It seems that everything in the production technology of suspended ceilings has already been discovered and invented. But new innovative trends stubbornly testify: beauty is inexhaustible, imagination is limitless! In this article we will tell you what suspended ceilings you can install to surprise your loved ones and please yourself.
Beauty and its practical purposes
Stretch ceilings are one of the most attractive ways to create coziness and comfort in your home.
They are practical, durable, and look aesthetically pleasing. In addition, despite the rather long history of finishing materials on the market, they have not lost their relevance and are still fashionable and in demand today. Using tension materials, you can create incredibly beautiful, original interiors. Plastic, durable, capable of changing under the influence of light, the canvas is not just a way to decorate the ceiling in an apartment. This is also an opportunity to create a modern interior in public and commercial premises. Offices, cinemas, clubs, restaurants and other premises look completely different if they have thoughtful and competent designs, if there are beautiful stretch ceilings. Today you can choose not only the color, but also the texture of the ceiling bases. Stretch ceilings are created using different materials:
- Glossy . These are beautiful ceilings with excellent reflective properties of the film. They give a visual increase in space, expand the room, raise the room, increase the height of the walls. The correct placement of lamps allows you to evenly distribute light fluxes throughout the room. A huge selection of colors and shades of glossy coatings allows you to combine the ceiling with the rest of the room’s decoration, furniture and other interior elements.
Advice! If the room is quite spacious, but not very high, it is recommended to use dark shades of gloss. A black or dark blue mirrored ceiling creates an optical illusion of bottomless space above your head.
- Satin. They are characterized by a less pronounced shine compared to glossy canvas. They distribute light well throughout the room, but do not have obsessive glare or reflection. The beauty of satin coating is its delicate pearlescent quality, which, when chosen correctly, gives a truly pearly color.
- Matte. The most beautiful and worthy option for classic interior spaces. If you are a follower of traditional solutions, then matte canvas will be the ideal choice for the ceiling. The beauty of this material is in its evenness, dignified and calm matte finish, and versatility. It goes well with any style, with different lamps, and hides all the imperfections of the rough ceiling.
- Fabric. Fabric, or synthetic textiles, is used only in a matte finish. The material is beautiful in its own way, it can even be separated into a separate category. Extremely durable, impeccable in appearance, very high quality and reliable fabric material does not require a heat gun during installation, which can be very important during installation.
Very often, ceiling structures combine different colors and combine fabrics with different textures. This makes the ceiling original and unusual. However, there are special, even more interesting materials; we will tell you about them in more detail.
Metallic coating
The film for such a ceiling differs from the usual base in a denser and heavier structure. It is stronger, although it makes the structure somewhat heavier. Here are the characteristics of this unusual canvas:
- less reflective than gloss, but more shiny than matte film;
- perfectly increases the height of ceilings and generally expands the space;
- Available in colors similar to those of precious metals - gold, silver, bronze. The color is pronounced, the saturation increases under artificial lighting, which emphasizes the nobility and luxury of the metallic shade;
- the rather specific texture of the metallic base harmonizes best with such interior styles as hi-tech and techno.
The advantages of this coating include the absence of an unnecessary mirror effect with good reflective ability of the material. Like other metal films, they wash well, serve for a long time and hide the imperfections of the rough ceiling and ceiling communications. Among the disadvantages is a higher price.
Advice! This unusual film is more suitable than others for decorating youth clubs and other entertainment venues. For home use, it should be combined with furniture upholstery and other decorative decoration of the room.
Marble covering
This is a PVC film on which a pattern imitating marble stone is applied. It is distinguished by the high quality of the pattern, so it is difficult to distinguish the film from natural stone on the ceiling. This material is most often used when decorating “wet” areas - kitchens, bathrooms, swimming pools, etc. Like all films, it is practical - it retains moisture and is durable. The disadvantage is the price and the fact that it will have to be combined with other materials especially thoughtfully, and such a coating may not be suitable for every interior. This ceiling works well in high-tech, loft, and minimalist style rooms. Marbled film is available in glossy and matte versions.
Advice! Light colors are good in any room, but dark shades of marble can visually reduce the space; lighting will help avoid this.
Painting
No matter what anyone says, like painted ceilings are no longer relevant, they were, are and, most likely, will be for a long time. This design method is considered quite budget-friendly and not particularly complicated. What does such a design require? Nothing special. You just need to level the surface, putty and paint. Simple? Yes. But the white ceiling is, by and large, a classic. In addition, if desired, it can be refined in such a way that not everyone will realize that in fact it is just a painted surface in front of them.
"Suede" and other fabric
Exclusive film with imitation suede looks very natural. Of course, the solution is a little unexpected - a suede cloth over the head, but, firstly, different materials differ in style, and secondly, the room immediately takes on a cozy look, a warm atmosphere. In addition to the bedroom, such a ceiling can be made in the office, library, and they can also be installed in billiard rooms. True, most often not the entire surface of the ceiling is covered with suede, but only decorative inserts.
Interesting ceilings can be created using a film that imitates fabrics. Noble silk, brocade, and silk-screen printing on the ceiling look expensive and unusual. Designs with perforated fabric made in two layers look especially elegant. Even more unexpected combinations are possible with original lighting, a combination of two or more levels using a plasterboard box with bizarre curved shapes.
Ceiling tiles
Another finishing material that many classify as: “Ugh, village!” This is the only way someone who is simply behind the times can speak. Because at the moment there are not only cheap tiles on sale, but also quite decent seamless elements. As well as 3D models, thanks to which the ceiling will look more than modern and elegant. In addition, gypsum tiles are also produced, which, if you have a certain amount of imagination, can be painted in a very interesting way.
"Floating" ceilings
For many years now, the designer has had such technology as “floating” stretch ceilings in her arsenal.
The design received this name because of the unusual effect of lightness and as if the ceiling was detached from the walls. This ceiling looks very interesting and unrealistic. It's simple: a light strip is placed around the perimeter of the ceiling. The lighting makes the ceiling seem to be floating in the air. To ensure maximum light reflection, a special aluminum profile is used in the design. Light sources can be attached to it; they will create soft dispersion and a light areola around the room. The color and brightness of the lighting can be changed by using different tapes or using the control panel. As for the canvas itself for such a ceiling, it can be made in different ways:
- colored, plain, with an abstract pattern;
- use photo printing;
- perform in one or two or more levels;
- make it curvilinear.
This type of floating ceiling, like the “Sail” ceiling, looks very unusual. There is fiberglass film for it. It is transparent, and thanks to fiberglass you can create extremely beautiful effects of light and color. The “Starry Sky” ceiling is popular. Beautiful stretch ceilings designed in this style can be used both in living rooms and in entertainment venues.
PVC panels
It has also been a finishing material known to everyone for a long time, which still remains indispensable for budget renovations of bathrooms, kitchens, and hallways. It is not used in residential premises, but where there are temperature changes or high humidity, it will come in very handy. Especially considering the fact that today you can buy not only yellow, blue, green, etc. panels, but also very beautiful varieties of plastic with elegant, interesting designs, gold or silver inserts, products that imitate natural materials such as stone, plastic, marble . With a competent approach, the right selection of furniture and colors, you can create a literally unique interior using ordinary PVC panels.
Ceilings with photo printing
Perhaps, in order to make an original and beautiful ceiling without special expenses, it is worth adopting photo printing techniques. A simple application of special paint to the stretch ceiling film can completely transform the space and make the ceiling truly an art object. Moreover, in addition to the decorative purpose, such a canvas can also perform a practical function. For example, expand the space and visually raise the real ceiling. For such ceilings the following patterns are usually used:
- paintings of seascapes;
- image of a bright sky;
- glass dome;
- imitation of tree tops;
- abstract patterns, etc.
Ceilings with photo printing are extremely popular. After all, you can choose paintings to suit your taste, and this type of design is used with almost no restrictions. In the children's room and in the living room, in the kitchen and office - everywhere photo printing looks stylish, appropriate and harmonious.
Among modern types of photo printing, it is worth focusing especially on the capabilities of 3D technology. The image is three-dimensional, embossed, it gives the complete illusion of the reality of the picture thanks to the use of special solvent ink.
These are probably the most popular ceilings today, which are also very practical, durable and easy to install.
Beams
Today, a style such as Provence is very popular. However, it involves decorating the ceilings with beams. And if it is still possible to cope with the problem in a private house, then it is not possible to fence in bulky structures in a city apartment. However, there is a way out. You can purchase lightweight false structures made of polyurethane, which are very easy to install. With their help you can decorate almost any room in a rustic style. The main thing is that the ceilings themselves are not very low, since the beams still “eat up” the height.
Ceilings with innovative technologies
Among the latest techniques for decorating rooms there are also high-tech technologies. Among them, it is worth recalling the Double Vision technology, the essence of which is the use of hidden printing techniques. It can be reproduced on the inside of the film and illuminated by internal lighting. The canvas can also be painted on both sides, and thanks to this technique, completely unusual effects arise when illuminated.
Complex stretch ceilings in several levels
It is more difficult to make a multi-level ceiling than to install a flat structure. Especially when it comes to installing curved forms and creating an interior with a figured ceiling. Of course, such designs are not suitable for all rooms and require a certain height and area of the room. The choice of lighting fixtures is also important.
It is difficult to list everything that the technology of installing suspended ceilings in several levels provides. Designs can be very different:
- in the form of steps illuminated by lamps or light strips;
- in the form of a cascade of levels located with an inclination;
- with curved shapes applicable;
- with a combination of wavy and smooth lines and surfaces.
In multi-level structures, both film frames and plasterboard boxes are often used. Of course, the weight of such a ceiling increases, labor costs increase, repairs require more time, effort, and money than when stretching a simple PVC film over the frame. However, the result is worth it.
Often, for multi-level ceilings, different textures of materials are used - film and fabric, a combination of gloss, matte or satin fabric. All this gives a large selection of ideas for the designer and expands the possibilities for the customer.
Drywall
If you really want something unusual or need to zone a space, you won’t find a better option. The types of decoration of plasterboard ceilings are very diverse, so, with a certain amount of imagination and some skills in working with this material, you can create a truly unique interior. True, it is not recommended to build a three-level structure in a one-room apartment, so as not to overload the already small space. But in such rooms you can combine drywall with stained glass inserts, which will make it visually taller. Having created an original design, you can play with the finishing. It is not necessary to paint the entire surface. Part of it can be finished with the same wallpaper as the walls, or, for example, use decorative plaster. Also interesting is the combination of drywall and photo wallpaper, and the use of stucco molding and mirrors on such a structure. Quite often they also combine gypsum boards with tension fabrics.
