Recently, residents of megacities are increasingly changing urban glamor for a simpler and more relaxed country life. To feel the most complete unity with nature, many new settlers and the interiors of their new cottages are decorated in a real rustic style. This style is chosen not only for its unique originality, but also for the fact that it does not require large expenses to reproduce it. It is quite enough to paste over the walls with simple wallpaper in the same simple flowers, fill the interior with a lot of wooden furniture and decorative elements.
beams on the ceiling in the Scandinavian interior of the living room
The finishing touch will be the beams on the ceiling. This element of decor in country houses always comes in handy, no matter in which of the interior styles it will be used. And this fact is a good incentive to get to know the beams, as with elements of decoration, closer.
What styles need beam decor?
Ceiling beams today can be found in the most unexpected decors. They can decorate both historical classics and cutting-edge hi-tech. If we talk about ethnic interiors, then the beams here are generally the main characteristic stylistic feature, and without them it will be simply impossible to get a realistic picture. Proper decoration will help to emphasize that the beams belong to a particular style.
beams on the ceiling in a Victorian interior
In classical interiors with a claim to luxury, beam structures on the ceiling are decorated with vignettes, carvings or painted.
You can also simply paint them in delicate colors or decorate them with silver.
Strict classics prefer perfectly smooth, plain (dark or light) lacquered beams. Such models will look no less impressive in a modern setting. The only difference is that the current decor takes bold decisions well and is ready for creativity, so the beams in it can be not only neutral, but also quite defiant colors. The designer's fantasy may well see them in pink, red or blue.
plain lacquered beams on the ceiling fit perfectly into the interior of the living room
For loft and hi-tech, it is better to use metal beams. It is allowed to create structures from parts of a different texture, but only on condition that they are painted with paint that imitates the sheen of metal. In the interiors under consideration, brickwork on the walls will become an excellent companion to the beams on the ceiling. In this case, you will get a real "industrial aesthetics" characteristic of abandoned warehouses and factories, which will easily turn your initially simple and modest country "apartments" into a luxury interior.
Elements of loft furnishings can be used not only in the decor of a village house, but also in a small city apartment.A few beams, a little facing brick, complemented by the brilliance of glass, metal and decorated with “bare” light bulbs, as well as defiantly protruding wires - and the loft atmosphere is ready.
narrow beams on the ceiling in the interior of a loft-style bedroom
For a rural interior, it is better to choose beams that convey the flavor of aged wood. In this decor, they can be quite dark, differ in roughness and texture, and their color does not have to be combined with the main background of the room, they may well remain contrasting with the entire interior.
But in Provence, the beams are always neat and amaze with their “elegance”, because here the priority remains with purely bleached models.
beams on the ceiling imitating the supporting structure in the Provence interior
Beams on the ceiling: stylistic variations
Varieties
So, beams can be:
1. metal;
2. Wooden;
3. Polyurethane.
Consider the advantages of each proposed type. Naturally, wooden structures are considered classics of the beam genre. They are the leading elements of eco- and rustic style. Traditionally, oak, ash or pine are used to make high-quality beams. Beams can be made of a solid array or have a cavity inside. The latter option is more loved by designers, because it helps to hide various intra-house communications such as electrical wiring.
figured beams on the ceiling will be a highlight in the interior of the living room
In more modern decors, metal beams are used, however, since they are bulky and heavy, it is simply impossible to do without the help of specialists during their installation. Here, saving is inappropriate, because a poorly fixed metal beam can do a lot of trouble.
Polyurethane beams for the ceiling are among the most budgetary designs. You do not need to spend serious sums on their acquisition, and a lot of time and effort to fix them. This is the only type of beams that can be safely attached to the ceiling with your own hands. Polyurethane products are light and always hollow inside.
The material easily imitates the texture and color of wood, but it absolutely does not absorb odors and does not suffer from excessive moisture, so polyurethane beams are used with pleasure in kitchens and bathrooms.
longitudinal beams - the simplest and most sophisticated way of disposing
You can install flash beams in different ways. If they are small, then they are simply planted on liquid nails, in other cases, a crate is preliminarily created from a wooden or aluminum profile. Fastening in this case is done with self-tapping screws. Long and heavy beams are attached to the ceiling in a combined way. The ceiling is pre-equipped with wooden blocks, to which structural elements lubricated with glue are applied. Their additional fixation to the blocks is made with long self-tapping screws. This will allow the beam to hang securely in its chosen place.
Color aspects
The color of the beams used in the interior depends on its stylistic orientation. If the decor needs expressiveness, then it is better to do it with the help of contrasting ceilings and the general background of the beams. They will draw attention to themselves without any problems.
You can make the interior soft using beams painted to match the ceiling. Do not worry, although they will attract less attention to themselves, they will never go unnoticed. Remaining in the background shadow, they will add the missing volume to the ceiling, make it structural and dynamic. Ordinary white beams or their variations in wood tone will harmoniously merge with the ceiling. In modern houses, both the beams on the ceiling and the ceiling itself are often painted in rich colors, for example, lilac, yellow, blue.
expressive interior design: dark brown ceiling beam in a bright living room interior
The combination of colors of the ceiling and beams can be as different as the stylistic features of the chosen interior allow. The fact is that the latter can be in tune with anything in the decor. They can be a reflection of wood floors or furniture, or they can match the color of the walls or contrast with the ceiling. In this regard, there are no strict canons.
The main thing to remember when choosing colorful beams is that white ones add weightlessness to the space, dark ones look more cumbersome and seem incredibly heavy, black ones bring graphics, make the atmosphere rhythmic, tough, and only structures that imitate wood, although they make the interior chilly, give it peace and serenity. .
interior living room cabinet color scheme
Where can ceiling beams be used?
The beams that were on the ceiling of old buildings were originally assigned a completely non-decorative mission. They were load-bearing structures that took on the load of the home roof, and in parallel served as an attic floor. Over time, the beams were considered unnecessary details of the home environment and began to hide them behind the finish. Longing for colorful interiors rehabilitated the beams, and now they are back in fashion, only they are used in decor solely for the purpose of decoration.
In what specific room can such details be found? Yes, in principle, in any. They perfectly decorate the kitchen, look organically in the living room and bedroom, will not be superfluous in the office and even in the hallway. How many beams to use, and how massive, is determined solely by the size of the room. For example, in a spacious living room they can “dot” the entire ceiling, while in a small hallway it will be enough to use only a few pieces.
If the beams are located on the kitchen ceiling, then glass holders and hooks for utensils can be mounted on them. In some interiors, they can be decorated with bunches of herbs and dried bouquets.
the combination of colors of the beamed ceiling and wall panels in the interior of the kitchen
Decorative beams are indispensable in zoning. With their help, it will be easy to divide the living room into two parts or highlight the dining area in the kitchen.
How to fit a ceiling beam into the interior?
For taste and color, as they say, there are no comrades. This statement is quite true for such a decorative element as beams. Someone persistently demands to build massive beams on the ceiling of an ordinary "Khrushchev", and some "happy owners" of houses with beams want to make them minimally noticeable and add functionality to them.
cross ceilings in the interior of the kitchen
Consider a situation where we already have beams on our home ceiling. The first action that comes to mind regarding increasing their functionality is to involve them in lighting the room space. With their help, you can create very unusual designs. In addition to the fact that a chandelier hanging on chains can be fixed on them, spotlights can be embedded into the beams themselves. In the case when the ceiling is finished with metal models of beams, it is rational to install lamps on remote brackets on them.
On top of the beams, you can lay LED backlighting. It will be no less interesting ceiling lighting, making a massive structure floating in the air. Such a design move will be especially successful in the case when a combination of beams and PVC film was used in the design of the ceiling.
beams on a slatted ceiling
Another favorite technique for decorating beams on the ceiling is decorating them with a rope. Note that in this case, neither the aesthetic component of the decor nor its environmental friendliness is violated. A rope-wrapped beam is often found in Mediterranean, country and ethnic interiors.
You can completely get rid of the beams in the interior only in a radical way: sew them up. This task will cope with any options for suspended ceilings.
The role of the beam in space correction
With the help of beams, you can adjust the geometry of the room. Beams laid along the width of the ceiling will help to visually expand the room, but in order to make it elongated, the structural elements are laid in a directly perpendicular direction. If it is necessary to make the room higher, the beams laid on the ceiling receive their continuation on the walls. If there is no need to adjust the space, it is rational to lay out the beams with a lattice, that is, crosswise. In this case, the ceiling will simply acquire volume.
longitudinal beams on the ceiling visually lengthen the living room
Ceilings too high? Wonderful! Beams can not be attached directly to their surface, but lowered to the desired distance and fixed on the walls.
back to index ↑Conclusion
Since the ceiling beams came back to us from the distant Middle Ages, we again got the opportunity to make the interiors of our houses very similar to ancient castles and give them the appropriate atmosphere. In addition to bringing romanticism into the interiors, this decoration technique has become a great way to hide some of the spatial imperfections of the rooms. Rooms where there are beams on the ceiling always acquire the correct clear shape and become spacious and comfortable in them, so when you are going to equip your country house, do not rush to abandon the specific decor, allow yourself to live in an elite setting.
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