The most visited place in any apartment is the hall or living room. Here the family spends evenings after a hard day, guests are accommodated here and significant dates are celebrated. Therefore, every hostess wants to create a joyful atmosphere of comfort and tranquility in this room. When creating sketches of the future design of the room, do not forget about the ceiling in the hall. This is an important detail that can set the right tone for the entire interior.
Design options
The design of the ceiling can be the most diverse - you can simply paint it or install a tension structure. It all depends on the desire, imagination and financial capabilities of the owners of the premises. For the design of the upper plane, the following materials are most often used:
- Whitewash or paint.
- Wooden slats and boards.
- GVL and GKL.
- Polystyrene tiles.
- Stretch fabric.
- Laminate.
- PVC film.
The flight of fancy is not limited to this list. The materials can be easily combined or used separately.
Stretch ceiling: for or ... for!
Stretch ceiling in the living room is becoming more popular. In addition to the fact that it is perfectly even, it has additional advantages worthy of attention:
- Perfectly combined with other materials.
- Installation is done quickly.
- It can be given any shape, including volumetric.
- Easy to clean with a soft cloth and soap.
- Durable. The warranty period is 15 years, and the actual service life is 50.
- You can choose your favorite color.
Against such qualities, there are only two disadvantages that are unlikely to become a problem for the ceiling in the hall: the stretch fabric is easy to pierce with a pointed object, and it also does not tolerate large temperature changes.
Texture and materials of stretch ceilings
Stretch ceilings are divided into 2 types: PVC film and fabric (durable material impregnated with polyurethane). They have different installation methods. The film ones are stretched with the help of heat guns, and the fabric ones are tucked into the frame.
In addition, according to the invoice, they are divided into:
- glossy;
- matte;
- suede;
- satin.
With the help of a glossy stretch fabric, you can visually adjust the volume of the room. The shiny film reflects the light from the window and pieces of furniture, blurring the boundaries of the room. 5 cm spent on the installation of the frame will return with a big increase even in apartments with low ceilings.
The matte stretch ceiling does not give reflections, while it looks just like perfectly plastered. When choosing dark colors for decoration for this version of the ceiling, it should be borne in mind that it will visually reduce the space. But light pastel shades are perfect for a small area. When combining such a canvas with drywall, you can create a multi-level ceiling with a unique design.
Suede stretch ceiling is suitable for brave people. As well as matte, it does not give glare, but it looks aristocratic, slightly defiant. It is difficult to clean it, so you should not arrange dances in the hall, raising dust, or shoot champagne while sitting by the New Year tree.
Satin finish is the middle option between glossy and matte. Slightly shiny. A photo print will look great on it. On such a surface, you can apply art painting yourself using acrylic paints.
Choosing the Right Color
Choosing the color of the stretch ceiling, you should focus on the overall design of the room. A light color scheme will add volume to the room, and a combination of different shades will ensure the division of the room into zones.
The time for sterile white surfaces is over. It was replaced by the era of color diversity. Manufacturers offer more than 150 color options for the ceiling. To evaluate whether the selected shade is suitable or not, you can use a computer program from the Internet.
In addition to white, when decorating a ceiling in a classic style, designers suggest using black, brown colors. In combination with contrasting walls, they emphasize the strict luxury of the room design. Black is the color of confidence.
Stretch ceiling beige, raspberry pastel color adds a sense of comfort and tranquility. It is appropriate in the halls, which are mainly used as a family gathering place.
Ceiling options in cold colors (blue, green) will ensure calm communication between the owners of the apartment and their guests. These colors are considered inert - they do not excite or suppress mood.
Some Tips
When choosing the color of the stretch fabric, the general hall design. A good solution will fit into the interior without causing disharmony.
- The classic version is a dark bottom (floor) with a smooth transition to a light top.
- The contrast of walls and ceiling looks beautiful, executed in the same color scheme (saturated - pale).
- You should not use many different colors at the same time - everything should be in moderation.
- For a small room, one color is optimal, smoothly changing shades.
- It is convenient to divide large rooms into zones using different colors of stretch fabrics.
In addition to plain ones, stretch fabrics with various patterns and photo prints are widely used:
- Flowers, butterflies will breathe life into a monotonous surface.
- Geometric patterns will add the rigor of a classic design.
- Hieroglyphs or frescoes look exotic on the ceiling.
- Clouds floating across the sky will add freshness and lightness to the room.
The ceiling, decorated in the form of a starry sky, deserves special attention. Over a dark (cosmic color) film, LEDs of different power are evenly placed. As a result, the ceiling creates a sense of the multidimensionality of outer space. If you fix the light bulbs, imitating the constellations, and work out the design of the entire room, then the hall can turn into a cabin of an interplanetary ship.
Variety of forms
The design of the ceiling, as well as its color, must match the parameters and style of the room. The ceiling can be:
- Classic, i.e. smooth from wall to wall. This option is more often used in small rooms, placing graceful cornices around the perimeter.
- A multi-level masterpiece with a 3D effect. The stepped forms of the ceiling surface are not only fashionable, but also practical. Under them, you can hide any communications: wires, ventilation pipes.
Different levels of the stretch ceiling can smoothly divide the space into functional zones. They are made different in shape - geometrically clear or arbitrary.
Fans of non-standard solutions mount a stretch ceiling in the living room in the form of a dome or arch. Such a design can have clear boundaries with walls or flow smoothly into them. Using PVC film, you can make a ceiling that has the most incredible design, for example, create a three-dimensional wavy surface or give it the shape of a drop.
Choosing a Lighting Style
Properly selected lighting is the final touch of design. With regard to tension structures, there are some restrictions:
- It is forbidden to use incandescent lamps more powerful than 50 watts.
- It is impossible to mount strongly heated overhead chandeliers.
- Special care must be taken when installing lighting fixtures with sharp elements.
Therefore, the best solution would be to use energy-saving lamps, LED lamps or fiber optics.
Classic lighting fixture chandelier. Despite the abundance of alternative light sources, it holds the lead in application. Being a separate design element, it creates sufficient illumination of the room, but does not preclude the use of additional lighting.
A narrow strip of light around the entire perimeter of the ceiling will visually increase its height. The same effect is given by hidden lamps directed upwards.
Light is very convenient to emphasize functional areas. For this, dimmable spotlights or strip LEDs are used.
- The abstract forms of the ceiling can be advantageously illuminated with lamps of different colors.
- Diode illumination, located above the translucent film along the perimeter, creates an original pattern of intersecting lines on the outside.
- The LED strip, pasted in a chaotic manner over a stretched film, looks like a scattering of pearls.
In conclusion, we can say that the design of stretch ceilings is a separate topic of interior decoration. In addition, tensile structures are incredibly practical: with their help, all the defects of the base ceiling are masked and heat and sound insulating materials are hidden. A high-quality stretch fabric is environmentally friendly, odorless, does not let water through, which is very important with the modern quality of construction. If a flood occurs from above, the ceiling in the room will only sag slightly, helping to avoid repairs.
