BREAKING THE FIFTH WALL

Designers are taking ceiling decor to new heights, with creative treatments that range from elevated to over-the-top.

- Rory Evans

A ceiling is like a surprise baby, the ELLE DECOR A-List designer Celerie Kemble says. "Homeowners are like, 'Wait a second! We just lacquered a wall. We have a big rug. We did the curtains. You're telling me I have a fourth child I didn't know about?"" But sometimes, the family or room just doesn't feel complete without a statement ceiling.

Increasingly, designers are incorporating treatments to direct eyes upward. India Mahdavi, the Paris-based ELLE DECOR A-List Titan, finds that "when I apply a strong floor to a space, I tend to respond with a strong ceiling to balance out the room. It initiates a conversation between heaven and earth and everything in between."