the tiles out for a few days and just live with the question.

i remember seeing something addressing this on 'good morning america' years ago when i was home sick from school. they used spray adhesive to attach fabric, wallpaper, or wrapping paper to the ceiling tiles (pick one, obviously, haha) &then painted the grid a coordinating color. you could do the same, &it might look really fun if you painted the grid &the ceiling &wall behind your bed all the same color, &the two opposite walls a different coordinating color. i'm seeing a darker color for the former, &a lighter for the latter, but that's just my opinion. you could then get (or make!) some window treatments with either the same fabric, or a coordinating print. i'd then center the bed under the windows, get another similar second-hand nightstand &paint them both (or get two matching new ones), get some matching lamps &an updated light fixture, &replace the (albeit cute but young-looking) bedding with something more grown-up. adding a low fabric-covered headboard would be nice, but you could achieve a similar look with some larger pillows propped against the wall at the head of the bed, to create some 'structure.' i'd keep everything symmetrical, because it'll help the room look more structured &less visually cluttered. good luck! =)

xoxo nicole
designimitatinglife.blogspot.com

Note on painting the tiles: forgot to mention I recommend against it because the porous material they're made of soaks up paint like a sponge, and the tiles could end up looking gooey and weird, particularly if you attempt any color other than white. That's why I recommend spraying the tiles, if you paint them. A few thin coats would give the best results.

Yeah, I think others are right to have concerns about painting the tiles. There is a good chance that won't work. They've got a metal frame, plus the tiles are a different material than the walls so they probably won't look the same painted. (Though you could test this easily.)

And even if it comes out looking good, I bet your landlord would have a fit.

If this was high level bug factor (like a 10), AND I planned on living in the space long term, I'd frame, drywall, and paint it. This would NOT be that difficult or expensive. (Frankly, your landlord should do it.)

Bottom line, though: I'm still much more bothered by the rest of the room. I say ignore the dropped ceiling and focus on making the rest of the room look good. Bedding would be a good place to start (yes, I agree with the negative comments about that).

I just don't like the "gussy up" approach to anything. It is usually crap.

One easy and relatively cheap way to mostly cover up the tiles would be to buy a bunch of those paper lanterns from Ikea, spray paint them if you want to, and hang them from hooks on the ceiling right in front of the tiles. That wouldn't cover up the tiles completely, but would certainly draw attention away from them.

get yourself some lightweight fabric or curtains and pin them to the panel or run an ikea curtain track along it and pin the curtains back like a sort of canopy that. even if you pin it tight and only cover the box, it'll be an improvement. skip the messy paint.

I would do something like what they did at young house love:

http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/02/over-our-heads/

Except I would put storage that went up to the window sill, then I would have curtains that were sheer on top (so that light still came in) and heavier fabric underneath to cover up whatever the storage was underneath. In the center, put a nice big picture. Then only the center of the ugly drop down tiles would have to be covered and that could be done with a straight short valence in the same material as the curtain or it could be framed out, like they did.

bem10001, awesome idea! Armstrong has a huge selection of ceiling tile in every conceivable style and shade.

I have to agree with the other commenters that the soffits are FAR from the most distracting thing about the room.

Move the bed to another wall, so that the soffits are not such a focal point.

*Don't* paint them.

Add some tall storage to the wall with the windows, e.g., some skinny wardrobes or tall bookcases. Make them look semi-built-in. If you have the space, add seating underneath the windows, such as an ottoman or a deacon's bench.

And definitely work on the rest of the room...the bedspread, the clutter, etc.

Why are the tiles all icky and pushed in? Why is the metal bent? Why on God's green earth is it crooked and droops down onto the right hand window?

***shudder***

this would annoy the h*ll out of me.

So if this were my place I would hang a valance across that horrible soffit box thing from the ceiling straight across the entire wall.

Double up on the yardage to make it really luxurious looking. and have it hang down a few inches past the ugliness of it all.

pull out the bed until the headboard is directly under the valance.

Then I would put sheers from the tops of the windows down to the floor and across the whole wall.

Then hang two immobile curtains on the sides with tiebacks, and never ever show me this monstrosity again.

Is the ceiling dirty? Or is it the camera angle? If it's dirt...MUST.BE.PAINTED. (bad feng shui)

oh yeah, any way you could position the bed so it is directly in between the windows?

Why don't you just "upholster" the tiles? You could use a little bit of spray adhesive, and some cool fabric that compliments your bedding, patch up & paint the metal tracks as well as you can, and it'd be a whole new look. If not that, I'd build some kind of giant L-shaped valance, and mount it to the wall/ceiling to cover the whole thing up.

If you wanted to you could buy cork rolls or cork boards and cut them the same size as the existing tile (make sure to leave a reveal in order for the tile to sit on the track). Or you could go on Armstrong and see what selection they have for residential or commercial ceiling tiles, they have a wide variety of wood, metal tiles. If you want to mimic the look of metal, go to Home Depot and buy the decorative metal sheets and use that as a cover, it could be a cool industrial look. They had this Union Jack pattern online but I think the store has more patterns.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xqd/R-100351165/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

I'm not entirely into feng shui but do believe certain things can affect the feel or energy of a room, and that ductwork would be one of them for me. I'm funny about things hanging above my bed on the wall at the head, so I know I'd move my bed out from under the duct or parallel to it.

I like the idea of adding curtains flush with the duct from floor to ceiling. You could even hide shelves/storage behind the curtains up against that wall (but still keep them nice & neat). You probably also should include some large scale fabric or artwork on the other wall if you move the bed and place the head of it there. You could just panel a piece of cardboard or foamboard with fabric and place it above the bed.

What other kind of feeling do you want besides cozy? I love brown for that as someone suggested, but brown in a basement room would feel too much like I was a mole. What direction do your windows face? How much sunlight do you get? I'd probably go with a lighter color to accomodate the lack of light I assume results from a garden level apt.
Light and breezy is the mood I'd want.

I am in the "Don't Paint the Ceiling Tiles" camp. You can't take that back, it may look like crap if you do it wrong, and it will definitely piss off your landlord. Try the curtain option first, b/c if you don't like it, just return it! I was also definitely seeing the storage potential underneath the soffit. With curtains and some bookcases underneath the windows, you could make this area look deliberate instead of haphazard. And you definitely need to address the clutter, lamps, and bedspread... Good luck!