32 Decorative Ceiling Design Ideas

Not to be overlooked, ceilings are as important to a space as the walls and furniture. Covered in wallpaper, they can bring a hit of pattern; painted a bright hue, they can add a punch of color; or covered in intricate molding, they can create dimensional texture. From classic coffered ceilings to artful murals, check out these decorative ceiling ideas and get inspired with our designer ideas on how to make the 5th wall pop.

To add instant pizazz, look no further than wallpaper. It can immediately change the entire tone of a room. A darker paper with metallic accents can turn an office from drab to dramatic, a neutral pattern can add just the right amount of spark to a Zen bedroom, or a bold hue, like the coral pink in this colorful dining room, can add bright personality. Wallpapering over a tray ceiling makes it even more dynamic.

Painting your ceiling a different color than the walls is a classic way to the draw the eye up, but bringing the color part of the way down the walls has an even more interesting effect. A coral hue envelops this colorful, yet serene bedroom and brings out the pinkish tone of the leather headboard. Hanging a gallery wall where the two colors meet helps soften the harsh line.

To make your ceiling extra special, combine two treatments, like wallpaper and coffering. The mustard yellow coffered molding in this dining room is only enhanced by the 1920s-inspired wallpaper hung on the interior panels. Make sure the wallpaper you choose ties into other elements of the room, like this vintage print that has hints of yellow.

Married to Real Estate duo, Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson, created eye-catching contrast in this once stark white living room with dark stained wood beams. The extended length of the beams highlights the shape of the vaulted ceiling, while can lighting that disappears into the ceiling allows them to shine. If you want the natural grains in wood beams to come through, use a stain. If you want a smoother look, use paint.

Wallpaper on the walls and the ceiling equals one fabulous space. To keep the design from looking too busy, start with the pattern that will take up the most square footage and then pull accent colors from it. For example, in this preppy meets playful laundry room, a light blue pattern on the ceiling ties into the various blue tones in the pattern on the wall. It's important to consider a scale too. Use a smaller print on the ceiling if you have a bolder print on the walls, or vice versa.

There's a reason people have been pinning and draping fabric from their ceilings since the ancient Egyptians—it's luxurious, makes a room feel larger, and has a dramatic effect that no other ceiling treatment can achieve. You can pin fabric at the center of a ceiling, then drape it towards the outer walls for a tent-like effect, or you can hang fabric within the recesses of a ceiling to highlight its shape, like in this funky bedroom.

To fully envelop a room, paint the walls and ceiling the same color. Deep colors, like this rich navy blue, have a stronger encompassing effect than neutral hues. To keep her living room from looking flat, designer Tiffany Brooks installed trim work on the walls and detailed crown molding along the ceiling.

Originating in ancient Greece, coffered ceilings have a timeless elegance. They can be painted the same color as the ceiling to create subtle texture, like in this charming living space, or a contrasting hue to make them pop. Be sure to consider the size of your room before installing coffering. A smaller space can support more beams, while a larger space, like the one above, should have less beams with larger sunken panels.

Though they're typically associated with farmhouse style, reclaimed wood beams can add character to any space. In this whimsical breakfast nook, worn wood brings a sense of history while also showcasing the rounded shape of the ceiling. A showstopping white candelabra chandelier further enhances the beams and the unique architecture of the space.

Farmhouse Fixer host, Jonathan Knight, is a pro at revamping old farmhouses and making them feel one of a kind. For a lakefront project on Farmhouse Fixer: Camp Revamp, he turned a cramped cabin kitchen into a spacious getaway by wrapping skinny shiplap around the walls and onto the angled ceiling. In a room with a sloped roof, continuing any wall treatment onto the ceiling makes it feel taller and more cohesive.

Originally created as a more affordable alternative to expensive plasterwork, pressed tin ceilings are made by stamping ornate patterns into sheets of gauge metal. They take on a modern look painted white and installed in a space with tall ceilings and lots of natural light, like in this modern New York City loft, but they feel equally at home in a historic kitchen with copper accents, or in a basement with industrial flair.

For the primary bedroom in her Park City, UT, home, Help! I Wrecked My House host, Jasmine Roth, created a feature wall that extends across a portion of the vaulted ceiling. The peak makes covering only a portion of the ceiling with molding look natural. A honey color stained beam provides a nice cap for the fluted wood material and highlights the apex of the roof.

Despite having a mix of paint colors and wallpapers, this New York City studio apartment feels cohesive thanks to a clear color palette. Various pink tones, including a salmon hue on the ceiling, tie into one another to give the small space dimension.

Another way to add dimension to a small space is with a mix of materials. Wood paneling left unstained contrasts the vivid navy walls and built-ins. Molding painted the same dark hue, and navy drapes make your eyes immediately go to the ceiling upon entering the room. A skinny brass chandelier ties into the picture light while letting the wood paneling shine.

It wouldn't be a Bargain Block project without custom artwork from Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas. An angular painted mural that bleeds onto the ceiling creates a statement focal wall. Gold paint pops off of black, and the sharp lines of the mural tie into the artwork. If painting a mural that continues onto the ceiling, keep it simple with geometric shapes or an abstract scene so the room doesn't look too busy.

Don't be afraid to play with color. A cheerful burst of yellow highlights the vaulted ceiling and brightens up this eclectic bedroom.

This bedroom, with farmhouse flair, features a striking blue ceiling and brings just the right amount of color and pizzaz to the space.

This bright, white kitchen features rustic wood ceiling beams that tie into the kitchen island, making this space a beautiful, cohesive design.

If natural wood hues isn't your vibe, try painting the trim (including the ceiling beams) and bright, eye-catching hue. This midcentury modern space features a dramatic purple hue on the beams and trim work, making it a striking and energetic space.

Bringing in a rustic look, this bedroom's ceiling features a pine ceiling that adds warmth and texture to the room's design.

This dining room ceiling features a colorful wallpaper that makes the ceiling an eye-catching statement, but to add more drama, designers included a chandelier that mimics that colors seen in the wallpaper.

If you can't decide on paneling or beams for your ceiling, then use them both. This vaulted ceiling shows how white paneling paired with stained wood beams brings in a statement making look.

Pink is on parade in this vibrant girl's room where pink and white stripes on the ceiling make for a decidedly feminine and whimsical space.

Fantastic grey and black striped wallpaper embellishes the ceiling and walls in this sitting room, where Art Deco chairs and sconces flank the passage to the foyer. Both the wallpaper in the foyer and the acid green paint in the room beyond it gain visual impact from the bold, graphic frame in this space.

This contemporary living room is awash in all shades of blue, from the soft blue sectional sofa to the cerulean throw pillows to the marine blue artwork and draperies. A coffered beadboard ceiling provides texture and interest overhead that is sure to dazzle guests and be a timeless design feature for years to come.

A breakfast nook just off the kitchen has a unique vaulted ceiling. So to highlight it, designers papered the ceiling with wallpaper in a colorful, whimsical pattern.

This bright pantry is packed full of personality and features lemon patterned wallpaper, seafoam green cabinets and trim, and gold wallpaper on the ceiling.

The skylights, seen in HGTV Urban Oasis 2024, include a beige room darkening double pleated solar shade and a light filtering single pleated solar shade. These shades allow you to control the level of light entering this tranquil space.

Beautiful white millwork features prominently in this eclectic dining room that mixes classic and retro, modern and timeless. Two solidly midcentury-style chandeliers in assertive brass and crystal are mounted within traditional and subtle white ceiling medallions.

This eclectic, blue and white bathroom features vibrant butterfly ceiling wallpaper, a cobalt blue vanity with a marble top, and stunning gold floral vanity sconces. A large bathroom mirror and mirrored flanking sconces reflect the butterfly wallpaper on the ceiling of this beautiful bathroom space.