The Sky Factory: Trompe L'oeil Skylights

Want the effect of the skylight or window where there really isn't one? This could either be really tacky or a unique feature in rooms that can't receive any natural light, like the basement...

Skyceilings use a ceiling grid system with high resolution outdoor photography, backlit by a 6500K fluorescents or 6000K LED lighting system in a lightbox structure, creating not only the illusion of an overhead scene, but also providing illumination with the same light spectrum as real daylight. You can peruse the Sky Factory's catalog of different scenes here.

We'd like to see a future version from the The Sky Factory using OLED display or similar technology, which would allow for more immersive and believable sky with moving clouds and swaying trees. Because as beautiful as one view may be, if it never changed, it would get a bit boring.

Comments (9)

They had these over the beds in the hospital my grandma was staying at. I thought it was nice there, but in a house it might look a little odd...

posted by gina olivia on March 7th 2008 at 10:32am
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at $50/square foot this product doesn't even qualify as a fun novelty--the cost alone makes it tacky.

posted by Matthew on March 7th 2008 at 11:09am
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Ugh, although I get that it would be nice above a hospital bed. This is just like that ugly ass fake kitchen window!

posted by ARC on March 7th 2008 at 12:08pm
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This sushi restaurant my family used to go to in LA had this stuff all over the ceiling and walls. It was a tiny, funky space anyway, but there's something about Japanese people and their ability to pull off crazy decorating, it totally worked. I wouldn't want it in my house, though...maybe it's the Seattelite in me, but I like the real outdoors.

posted by devonc on March 7th 2008 at 12:35pm
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horrifying

posted by jenzoe on March 7th 2008 at 1:13pm
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This doesn't work for me. And if I saw it in a sushi restaurant, I'd borrow the chef's knife and put it out of the customers' misery.

posted by JonathanB on March 7th 2008 at 1:25pm
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if this isn't the tackiest thing i've ever seen, it's definitely made the top 3...

posted by boomtown! on March 7th 2008 at 2:18pm
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tacky but with different sky view it could be better.

posted by TheoJ on March 7th 2008 at 3:25pm
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aww, i love it. it reminds me of the main dining area of canter's. um...

posted by santos. on March 8th 2008 at 12:59am
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