Stunning Vaulted Ceilings

Get inspired with these lofty, light-filled interiors

Building a new extension offers the perfect opportunity to incorporate a vaulted ceiling into your home design. But it’s not the only moment to consider this stunning feature. Whether you’re expanding into the loft, replacing the roof of an existing house or converting a barn, a vaulted ceiling can transform the look and feel of your home.

While vaulted ceilings are impressive, the right cladding can further enhance their striking geometry.  In this contemporary new build home, see above, the vaulted ceiling has been finished with pale timber cladding, bringing texture and warmth to an otherwise minimalist kitchen-dining-living space. Architecturally, the timber clad ceiling emphasises the sculptural form of the roof while also providing acoustic damping. To maximise natural light, a glazed gable ends allows daylight to flood in.

Draw in light from above

Vaulted ceilings can provide the perfect way to introduce natural light from above. Rooflights, structural glazing or gable ends can flood the space with bright light. Clerestory windows - placed high on the walls - also work well with vaulted ceilings and look particularly dramatic when they span the entire width of a room. In addition, this type of window avoids any issue with overlooking. In this single-storey contemporary extension to a traditional Victorian villa, the A-frame vaulted ceiling provides scope for a rooflight, drawing in extra light into the kitchen space.

Create cosy zones with pods

While large open plan spaces with soaring ceilings have plenty of architectural oomph, they can sometimes feel too vast for comfort. Broken plan designs offer a way to maintain the open feel while creating more intimate zones by introducing “pods” or small sections enclosed by walls or lower ceilings. This makes a space more functional and inviting while preserving views of a double height space. In this grade II listed barn conversion by architect Scot Masker, a ceiling was added just below the oak beams, creating a cosy kitchen within the larger space.

Showcase exposed rafters and beams

Leaving timber beams and rafters on show adds character and charm to barn conversions. If the barn is listed, it may be a condition of planning consent that the original structure is preserved, though it might be hidden by a standard ceiling. Vaulted ceilings, however, celebrate the cathedral like space of a timber frame barn. In this barn conversion, the industrial looking flue of a wood burning stove draws the eye upwards towards the lofty double height ceiling, while a glazed gable end ensures the space is filled with natural light.