Mad About … The Fifth Wall

Often referred to as the fifth wall, the ceiling is so often forgotten when it comes to the decor of our houses. Hands up who’s just painted theirs white and forgotten all about it? Which is fair enough if you’ve got a stonkingly fabulous pendant light and you don’t want to detract from it.

But, assuming you haven’t. Or not in every room anyway, this week we are mostly Mad About The Fifth Wall or Decorated Ceilings if you prefer.

Take a look at some of these ideas for decorating your ceiling and see if you feel inspired. First up a few examples of tin ceilings. Regular readers will know I have tin tiles in my kitchen. I bought them from Andy Thornton  who imports them from the US.

One word of advice or possibly just information. For an extra fee the company will lacquer the tiles so that they don’t go rusty. We chose not to do that, figuring that we would do it ourselves. But as they are tin, they start to rust almost immediately and we didn’t find the right varnish in time. As a result, some of our have a rust pattern on them.

Now, I honestly don’t mind this as a) I like the vintage look and b) the rug under the table is a similar rusty pink colour so I almost feel that the two are reflecting each other. You may not feel the same way and if a pristine finish is important then it’s best to pay the extra.

Or, I sprayed mine with artist’s varnish. That may not have been the right thing but it seems to have worked.

If tin isn’t your thing, then how about moving from silver to gold? I rather love this gold leaf ceiling which creates a beautiful soft effect. I think it would be great for a room that was mainly used in the evening.

I imagine that the soft gold would have the same flattering effect as candlelight. But if that doesn’t grab you, what about this leather-look version. It’s a painted mural.

Then again you could always use paint or wallpaper to create a dramatic effect.

Or what about stripes?

I really like this blue and cream dramatic pattern, although I think I would have left it out in the frames on the walls as it’s a bit too coordinated for me.

Or this painted pattern in the vaulted part of the ceiling.

This outdoor verandah has used tiles to create a really dramatic effect.

Finally, you could just use some simple panelling, which I wrote about last week. For more ideas on panelling click here.

So there you have it. Don’t forget your fifth wall next time you’re decorating.