Ceilings

 In past eras, ceilings were often more elaborate than any of the other surfaces of a room, whether embellished with decorative plasterwork or fine paintings. Sometimes, the structure of the building would be expressed in the ceiling, such as a gothic cathedral, where the complex curved structure was visible from below, accentuated by the ribbing, which also played an important structural function, similar to the veins on leaves. This attention to the ceiling persisted well into the twentieth century, with pressed metal ceilings imitating the fine craftsmanship of the past.

Pressed metal ceiling in a 1930s domestic quarters

In the apartment block where I live, built in 1932, modernism was just taking a hold in the more progressive architectural practices. This building is in a very stripped Art Deco style, often called "streamline moderne", a much more flexible interpretation of the Modern Movement with its dedication to "form follows function" and a complete absence of applied decoration.

The ceiling in a 1930s "streamline moderne" style apartment

Here, the grey picture rail is the one concession to styles of the past, but every effort is made to emulate modernism, with the crisp junction between wall and ceiling, the expression of the beam, and the perfectly smooth surfaces. This precise minimalist detailing is actually quite difficult to achieve, but the plasterers of the 1930s would have been highly skilled and able to do very elaborate work "freehand" such as revival Cape Dutch gables. My very brief excursion into plastering was under the instruction of one of the last of such highly trained craftsman, whose work can still be seen in the gateposts on Jan Smuts Avenue in Johannesburg near the intersection with Empire Road. 

The ceiling detail in my apartment would also have been facilitated by having a reinforced concrete slab, which expands and contracts with varying temperature at the same rate as the beams, and at almost exactly the same rate as the brick walls. Modern houses with gypsum board ceilings are not so fortunate - if one were to simply plaster the wall up to the edge of such a ceiling, a crack would soon form at the junction. For this reason, we see the prevalence of cornices to cover up the angle between wall and ceiling.

A cove cornice
Creative commons licensed: https://www.builders.co.za/Building-Materials/Skirting-Cornices-and-Edging/Upper-Edge-Chaber-Cove-Polystyrene

These are a reintroduction of an older tradition, used whenever the ceiling was of a different material from the walls (say timber and brick) or if the ceiling was vaulted (curved), which creates structural forces where the ceiling meets the wall, again causing cracking at the joint. The photo of the pressed metal ceiling shows how this decorative detailing was translated into an industrial material, but in the older example, this would have been made up of a number of cast plaster pieces.

A moulded cornice from 1884
Creative commons licensed: https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14591449877/

If you ever decide to remodel a room with a gypsum ceiling and cornice to have a more Modernist or Minimalist aesthetic, then it is a good idea to have a raked joint where it meets the wall. The plasterer will cut into the wall plaster where it meets the ceiling, creating a shadow line and preventing cracking.

A completely different approach can be seen in House Brebnor, which I was fortunate to revisit last year for a workshop. It was one of the iconic designs when I was a student in the late 1970s - a break from the stark rectangles of late modernism and a return to expressing materials and the process of construction.

House Brebnor, built in 1976

In contrast with most houses of the mid to late twentieth century (and even into the present), with their boxlike forms, the shapes and textures of the Brebnor house create an exhilarating atmosphere. Whether or not you like the style, it is certainly a dramatic space, drawing the eye upwards to the complex geometry and unusual use of exposed metal sheeting. 

So often, when we are designing and decorating a space, we focus at eye-level and below - walls and floors - but so seldom do we exploit one of the largest surfaces in the room, whether by painting it in a different colour, choosing a more interesting lighting solution, or an even more creative treatment.