The ceiling in the main room of the apartment or house, namely in the hall, attracts special attention from the first seconds of being here. But in addition to the aesthetic function, he performs many other tasks: hides defects, provides competent lighting, maintains a general style of the room, implements zoning. With the design of this part, any renovation of the apartment begins, so the project should be coined in advance, before the beginning of all works. Variants and methods for implementing the design idea today are a huge amount: from classic whitewashing and painting, to the creation of two-level structures. To decide which ceiling design to implement in the hall, you must answer a lot of questions related to the appointment of the room, the general style of the interior, the financial capabilities of the owners.
Area and height
The larger the living room area and the higher the ceiling, the more complex its design should be. In a large room, the flat top will look boring and will not allow the lighting to be distributed correctly. Typically, if the height of the walls is at least 2.7 m, the designers create a two-level construction. If the ceiling of the hall is below this height, then it is made out on one level. It should be remembered that almost all types of modern ceiling systems eat up the height. So in the especially low living rooms, painting and wallpapering remains the most urgent. Some amount can be achieved by adding molding, other decorative elements. In addition to height, the role of the room plays an important role. A small living room, even with a sufficient height, will fit even light ceilings with a glossy surface, capable of visually expanding the space.
Determine the purpose of the room
Often, the living room of studio apartments is combined with a kitchen, a dining room or serves both as a bedroom. Then the ceiling structure should visually point to the boundaries of the zones. If the living room is combined with the kitchen, then an interesting interior solution will help to perform a two-level system, where the tension cloth borders on the plasterboard structure. In this case, the tensioned web can be different in color or pattern. As lighting devices above the living area can hang a large chandelier, and above the kitchen - small spotlights. The advantage of the stretcher in the kitchen before other types is that it is easy to clean. This is relevant, given that the fumes and grease appears on the walls and ceiling of the cooking zone even with good ventilation and powerful exhaust. If the hall is used as a bedroom, think about installing curly structures from gypsum board. With its help, you can make an interesting imitation of the sky, which at night will be illuminated by small lamps installed in a bizarre order, and during active wakefulness - a large round chandelier, similar to the sun. If the ceilings are too low and the use of drywall is impractical, decorative elements will help to create a three-dimensional drawing.
Style
As mentioned earlier, the ceiling is the focus of the person entering the room from the first seconds, so it is important that its design coincides with the design of the entire room. And if flaws in the design of walls can be covered with furniture or accessories, the ceiling is designed once for many years, and then its appearance is not corrected in any way. In the old days, the interior was not unique. In each house there was the same furniture, and the walls were glued with the same wallpaper. As for the ceiling, it was only whitened, and in the center hung a chandelier, which, like everything else, was not original. Today, ceiling structures can be implemented in absolutely any style: minimalism, baroque, ethnic, country, and many others.
Read also: 30 examples of kitchen-living room of 20 square meters. meters away 
Modern
Среди современных стилей особенно любимыми в оформлении залов стали: минимализм, хай-тек, экостиль, кантри. Интерьер, созданный в современных стилях отличается прямыми линиями, контрастными цветами, четкой формой мебели и хорошей освещенностью. Потолок должен быть функциональным, комфортным, но в то же время максимально простым. Если помещение зала оформлено в стиле минимализм, то дизайнеры отдают предпочтение однотонному светлому дизайну с большим количеством светильников, рассеивающих мягкий свет. Двухуровневые конструкции подсвечиваются светодиодными лентами по всему периметру комнаты. Style хай-тек похож на минимализм, но ему свойственны холодные оттенки, как в цвете оформления, так и в освещении. Хорошо подходят такому стилю подвесные конструкции с неоновой подсветкой.
Экостиль, в отличие от предыдущих, подразумевает использование натуральных материалов. Создать в гостиной комнате иллюзию природного уголка внутри квартиры помогут одноуровневые натяжные полотна, а вот окрашивание или пластиковые конструкции в данном случае не подойдут. Если потолок достаточно высок, добавить ему объема позволят деревянные балки. Для освещения зала используются энергосберегающие и светодиодные лампы, чей свет максимально похож на естественный солнечный. Style кантри немного схож в оформлении с эко. В его оформлении также присутствуют натуральные материалы, деревянные балки. На потолке не допускается использование хрома или зеркал. Актуальны натяжные полотна белого или коричневого цвета с одной или несколькими подвесными люстрами.
Classic Styles
To classical styles of an interior carry: a baroque, Greek, a modernist style, a provence and others. They are distinguished by high prices, an abundance of sculptures and antiques, heavy wooden furniture. Designs designed in the Baroque style - a heavy object, which carries a lot of details at the same time: stucco, frescoes, various textures. This option is available only to large halls. An interesting highlight will add to such a ceiling recreating the classic works of famous artists. As for lighting, it is appropriate to bulky chandeliers with a large number of lamps.
The Greek style on the contrary tends towards a discreet refinement, the absence of pomposity. In the design of this direction is mainly used white with bright blue accents, so the ceilings can simply be whitewashed, decorated with wooden beams of blue or white. The Greek style is one of the few in which the plastered and whitened ceiling will look very well and attractively.
Modern - it's smooth lines and shapes, a wide space, pastel colors. Very good look designs, made of gypsum board, with more than two levels, as a rule, not equipped. Photo wallpapers often assume a floral pattern. The main task of the ceiling, made in modern: to focus on furniture, decorative elements of the room. Similar style solutions are also welcome when creating a style of Provence. It often uses wooden beams and staining.
Ethnic style
Ethnic style – это возможность совершить путешествие в другую страну или другой исторический период. Африка, Япония, Мексика и множество других стран с их культурными особенностями могут появиться внутри вашей квартиры. Так, японский стиль в потолке – светлые одноуровневые конструкции, задекорированные деревянными балками и светильники квадратной формы. Индийский потолок – это настоящий центр зала, включающий в себя оригинальную роспись на поверхности полотна, этнические орнаменты, гипсокартонные конструкции, стилизованные под арку или купол дворца. Мексиканский стиль предполагает использование полотен красного, синего, желтого цвета.
What color scheme to choose
The choice of the color of the design is based on the type of ceiling. So, the traditional ceiling covered with putty on top is painted with white paint, although construction stores also suggest some expansion of the assortment in recent years. Suspended systems can be pasted with any wallpaper or painted. Armstrong ceilings are made in various modifications of color panels, the only difficulty with the selection of this material will be a combination of several shades, since their range is limited to traditional colors. Stretch fabrics, in turn, are realized in any color and shade, here the designer is absolutely free to choose. Before you finally choose materials, it is worth considering several points:
- In a room where the ceiling is at an altitude of less than 2.7 m, the ceiling should be several tones lighter than the walls and floor and vice versa.
- Rooms with poor access to natural light are better decorated with bright colors, for example, yellow or orange.
- A bright ceiling above the kitchen area can increase appetite, and cold shades - lower.
- If the hall is used as a bedroom, then it is better to stop the choice on single-colored pastel colors of the ceiling.
Lighting
Whatever the ceiling, there are basic rules for installing lighting fixtures. First, when the main light is switched on, it should be distributed uniformly throughout the hall. Secondly, a single group of fixtures, for example, all lamps in a chandelier or all point lights, should have the same power and brightness. Thirdly, the lamps should gently impact the eyes without dazzling them. In addition to general rules, designers are also guided by design features. Thus, suspended and gypsum plaster structures are illuminated with spotlights, LED strips and light chandeliers. When installing tensioning cloths, spotlights are selected. Multilevel designs are distinguished by LED strips. Volumetric heavy chandeliers are easily mounted on concrete or wooden ceiling systems.
Option
All types of ceilings have their own characteristics, advantages, disadvantages. Some of them are relevant for ethnic styles, others are ideal for classical. If you are ready to invite experts, then all the options for creating a ceiling are available. If you only consider independent work, then you can use painting, wallpapering, installing plastic plates.
Painting and whitewash
This option was used everywhere else some 20 years ago. Today, the whitewashed ceiling is much less common. Most often painted ceiling of concrete slabs, plasterboard and wood. At the same time, the preparatory stage of the work is important. You can whitewash and paint the room only after all the furniture has been removed from it, the chandelier is removed, and the floor and walls are covered. In other words, it is best to use this variant of the ceiling design long before settling into the room, at the first stage of the repair.
Wallpapers on the ceiling
For pasting, vinyl, liquid, non-woven, fiberglass are used. This design option allows you to achieve a smooth, but textured ceiling. At the same time it is budgetary and simple in execution, it is possible to glue the ceiling in the hall independently, without the involvement of specialists. Another notable plus wallpaper - a huge range. You can find suitable ones for almost any style, from classical to ethnic style. However, before beginning work on gluing the ceiling of the living room, it will have to be carefully leveled.
Plates from expanded polystyrene
Foamed polystyrene plates are glued approximately the same as wallpaper. However, unlike them, slabs can hide minor defects and are more resistant to moisture. You should carefully consider the choice of material, because cheap sloppy slabs will spoil the whole appearance of the living room, give the interior an unnecessary cheapness. In addition, this type of finishing will add to the apartment fire hazard. But there are also a number of advantages that distinguish between expanded polystyrene and other types of ceiling design:
- Provides good noise insulation, which is important in the apartments of old houses.
- Has a large assortment.
- Unlike wallpaper, on the slabs there will be no visible joints, and this will create a holistic ceiling design.
Decorating with plastic plates
Decorating the living room ceiling with plastic plates is one of the easiest to install design options. Panels are durable, can last for many years, are not afraid of high humidity and temperatures, and therefore they can be embedded in various spotlights, halogen lamps, LED tapes in accordance with the style of the interior. In addition, plastic panels can be arranged on an uneven ceiling and even hide under them electrical wires, which greatly reduces and simplifies the repair in the room. Construction shops represent a huge number of inexpensive plastic panels: monochrome or with a pattern, in all colors and shades. Professionals are rightly called the decoration of the ceiling by plastic plates an accessible analogue of suspension systems.
From plasterboard
Gypsum plasterboard designs are favorites of owners of large halls. They are able to realize the most complex classical style, to give the ceiling a multi-level. In addition, drywall is durable, environmentally friendly, reliable. In addition to its own texture, drywall is easily decorated with mirrors, lamps. Various decorative elements. In addition, it can hide electrical cables and wires. If it is a question of creating a drywall ceiling, then in the context of giving it several levels. The two- and three-level ceiling gives room for imagination both in terms of room lighting and in the zoning of the room.
Plasterboard eats at least 20 cm at each level, so it is unacceptable to install it in low rooms.
Sewing
This type of ceilings is created from fiberboard and MDF panels. They are fixed directly to the metal frame. A significant disadvantage is the limited installation of lighting fixtures, so they are more often used in bright rooms designed in ekostyle. The advantages of false ceilings are much greater than the disadvantages. In addition to environmental friendliness, the panels are also waterproof, durable, easy to install. And the appearance of such a ceiling will not change for many decades. If there has been some breakdown, it is not difficult to replace one of the panels with a new one.
Suspended
Suspended конструкции умело преподносят освещение в помещении и акцентируют стиль интерьера. Их преимущества схожи с натяжными полотнами, однако подвесные достаточно сложно монтируются. Сначала создается каркас из металлопрофиля, а затем на него подвешиваются кассетные, реечные, зеркальные плиты или потолок Армстронг. Кассетный и реечный потолок в основном используются в производственных и офисных помещениях. Они просты и функциональны. Зеркальные потолки выглядят очень специфично и актуальны разве что в качестве декоративных элементов или при создании стиля диско. Потолки Армстронг состоят из специального минерального волокна. Они эффектно смотрятся в стилях интерьера, таких как минимализм и хай-тек.
Stretch
Stretch полотна – лучший вариант оформления потолка не только в гостиной, но и в любой другой комнате. Они просты в установке и обслуживании, легко моются, выдерживают самое сильное затопление, представлены во всех возможных цветах и оттенках. Хотя чаще всего в интерьере присутствует однотонные натяжные системы, но возможно и нанесение рисунка посредством фотопечати. Поэтому использовать такой потолок можно в любых стилевых решениях. Наиболее популярны матовые и глянцевые натяжные полотна. Глянец визуально увеличивает простор помещения, увеличивает высоту, поэтому его используют в небольших гостиных. Единственный существенный минус натяжных потолков – невозможность установить их в помещении без помощи специалистов.
Concrete
The use of concrete ceilings in the interior of the hall is interestingly combined with wooden and metal structures, so it is often used when creating a room in the style of minimalism or loft. Among the advantages of this choice, one can note its cheapness, ecological compatibility, resistance to moisture and low fire hazard. However, concrete ceilings neatly look only in high rooms. In addition, it may be difficult to fill the ceiling with this material, it will most likely require the help of specialists. As the finishing of concrete use the traditional methods, namely paint and plaster. Even concrete painted in light colors requires special illumination. The lack of bright light in the room will lead to weighting the whole structure and can greatly damage the style of the room. Therefore, preference is given to massive chandeliers and halogen lamps.
Decoration with wooden beams
Wooden beams are present in the living rooms, made in the styles of eco, country, loft and many others. They create a multi-level, hide electrical communications, zonify the room, add to the interior of originality. Especially cozy look great halls with high ceilings and a decorative or real fireplace. Even in apartments such decoration creates the illusion of a private country house, proximity to nature. To wooden beams, you can hang chandeliers or build in them point lights. An additional advantage will be the use in the furniture items of the same tree from which the beams are made.
Combined ceilings
No matter how good this or that type of ceiling, when it comes to installing it in a large hall, designers prefer a combination of several types, for example, gypsum plasterboard and stretch, or glossy and matt. Connecting several types of ceilings allows you to give the room the necessary parameters: improve lighting, raise or lower the height, reduce the total cost. In short, combining several options for ceilings will avoid the disadvantages of some of them, while giving all the advantages immediately.
Conclusion
Before deciding which ceiling design to make, ask for help from professional designers. They will be able to give recommendations based on your preferences, the size of the room and other factors. In addition, most of the modern ceilings to install independently is not recommended, because it can lead to irreversible errors. Otherwise, your imagination will not be limited. The modern ceiling will allow to create from a usual living room a medieval palace, a simple wooden house and many other options.
