Get An Instant Vintage Look With Pressed Tin Ceilings

One of the most overlooked areas in a home is the ceiling plane. Since it's not in our immediate view, the ceiling takes a backseat to wall color, wall decor, and of course any furnishings and rugs we may put into a room. But turning that overlooked plane into a focal point can do wonders to liven up a space. There are many options for a ceiling finish including paint, wallpaper, plaster, and relief details. Depending on the material and how it is applied, it can enhance a space concept, making it more modern or rustic or fun...or even vintage!

And a material that says vintage like no other is pressed tin.

Introduced in the late 1800s, embossed tin plates imitated carved and molded plasterwork from the finest European and American homes but at a reduced cost since they were machine made. They were a popular feature in many commercial and residential buildings of the period because the Industrial Revolution and the proliferation of the railroad helped to disseminate this product all over the country.

Below are some photos of actual pressed tin ceilings during this period. First we see a view of the saloon at the Columbian Hotel in Trinidad, Colorada, sometime in the late 1800s.

And here are two views of private homes with pressed tin ceilings: a sitting room and a music room...

Of course pressed metal ceilings fell out of favor with the coming Arts and Crafts and Streamline Moderne (Deco) movements but they have made a resurgence in recent years in both commercial and residential applications. Thy can be ordered in a variety of metal colors and are paintable.

Restaurants like to use the material to reference a sense of a by-gone era. Below we can see a photo of a pressed tin ceiling in the Greenwich Village restaurant Tavern on Jane. The vintage-style milk glass schoolhouse pendants look wonderful against the tin.

And here is a fun view of a seating area in the restaurant and bar Kettner Exchange in San Diego featuring large-format copper colored tiles.

Pressed tin ceilings look particularly good in kitchens. They truly lend themselves to an old-time, antique sense of Americana. White cabinetry with beadboard panels, vintage light fixtures, and wood floors recall a time long gone.

Pressed metal ceilings can be used in any room. In fact, I am currently specifying the material in a rustic but luxurious master bathroom design for a client.

For applications in places like a master bathroom or even as a kitchen backsplash, PVC tiles that are engineered to look like pressed metal are a great option since they are easy to clean or wipe and won't rust.

There are also versions that can be used in dropped ceilings for commercial projects with T-bars already installed.

Happy designing!

Happy New Year: Welcome 2015!

Happy New Year! May 2015 be a joyful, prosperous, and peaceful year for all.

Happy designing!

Contrast Brings Interest

When I meet with clients, one of the first things I want to find out about them is their personal style. What you like and want around you is what makes up the visual vernacular of your life. But sometimes a personal style can be difficult for a client to pinpoint or narrow down; people often feel that they have a mish-mash of clashing styles in their lives without any curating. In design, there are no absolute right or wrong answers. There are many ways to reach a goal. With this in mind, I have a few classic design mantras I have developed over the years and one of them is that, within an interior design context, contrast brings interest. Sleek or organic? Antique or modern? Matte or gloss? Light or dark? Wood or stone? How about both! It is precisely the play of stainless steel next to aged, reclaimed timber that makes a statement. An antique Louis chair is supremely present in a sleek, modern room. It is the same with food: think of salted dark chocolate, caramel and sea salt, strawberries and balsamic, and prosciutto and melon.

Take a look at the following examples. The conversation going on between these seemingly disparate pieces is intriguing and engaging. "Contrast brings interest."

These iconic Verner Panton molded plastic chairs look fantastic next to a chunky old farmhouse table. Design, styling, and photography by Emily McCall. Photo used by permission.

Slim console tables, abstract art, sculptural ottomans, and chairs with a Deco shape play off the classic architectural elements (ornate crown moulding, wall panels, wainscoting) of this Georgian room by London-based Studio Indigo.

Australian interior designer Karen Akers used clean-lined pieces and a minimalistic style for this otherwise traditional Arts and Crafts home. Photo by Tom Dalhoff.

Many elements are at play here to create a fascinating, rich room layered with styles and textures. A mid-century desk, worn vintage industrial chairs, a Biedermeier settee, a Rococo mirror, and an organic burl wood cocktail table stand out as museum pieces in a light, bright room.

A carved Louis XV settee on parquet floors is delicious surrounded by modern art. Of particular interest is the combination of round-backed neo-classical Louis XVI chairs with sleek black Panton chairs at the rustic dining table in the background!

And finally interior designer Jessica Helgerson proves that turn-of-the-century (the prior one, not this recent one) American four-square homes needn't be boring. Using a crisp black and white palette, she boldly furnishes such spaces with cool, modern pieces. The old and the new benefit from being in close proximity to each other.

So when you are trying to figure out how pieces go together (or don't) in your own space, remember that, used judiciously and creatively, contrast brings interest!

Thanks for reading and happy designing!