Plaster Ceiling Examples

A contemporary plaster ceiling can be designed to copy historic motifs.

Plaster ceilings are expanses of empty space that were as inviting as a blank canvas during certain times in architectural history. A contemporary plaster ceiling might be textured with a simple technique like Venetian plaster, or left plain. A restoration or a reproduction period room might borrow ideas from historic plaster ceilings and plaster ceiling d cor.

Early Scottish Plaster Ceilings

In the early to mid-17th century in Scotland, grand houses featured increasingly elaborate ceilings. The first plaster ceilings had unadorned molded ribs that blocked out "framed" panels. Inside the panels were lime plaster ornaments like leaves, repeatedly applied to make vines and plants. Eventually, the designs became more elaborate and incorporated animals, thistles, monograms, fleur-de-lis and family crests set in complex ornamental motifs. Brodie Castle's famous original plaster ceilings from 1630 can still be seen. A sitting room is busily carved with plaster angels, thistles, flowers and armor, and the dining room ceiling is plastered and then painted to look like wood. A decorative plaster ceiling modeled on an old Scottish estate house or castle could complement formal d cor in a library or dining room, or provide an eclectic contrast--and a conversation piece--in a contemporary room design.

Victorian Plaster Medallions

Plaster ceiling medallions debuted in America in the 18th century and gained popularity by the 19th century. They had several advantages--one was that the sculpted medallions trapped the soot from gaslight and candle-lit chandeliers. A sooty medallion was a lot cheaper and easier to repaint than an entire ceiling. Medallions usually hid the hooks that held chandeliers as well as later ceiling holes for the installation of electrical wiring. But the reason for their popularity was d cor. Many medallions were rosette-shaped and designed to look like flowers, or covered in curling leaves and blossoms. The shape was determined by the configuration of the room. A square room got a round medallion. A rectangular room often had an oval medallion. Large medallions were reserved for generous, high-ceilinged parlors. Smaller medallions might be found in any room of the house--the less public or important the room, the plainer the medallion.

Fresco Ceiling

The Sistine Chapel is the most famous example of a fresco ceiling. Fresco is a technique in which fresh plaster is applied to a surface, usually a wall, and then painted rapidly before the plaster dries. The pigments soak into the wet plaster and remain vivid and durable. A well-made fresco can last for centuries. Michelangelo's ceiling, painted with lime-plaster fresco, was created on a flattened barrel vault, a half-round ceiling, barrel-shaped rather than domed. The ceiling had triangular recessed areas over eight windows and corner triangles called spandrels. It was elaborate enough architecturally that the original paint job was a simple starry sky that wouldn't overshadow the ceiling design. Fresco plaster ceilings are a highly specialized art form mostly reserved for restorations of public buildings and d cor in an elaborate period interior. Lime plaster is still used and is an environmentally friendly material that desn't crack, is fire-, salt- and mold-resistant, and can be produced more cheaply than regular cement plaster.

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