Tray Ceiling Ideas

A tray ceiling is one where there is more than one horizontal flat surface at different levels. Usually the edges of the room are lower and the center of the ceiling is about twelve inches higher. This is a recessed tray. However, an inverted tray protrudes from the ceiling into the room.

Tray ceilings provide the feeling of space without the large emptiness of a vaulted ceiling. Tray ceilings break up the flat ceiling line and can help make a low ceiling look higher. Often, a tray ceiling includes some kind of subtle lighting. The addition of a crown moulding brings even more architectural interest to the room.

A recessed tray with rope lighting installed in the soffit just begs for a textured surface to highlight. Textures in the tray might be created with tiles, plaster, wood or other means. The lighting will emphasize the surface variations and create interesting shadows. In addition to textures, a pattern of tiles or printed paper might be used to draw attention to the recess.

A tray ceiling might also be painted in a color that contrasts with or matches other elements in a room. For example, in a bedroom or dining room the color of the bedding, curtains, or wainscoting might be duplicated. A more modern interpretation might be to echo the colors of painted trim on furniture edges or hardware. One might even paint a recess light blue and add clouds to give the appearance of the open sky.

This leads to the idea of creating a painted scene on the ceiling. Depending on one’s artistic talents this might be a personally creative project, or might be designed and then turned over to a professional for painting. The right moulding will act as a frame for the work of art.

Dark colors on walls can make a room look smaller, yet such decorative intensity is currently popular. A tray ceiling in lighter colors can help such a room look more comfortable and homey. On the other hand, a shallow recess can be painted slightly darker, and this will create the illusion of a deeper recess.

For even greater architectural interest, the recess might be made octagonal rather than rectangular providing strong contrast to the other angles in the room. This might be repeated with octagonal windows flanking a fireplace or in a foyer.

On the other hand, inverting a tray will force a surface into visibility. This might be used to call attention to a highly decorative element, such as a specialty pot rack or fanciful chandelier. Inverted trays might be enhanced with lighting and tiles or patterned surfaces.

Low ceilings can be recessed into attic crawl spaces to make small bedrooms feel larger. This helps make good use of unusable attic space, but requires structural knowledge to safely make the alterations.