A friend of mine recently contacted me for some design advise and we were having a discussion about his flat. I asked him what he wanted to do about the ceiling, since his flat has gorgeous high ceilings with some original coving and ceiling roses. His response took me aback when he exclaimed, 'the ceiling? Does it matter what we do with the ceiling'? This got me thinking about the importance of the ceiling in a design.

The ceiling could almost be regarded as a 'lid' to the design - the completing factor or finishing touch. Even the most amazing interior could look bland or incomplete if the ceiling did not match (imagine images 3 or 6 with plain, white ceilings). Conversely, a feature ceiling could bring a simple and minimal design to life (image 4).

Never underestimate the importance of the lid.