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Key Takeaways

  • Tray ceilings feature a recessed central section, often rectangular, and add depth and elegance to a room.
  • They come in various styles, including simple, double, and inverted tray ceilings.
  • Benefits include making rooms feel larger, enhancing visual appeal, and hiding mechanical elements like wiring and vents.
  • Common rooms for tray ceilings include living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms, but they can suit almost any space.
  • Design options include adding colour, texture, unique shapes, and layered lighting such as chandeliers or LED strips.
  • Minimum ceiling height requirement is 8 feet.
  • Disadvantages include higher cost and labour for installation, potential design issues and moisture issues, and increased cleaning needs due to dust accumulation

When people build or renovate their homes, they dream of the beautiful kitchen island or large bedroom windows. The ceiling is usually an afterthought. Yet, a tray ceiling can make such a huge difference in how a room looks and feels.

When thinking of your home’s ceiling design, you may think no further than adding crown mouldings or playing with the texture, such as popcorn and sand swirl textures. However, one great option worth considering is a tray ceiling.

What Does a Tray Ceiling Look Like?

This kind of ceiling is built in two layers. The centre of the ceiling is several inches above the rest of the ceiling, usually in a rectangular or geometric shape, giving the appearance of an upside-down tray. This is why it is also known as a recessed ceiling.

Besides the simple tray ceiling, there are other types, including double and inverted tray ceilings. A double tray ceiling has two or more staggered recessed layers. An inverted one is essentially the opposite of a simple tray ceiling in that the centre descends lower than the rest of the ceiling.

What Makes Tray Ceilings So Great?

There are many reasons why tray ceilings are a great option for your home.

  • They make the space feel larger – The higher the ceiling, the larger the room looks, so tray ceilings play into this.
  • Decorative appeal – The layered look of these ceilings also gives the room an added visual interest and depth, making it look more elegant.
  • Versatility – Tray ceilings can fit in well with just about any room and complement the design of that room. These ceilings are most commonly installed in living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms, but any room could benefit from the sophistication they add.
  • Concealing ductwork – Tray ceilings can have practical value as they can be used to hide wiring, vents, and pipes.

Considerations for Tray Ceilings

As great as tray ceilings are, some considerations might make them difficult or impossible to install.

Your ceiling needs to be at least 8 feet high to add this recessed feature.

The installation is more labour-intensive and uses more materials than other types of ceilings. Even something as simple as trying to reach the recessed portion for painting and light installation becomes more difficult as the ceiling is higher up and has more crevices. This makes these ceilings more costly to install.

If a tray ceiling is improperly installed or doesn’t match the rest of the room’s aesthetic, your room could end up looking rather overwhelming or dated. The ceiling’s dimensions should suit the room, otherwise, it throws off the balance from an aesthetic viewpoint. Also, if the ceiling is designed poorly, it could lead to the buildup of moisture and condensation in the tray, so care needs to be taken when considering the right construction techniques, materials, and finishes.

These ceilings need to be cleaned more often than standard ceilings due to dust collecting in the ledges and dips. Effectively cleaning these ledges can be a little complicated.

Choose the right paint

Go with colours that make the ceiling stand out by drawing the eye up to it or making it blend in more neutrally with the room colours. You can paint the ceiling or just its centre, border, or anywhere else – a different colour. You can also add a gorgeous mural, some fabric, or wallpaper.

Add texture

Texture is another way to add visual interest to the ceiling. You can pick from various eye-catching finishes or even opt for a material that suits the room’s aesthetic, i.e., metal, wood, or patterned tiles. You can add elegant moulding and trimming to the ceiling as well.

Consider a different shape

Although a tray ceiling is typically rectangular, you can explore other options. For example, a living room tray ceiling could be circular or diamond-shaped, surrounding a chandelier.

Minimalist modern interior with cylindrical hanging lights on a white ceiling.

Lighting

Chandeliers are a beautiful lighting option to add to your ceiling. Other lighting ideas include recessed, pendant, cove, or rope lighting, which are a little more subtle than chandeliers. LED strips are another popular lighting choice. Tray ceilings are the perfect place to incorporate more lighting into a room without any visible light fixtures.

Let’s Design Your Perfect Tray Ceiling

A tray ceiling adds depth, elegance, and value to any room. Ready to upgrade your home’s style? Contact our experts today and start planning your perfect tray ceiling design!

FAQs

The size of the room is one of the biggest factors. The design is another factor. For example, a simple rectangular tray ceiling using drywall is less complex than a geometrical double or inverted tray ceiling with intricate details and materials. Another factor that comes into play is whether or not you’re converting an existing ceiling, which could require modifying or adding joists or trusses to lift. This needs additional labour and engineering expertise. Building permits may also be necessary, adding to the time and costs involved.

Yes. A tray ceiling does increase your home’s resale value because of the added visual appeal. Not only does the ceiling itself look aesthetically pleasing, it also makes the room appear larger and lets more natural light and air in. This is especially true if you opt for a more minimalist, elegant look.

Installing a tray ceiling on a new home takes about 3-5 days. Renovating an existing ceiling takes roughly 5-10 days.

Installing a new ceiling from scratch begins by determining the desired height and design of the ceiling, then adding the necessary joists or trusses. The next step is installing the ceiling using whatever materials it is made of (drywall, wood, etc.). The final step is adding lighting.

When turning an existing ceiling into a tray one, the first step is to expose existing joists or trusses. Additional supports may need to be added to support the new ceiling’s height and shape. Then, you can create the new ceiling and add lighting.