LOOKING UP

CEILINGS, BULKHEADS & CORNICES

158 MARCH 2020 NMC Décor

Pelican Systems

Palette Studio

Looking

UP

Shereen Lurie explores different ways to make an impact with innovative ceiling, bulkhead and cornice design

O

ften it’s the parts of your home you wouldn’t ordinarily pay attention to that have the ability to transform its overall aesthetic. Case in point: the ceiling. From bold bulkheads to exposed structural trusses, there are many ways to make an impact with your fifth wall.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS ... Your ceiling can dramatically transform the overall look of your home so it is important to consider your home’s overall look and feel before conceptualising your ceiling. Shelley James, principal architect at Palette Studio, says ceilings can create open loft-like and airy spaces or low-level cosy spaces. James says you can also combine both ideas by introducing a bulkhead into an open space, thus allowing a smaller portion to have a more intimate spatial quality.

According to Richard Fenton, regional sales manager and Denise Gould, general manager at Pelican Systems, ceilings are no longer just installed to conceal the elements in a building; they are now a major design element that allows interior designers and architects the opportunity to play with light, levels and shapes within a home. They emphasise how vital it is to consider your ceiling as a fifth wall in the room: “At the design stage, consider the effect that you want to create >

Pelican Systems

“From bold bulkheads to exposed structural trusses, there are many ways to make an impact with your fifth wall.”

Palette Studio

in the room and how your ceiling can contribute to that look and feel. The ceiling height will be an important factor in terms of what is possible and worthwhile in terms of value. Budget is also important as is the maintenance of the ceiling.” Cornices, the narrow mouldings that you see capping the lines where the walls of a room meet the ceiling, are then the final touch in ceiling design. Mayvis Hattingh, admin manager at NMC Décor, says that traditionally, they were made from wood, plaster, papercovered plaster and polyurethane, but nowadays they are made from polystyrene. “As a material, polystyrene is resistant to damage caused by exposure to water and moisture, which makes them ideal for applications in wet areas throughout your home, such as the kitchen, bathroom, outdoor patios, basements and attics.” Cobus Lourens, business development manager at Swartland, adds that polystyrene cornices are available in a wide variety of designs and styles, so there is something to suit any type of interior composition –from traditional to contemporary. In contrast to timber cornices that require multiple mouldings to create a layered structure, polystyrene cornices are available in a single piece of intricate design.”

Robyn Rose Photography Palette Studio

TRENDING NOW James has noted a number of different trends in ceiling design, including cladding your ceiling with a timber finish, or wrapping a wall cladding from the vertical to the horizontal plane to become your ceiling and exposing a roof’s structural trusses and recessing ceilings between these. This is done using a product such as Isoboard which provides a tongue and groove ceiling effect, while acting as your roof insulation, using the underside of a concrete slab as the final ceiling finish and boxing in structural beams with solid oak with ceilings between. Bulkheads above kitchen islands, beds or even feature baths all assist in creating an emphasis to those key areas, while allowing for a playful response with recessed lighting that can wash onto adjacent ceilings or pendant lights brought to a lower level. Traditional timber brandering of the past has been replaced by steel brandering, which gives a straighter finish and is longer lasting, not being susceptible to insects and deterioration of over time, say Fenton and Gould. “The plasterboards used are now a 7mm or, in upmarket homes, a 9mm thickness, which offers additional insulation, extra stability and the 9mm boards allow you to finish the ceiling with a tape and joint finish instead of a full skim. With these cleaner lines and more stability there has been more opportunity to add in design features in the form of bulkheads, which can be stepped, curved, angular or stripped elements in the ceiling.” > Pelican Systems

MAKE A STATEMENT

Shelley James from Palette Studio suggests you consider the following before selecting a “statement ceiling”: The ceiling heights and levels that you want to achieve. If using the underside of a concrete slab, carefully decide where and how you want your lighting and services to look; either integrated or exposed. NMC Décor

If the ceiling will align with the concept for the full design. If your ceiling design balances out other key design features –often “less is more”.

Swartland

Swartland

NMC Décor NMC Décor

Hattingh believes that the simplicity of installing polystyrene cornices is probably the number one reason they’re so popular. In fact it’s so easy that it can be quickly and easily achieved as a simple DIY job. This is because polystyrene is really lightweight, easy to cut, glued into place, and is flexible enough to “forgive” surfaces that are not 100% straight. “Since polystyrene cornices are installed using special adhesive glue, they can be successfully mounted onto a whole host of different surfaces, including concrete, wood, face brick, marble, tile, vinyl, steel, granite and plastic, to name just a few.” Fenton and Gould say the cornice market is extensive and there are many profiles to choose from to create effects including Grecian, Tuscan and so on, but the latest trend is cornice profiles that include lighting troughs and allow for indirect lighting as a design and ambient ceiling feature. Palette Studio

MARCH 2020 Pelican Systems

THE BENEFITS OF BULKHEADS John Coutts, owner of Coutts Construction, says it is common now for the living areas of houses to be open plan, so with the exception of the furniture the ceiling is the only fixed feature that identifies different areas within the house. Bulkheads provide a great opportunity to create clean lines in an interior, to bring task lighting into play while allowing for recessed strip lights that can wash upwards or onto adjacent ceilings. James emphasises that you always consider the distance between focused lights and the lines you create in the space with the lights. She says lighting in bulkheads should also correspond with the purpose of the space below. You may use downlighters for more focused light above a kitchen counter, or perhaps pendant lights hung from a bulkhead above a dining room table. Coutts notes that bulkheads and lighting go hand and hand and clever use of strip lighting can create different spaces in open areas. “Be aware, however, that direct lighting can reveal any flaws in workmanship. The key with any recessed lighting is to use reflected light. This has a more diffused look and will not highlight any imperfections in an otherwise wellconstructed ceiling.” Q

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