Raising this bathroom ceiling and adding a chandelier will create an elegant space.
The ceiling is actually one-fifth of any room, so the bathroom ceiling design can certainly enhance the room. A can be raised, painted a different color or dressed up with wood trim, for example. Take time to look at surrounding rooms, however, because the design of the bathroom should fit well with adjacent space. If you create a very formal look in the bathroom, you will want to repeat this in a nearby bedroom or living room.
Raise the Ceiling
Figure out create a tray or vaulted ceiling. If the bathroom has significant attic space over it, you can raise the ceiling in some manner. This works especially well if you want the bathroom to seem more spacious and elegant. Attic rafters can be raised about three feet higher to form a tray ceiling. A vaulted ceiling will require securing angle iron to peak rafters at the top roof line and removing the standard 8-foot ceiling and cross rafters altogether.
Use Artistic Touches
Consider redoing the ceiling of a bathroom more artistically. You might, for example, paint bath walls white but paint the whole ceiling area in bright gold. A full-scale chandelier might be installed in the center of the room, if you will give the room a high-end spa look. Metallic paint, recessed lighting, flowered wallpaper and stucco designs can be installed on a tray or vaulted ceiling.
Build a Light Shaft
Add a sky well in a bath to bring in light. Build a pyramid-shaped shaft from the bath ceiling to the roof. Cap the sky well with a skylight on the roof. You will want to cut an area approximately 6-foot square in the bath ceiling and taper this space to a 4-foot square skylight. Don't overlook adding a couple of large skylights if your bathroom ceiling is already vaulted. Be sure to invest in high quality skylights engineered not to leak. These skylights will typically have a 12-inch border that serves as the flashing that will extend under shingles. Cheaper skylights will have skimpy borders that form inadequate flashing under shingles, so they will eventually leak.
Add a Slice of Light
Open a bathroom wall and ceiling by using glass blocks or large windows. Install a section of glass blocks to cover upper walls of a bathroom to the ceiling. Add a skylight on the bathroom's sloping roof low on the roof angle to meet the wall of glass blocks. This will expose a slice of wall and ceiling to light in a very unique way. A large standard window section will work if you don't want to use glass blocks. Glass blocks on the upper wall section will provide more privacy screening from the outside, however.
Install Unique Light Fixtures
Lighting fixtures are important for a bathroom ceiling. Recessed lighting can be used around the ceiling perimeter about 12 inches from the wall. Place these approximately every 3 or 4 feet, depending on the size of the bathroom. Draw the bathroom on graph paper to define this placement, because the recessed lighting fixtures must look balanced with everything in the room. Install a ceiling fixture, such as an ornate Italian glass bowl-type fixture in the center of the bathroom. A fancy chandelier can add great appeal as well.
Tags: bathroom ceiling, glass blocks, vaulted ceiling, bath ceiling, bathroom ceiling, ceiling bathroom, room bathroom