This one is fun and a bit extravagant in most applications. But hey, why not go all out if you can and want to, right? So for years now, painting or wallpapering ceilings has been the hot “5th wall design”. Both are very cool ways to make a statement and for a space to look intentionally designed. But what about other ceiling design ideas?? Well, don’t worry, designers are upping the ante and/or wanting to try something new, if you will (even though very little has actually never been done before…including this). More and more, I have been seeing “tented ceilings”. Some have been very tailored, some drapey, and others have been more “inspired” by this tented ceiling idea. I’d like to think there’s something for everyone in this post if this idea excites you. If nothing else, this is a great eye candy post. Let’s eat:)
Ok, so this post popped up as I was concluding my research, and let me tell you, it was validating. I wouldn’t say that The World of Interiors claims to be a trendsetter. Actually, they firmly stand by being anti-trend. But clearing this ceiling application is having a resurgence, and I love this photo and design so much.
This was one of the first photos where I clocked this trend. It’s actually a space in this year’s Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse by Emily Eng Interiors. It’s a very tailored, chic version that I’m very drawn to. This version is particularly custom and not one that would be easy (or cheap) to replicate. But man, is it amazing inspiration.
Most of the spaces in this post are bedrooms, but a tented ceiling can go in any space…such as a dining room. It feels both so formal and so fun at the same time! I also love the different stripes they mixed together. It’s hard not to feel a little giddy looking at this room.
Here’s a Veere Grenney-inspired closet that Rita Konig designed. I love the valance border; it’s incredible. So Veere Grenney (AD 100 Hall of Fame Designer) is known for his tented dressing rooms like this one…
Look how those stripes match up so perfectly. How could you not feel like a celebrity every day getting ready in a room that looked like this? Total and utter decadence. Statement light fixtures also seem to be very important to the style, which I will forever advocate for:)
This is another showhouse room (Kips Bay Decorator Show House) by Kaite Davis Design. Verrrry zeigeisty:) But what I love about what Kaite did was that instead of using the same fabric or a very strict color palette, she mixed multiple patterns and colors that create one of the most whimsical kids’ rooms I’ve seen. These tented ceilings/rooms are completely transporting. You feel like you’re stepping into the most magical world.
If you are looking at these spaces but understandably overwhelmed by the amount of work, craftsmanship, and money needed to create something similar, the wallpaper above gives you the illusion without the fabric. Now, these papers are hand-painted, so I’m not saying this is an “affordable” option, but it is another way that might cost a bit less. I was actually tricked at first glance!
I adore Studio Ashby’s work, and this pleated draped ceiling fabric is right up my alley. This feels very romantic to me, and I love love the simple valance that borders the room. I’m thinking this could be an option for the hallway closet ceiling?? I can feel the DIY frustration tears already forming as I type this, lol.
This room was featured a few years ago and is the amazing work of Jake Arnold. This room belongs to John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s kids, and I’ve not stopped thinking about it since it was published. It’s pure magic, and I want a grown-up version.
If you are someone who loves and wants a romantic room, particularly a bedroom, this is your inpso. Drapey fabric everywhere! I don’t want to take anything away from the designer or installers because this room is stunning, but if you are crafty, I think you could create a version of this…you’ll just need a lot of fabric and good lighting:)
This design goes more in the earthy modern cabana vibe and gives the ceiling so much movement without screaming for attention.
Now I also LOVE this design. This is actually a light fixture (swoon!), but it does feel like a modern, minimal industrial version of the tented room, right?
Or another tent-inspired option is just a fully fabric-wrapped room. Our talented Gretchen did a version of this in her bedroom/guestroom and it looks incredible (It’s renter-friendly too!). Here’s a full tutorial on how she did it. As cool and bold as this room above is, the fabric texture creates a real warmth and almost coziness.
Here, Elizabeth Roberts used sisal on a guest room project as a textured accent. So if you don’t want to go all out with ceilings and walls, you could consider just the ceiling.
But back to a more tent feeling, the final option in this post is a covered canopy bed! Still incredibly whimsical, transporting, and definitely less labor-intensive than a whole room:) Big curtains on all four corners are an important feature. I love that the fabric is lined with a contrasting pattern.
Please scroll to the second slide, where you will see the most luxurious covered canopy bed! I love the valance (which makes it feel more tented), the contrasting colored fabric, and the trim detail. Also notice how the canopy fabric is pleated instead of being pulled tight like in the previous room. It’s Gilded Age, it’s romantic, and bold.
Beata is a north star in design, so it’s no surprise to me that she designed this bed for this room a few years ago. Of all of the canopy beds, it’s the most tent-like, with the canopy fabric style looking like the inside of a tent! It’s so chic and yet sweet, and maybe a reason the resurgence of this style is gaining traction.
I know most of us will never have the pleasure of owning a tented room like these, but there’s still a lot of inspiration to gain and use. What do you all think? If you had the funds, would you? A tented dressing room is likely going to haunt my dreams now:)
Opening Image Credits: Design by Gretchen Raguse | Photo by Kaitlin Green | from: Gretchen’s Bedroom Reveal
These are very cool looking, but all I can think about is the amount of dust that would get trapped, especially in the pleated fabric!
I came here to say the very same thing. Also, can you imagine the result from a ceiling water leak?
My other concern (and I’m sure there’s a workaround) is where to put the smoke detector?
Bugs. Just so many spiders.
This was my first thought too! And that all these homeowners must have cleaners…. I actually don’t think I’d like to even stay in a place with a fabric ceiling for this reason.
I love ceiling detail though so I really like the painted or wallpapered versions.
Also fires and earthquakes….aside from death and allergies they are very pretty!
Loved this roundup! The pleated, draped fabric ceiling by Studio Ashby strikes the perfect balance between romantic charm and subtle, sophisticated framing.
A big “no, thank you” from me, to tented ceilings.
I’m not a fan either. bleh
I agree. I can’t stand camping, and this reminds me of a disastrous tent collapse.
Thank you for this roundup and how to links! This is the exact inspo I needed to focus on the pattern and fabric I want in my bedroom to soften it up and make it feel luxurious. It might take me a while to save up for, but we are lucky to have a fabric thrift place nearby that is fully donation-based, so that I don’t have to buy new! If I would be forced to pick a favorite I’d say Katie Davis, but all of these images have something impactful. Love this blog!
Jess – did you happen to notice on the second to the last Beata slide she used your idea to create art using photos? Honestly the amount of fabric involved in these projects makes me sneeze.
Wow, spider city!
hard pass
Love these! Practicle, maybe not, but they are whimsical!
No thank you, I don’t want to add ‘hoover the ceiling’ in my list of chores 🙂
It’s giving Orlando’s guest-bedroom-tent vibes, I don’t hate it! (except yes, the dust lol)
I did these ceilings on projects more than 20 years ago. Although beautiful I could not stand the thought of dust, odors etc long term. Wallpaper made more sense to me. Maybe someone has figured out how to keep everything dust free.
Thank you EHD team. You’ve been putting out some design gold nuggets lately! Really appreciate the inspo & education. From Arlyn’s unique window treatments, to Caitlin small design shops to now this?! My designer brain is in heaven absorbing and improving my own eye. I have throughly enjoyed, even if it’s not always my taste. When it’s good, it’s good and gets the wheels spinning. Enjoy the ride!
it look like a wedding tent in Indonesia 🙂
Am I the only one who feels like interior design is just getting to be a little much lately?!?!!?! Buying beautiful lamps for our nightstands used to be enough. Now we ALSO need to hire an electrician to hardwire junction boxes on the headboard wall and spend hundreds more on the perfect sconces so that it can feel layered and collected (because who doesn’t need TWO lamps for nighttime reading?!). Not only do we need to buy curtains for our windows (triple up so they’re full and fluffy and make sure you go high and wide), but now there’s the trend of layering a several-hundred-dollars-per-window Roman shade WITH a cafe curtain…or why not just do a a DOUBLE Roman shade for added depth and interest (as Arlyn discussed in her post a couple of weeks back)? And God forbid our kitchens actually look like kitchens! No, our appliances must be fully integrated lest someone mistake our refrigerator for a refrigerator instead of a freestanding antique cabinet purchased on our most recent trip to France 🤪 I get the pendulum swing away from minimalism, and I understand designers’ desire to think outside of the box and be creative, I do. But… Read more »
Hi! I do hear you that we are trending towards more layers, more stuff, more expenses for if you want to look ‘design-forward’. It’s a lot, with the state of the world/economu/everything. However, this is a design appreciation/trend-noticing post! It’s featuring the work of professional designers, working with clients with huge budgets (as was Arlyn’s a few weeks back). It is their profession to both push the envelope design-wise and also, photograph it beautifully for their portfolio. I think of it more like, noticing trends after fashion week. You don’t expect to see normal people wearing runway looks. But it does eventually trickle down to new builds and renovations (junction boxes for sconces by the bedside, for example, might be something you see more often). Most of humanity will not have their homes featured in this way. And for most of us, the people who come to visit our home are not interior design critics who have a pulse on all the current trends going on in the industry. Are you happy with your beautiful bedside lamps? Then don’t worry about layering sconces! Like the look of the double Roman shade/drape? Arlyn actually shared a DIY Roman shade tutorial previously… Read more »
I came to see if someone else thought this. Looking at the made-up ceilings, I got the impression it’s like the wildly costumed District 1 people in Hunger Games – it gets more and more, weirder and weirder, since everything else has been done already… And no one stops to ask if it makes sense at all. I don’t think about Hunger Games more than once a year, but the comparison popped up immediately.
Me, as someone in so many homes per year (even some mansions where they have a cleaning service) observing how people actually live, all I can think about is the dust and the smells that would be trapped in all that fabric.
Did anyone else’s mind go immediately to Hildy’s circus room on Trading Spaces?