Renovating
Ask a Designer: How Do I Design Around a Pitched Ceiling?
Pitched ceilings add character, height and light to a room, but it’s important you consider everything from design to lighting and curtains
Once you’ve chosen to go for a pitched ceiling, the decisions don’t end there. Now I’ve embarked on my own dream build of converting an old stable building, I’ve been struggling with how to treat the ceilings. Do I keep the old trusses exposed and try to bring them back to life, or do I panel them in? Shall I install a roof lantern, and how do I incorporate downlighters? These images offer bags of inspiration for anyone looking to switch to a pitch…
Balance your finishes
This is a really lovely balance of materials and styles. The simple white, plastered expanses between the rafters is so neat and clean, then the exposed stone on the gable end adds depth and texture. I love the windows in the gable end, too, flushing natural light along the pitch and enhancing the height.
Pitched ceiling or flat expanse? Tell us which works for you in the comments below.
This is a really lovely balance of materials and styles. The simple white, plastered expanses between the rafters is so neat and clean, then the exposed stone on the gable end adds depth and texture. I love the windows in the gable end, too, flushing natural light along the pitch and enhancing the height.
Pitched ceiling or flat expanse? Tell us which works for you in the comments below.
Consider window treatments
The only problem with a fully glazed gable end is dressing it. If you aren’t overlooked, no problem, but if you want some privacy, or to block early morning sunshine, the only way to go is bespoke. Curtains, blinds and even shutters can be made to fit the space so they don’t spoil the lines of the glazing, so it’s well worth forking out.
See versatile ways with shutters
The only problem with a fully glazed gable end is dressing it. If you aren’t overlooked, no problem, but if you want some privacy, or to block early morning sunshine, the only way to go is bespoke. Curtains, blinds and even shutters can be made to fit the space so they don’t spoil the lines of the glazing, so it’s well worth forking out.
See versatile ways with shutters
Expose for a coastal mood
Leaving the structure of the roof exposed but painting it all white, along with the walls, is a great way to create an airy coastal feel. This scheme gives me that Hamptons feel – in my dreams, I’m floating around in my Ralph Lauren linens, drinking a chilled glass of Sancerre and gazing at the sea…
Check out ways to get the coastal look
Leaving the structure of the roof exposed but painting it all white, along with the walls, is a great way to create an airy coastal feel. This scheme gives me that Hamptons feel – in my dreams, I’m floating around in my Ralph Lauren linens, drinking a chilled glass of Sancerre and gazing at the sea…
Check out ways to get the coastal look
Go gloriously glass
If your budget can stretch to a fully glazed pitched roof, it can be an absolutely stunning option. Be aware, though, that you need to choose the right glass – self-cleaning if possible and thermally efficient. You then need to consider how to regulate the heat of the room – you don’t want to scorch in summer (check out low-E glass) or freeze in winter. Heated glass is a great option to stop the cold descending from above, and it also gets the snow moving as soon as it has fallen, preventing heavy build-up. This is such a dramatic space that looks lovely in the sunshine, but I think it must be spectacular in a storm – much more exciting!
Browse glass box extensions
If your budget can stretch to a fully glazed pitched roof, it can be an absolutely stunning option. Be aware, though, that you need to choose the right glass – self-cleaning if possible and thermally efficient. You then need to consider how to regulate the heat of the room – you don’t want to scorch in summer (check out low-E glass) or freeze in winter. Heated glass is a great option to stop the cold descending from above, and it also gets the snow moving as soon as it has fallen, preventing heavy build-up. This is such a dramatic space that looks lovely in the sunshine, but I think it must be spectacular in a storm – much more exciting!
Browse glass box extensions
Panel between the rafters
The use of painted panelling between exposed rafters is a great way of bringing the space in a little and making the room more cosy. It also creates a platform on which to add additional lighting and to flush some soft lights upwards. There are quite a few different materials in this scheme as you work from the floor up to the ceiling, but I think a room of this size that’s so beautifully lit can take it.
The use of painted panelling between exposed rafters is a great way of bringing the space in a little and making the room more cosy. It also creates a platform on which to add additional lighting and to flush some soft lights upwards. There are quite a few different materials in this scheme as you work from the floor up to the ceiling, but I think a room of this size that’s so beautifully lit can take it.
Light it day and night
With a pitched ceiling, you can find yourself looking at a rather large expanse of plastered wall and blankness. So putting a roof lantern in can be a great way to bring interest as well as a wealth of light into the room. This is a more traditional take on the idea, with the timber cladding running up to it. The addition of a hanging pendant prevents the opening looking like a dark hole in the evenings.
With a pitched ceiling, you can find yourself looking at a rather large expanse of plastered wall and blankness. So putting a roof lantern in can be a great way to bring interest as well as a wealth of light into the room. This is a more traditional take on the idea, with the timber cladding running up to it. The addition of a hanging pendant prevents the opening looking like a dark hole in the evenings.
Supersize your roof lantern
Ooh, I’m swooning a bit over this one! Using a huge roof lantern to pitch the ceiling above a kitchen is a fab way to bring natural light into a well-used area. The glazing is beautifully simple, but be warned, large roof lanterns can be prone to leaking, so if you’re thinking of doing something similar, dig deeper into those pockets – you want someone who really knows what they’re doing and will make sure that, when the heavens open, the water knows exactly where it’s going – and so do you!
Ooh, I’m swooning a bit over this one! Using a huge roof lantern to pitch the ceiling above a kitchen is a fab way to bring natural light into a well-used area. The glazing is beautifully simple, but be warned, large roof lanterns can be prone to leaking, so if you’re thinking of doing something similar, dig deeper into those pockets – you want someone who really knows what they’re doing and will make sure that, when the heavens open, the water knows exactly where it’s going – and so do you!
Celebrate the construction
I love the way this room is all about the framework of the building, with a real celebration of the lovely wood and chunky joints. The stove’s flue very discreetly piercing the ceiling in the corner gets top marks from me, too.
I love the way this room is all about the framework of the building, with a real celebration of the lovely wood and chunky joints. The stove’s flue very discreetly piercing the ceiling in the corner gets top marks from me, too.
Work out your lighting
This image shows how creative you need to be with unusual ceiling pitches. You can’t just pepper the ceiling in downlights, because it just won’t allow it. In this design, with roof lights running along each side of a central apex, an area has been flattened off in order to incorporate lighting over the workspace. Lighting for sloping ceilings is getting better, but you need to spend time sourcing the right ones for your space and really think about the impact they will have on the ceiling, which, when pitched, often becomes the main event of the room.
TELL US...
Have you designed around a pitched ceiling? Share your experiences with us in the Comments below.
This image shows how creative you need to be with unusual ceiling pitches. You can’t just pepper the ceiling in downlights, because it just won’t allow it. In this design, with roof lights running along each side of a central apex, an area has been flattened off in order to incorporate lighting over the workspace. Lighting for sloping ceilings is getting better, but you need to spend time sourcing the right ones for your space and really think about the impact they will have on the ceiling, which, when pitched, often becomes the main event of the room.
TELL US...
Have you designed around a pitched ceiling? Share your experiences with us in the Comments below.
The main oddity about pitched ceilings is when your interiors start bumping into them. You need to think hard, for example, about the junction a stove’s flue – where and how it’s going to hit the ceiling. Or if you have exposed trusses in your bedroom, do you really want them hanging directly over your head? If they are painted in to match the ceilings, the junctions become less obvious.