Details that Make a Difference: Paneled Ceilings

The ceiling is possibly one of the most overlooked and underestimated areas of our homes, but anyone unfortunate enough to live under the horror of the dreaded popcorn ceiling will tell you that ceilings DO matter. At the moment, our inner beach bum is digging the laid back vibe of paneled ceilings. Check out more ideas for incorporating the versatile style into your home, and find instructions for achieving the look yourself below the jump...

bill and kit ceiling .jpg
While visiting family over the weekend I was stunned by the extreme DIY makeover that my step-grandparents completed in their home. What was once said to be a non-desrcript breezeway between their garage and kitchen is now the gathering hub of their home. One of the most impressive elements was the ceiling. They removed the standard flat sheetrock ceiling to expose the vaults. Then they paneled the slopes with Wisconsin Ash, and added rough cedar to cover the cross beams. The result is genius!

just beachy paneled ceiling.jpg

DIY makeover master, Chris Kauffman of Just Beachy, undertook an impressive paneling project in her own home last summer. She details her progress here and here. From popcorn to perfection! To see more of Chris' creative DIY solutions and to learn more about her design business, check out her site.

lisa banks maine home and garden.png Designer Lisa Banks emphasized the gorgeous attic slopes of her Maine home by adding paneling to the ceiling and walls.

creative commons license paneled ceiling.jpg This is the real deal. This cottage kitchen was too beautiful not to share. We love the casual look of authentically worn paneled ceilings.

If you're sold on the look like we are, check out DIY instructions here or here.

For ideas on what type of paneling to use, check our This Old House's article here.

(Images: 1: Domino, 2: Leah Moss, 3,4: Just Beachy, 5: Maine Home and Design, 6: via Creative commons)

Comments (17)

Loves it! My folks have pine-paneled ceilings and they are so gorgeous!

Leah--

Your family's breezeway ceiling is just beautiful.

IMO - Paneled ceilings provide a sense of shelter that sheetrock just can't.

You have to have the vault, though. I think on a flat 8' ceiling, this would just feel confining.

This would really help style-up one of those suburban cookie cutter homes!

i had dreaded popcorn ceiling in the last place I was at.
Currently loving the house I'm renting now, smooth ceiling being one of the reasons!

SherryBinNH- Vaulted ceilings are a plus, but I think it might do a lot to improve the space even with standard flat 8ft ceilings. Chris's (example #2) is a flat ceiling, and I think it looks awesome. She added the beam and corbel to delineate the paneled ceiling from the plain ceiling in the adjoining room.

I LOVE this look. And I live with popcorn ceilings. Now I have ceiling lust.

This is perfect for low, flat ceilings. Giving the ceiling texture and depth helps to make it feel less oppressive. Also using high-gloss paint, for sheen and shimmer, helps too.

This is definitely on my list of someday projects. Since my place is very open, there's a lot of ceiling and I'd have to do all of it. But it would give me the texture and warmth that I need.
Has anyone had experience with Armstrong ceilings? The wood is fake but my ceilings are high enough that I think it would pass.

Many a mid century modern home incorporated the tounge and groove beamed ceilings be it vaulted or flat. One house I saw about 30 years ago when it was up for sale, had white painted ceilings of that type, the liging/dining were valted in one direction and the rest of the house had the standard flat ceilings and the house was of the MCM contemporary/modern vernacular of the day. I actually loved the house and its layout and that style of ceiling, be it painted or left natural sealant is the look I tend to prefer.

I find that kind of ceiling does work well either way so the remark that it really only works on vaulted is not quite true for I've seen it work either way with my own eyes.

I should clarify, the front hall and bedrooms had the same tounge and groove ceiling, but flat and that style was just carried into the living and dining areas where the ceiling was vaulted and I have always loved that type of ceiling and would want that in my house as well.

I was just looking at the panelled ceiling in the add-on part of my rental. And thinking how much I love it!

We have a '56 ranch with 480 sq. ft. of heart of pine ceilings in the not-so-formal living room and kitchen—the space is divided by an 11 ft. long stacked stone fireplace.

Thankfully, it survived the 80s without being painted. The color is absolutely gorgeous.

My current apartment (near the beach) has paneled ceilings. They aren't vaulted. They are a flat 8 ft high. I love them.

It doesn't feel oppressive but they are painted white and there are lots of large windows that bring in tons of light so that probably helps.

I have varnished pine-paneled ceilings, which I think are completely awful. They're low too - so no vaulting involved. I would love nothing more than to paint them white - the rooms are very small after all, but I just can't bare thinking of all the work involved with sanding the varnish off.

I love all of these! A paneled ceiling is definitely on my list when we build a home.

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