Charming Kitchen Ceiling Ideas for the Heart of the Home

Your kitchen ceiling may not seem like a place that deserves much design consideration. But a well-considered kitchen ceiling can add extra style and character to your space. Whether you’re hoping to embark on a mini renovation or work with what you have, here are 14 great kitchen ceiling ideas to try in your own home.

Add a Dramatic Light Fixture

Use white kitchen walls as a blank canvas to display a statement lighting fixture on, like Cathie Hong Interiors did in the kitchen above. This look works best when the light fixture is centered above an island or table.

Expose Post-and-Beam Ceilings

Many mid-century homes feature exposed post-and-beam ceilings, a roofing style that uses a long beam with shorter posts extending from it. In the kitchen, this down-to-earth look adds plenty of character while showing off the craftsmanship of your home.

Add Oak

Consider adding some long slats of oak to your kitchen ceiling to give it the perfect touch of rustic and down-to-earth style. This project can be easily DIYed as well—just make sure to use the straightest pieces of wood you can find at the home improvement store.

Go Black

Make your kitchen moody with a black ceiling. This dramatic look may be unconventional, but it can really pack a punch. Your ceiling can be painted black or covered in wood slats with a nearly black stain.

Use Thick Trim

To give your white kitchen ceiling a little more visual interest, use thick trim to connect your cabinetry and your ceiling. We love how Becca Interiors did this in the kitchen above. It helps to give the kitchen a seamless (and stylish) look.

Bring in Some Light

Let a little sunshine in by installing some skylights in your kitchen ceiling. We love this look just about anywhere, but skylights work especially well over the kitchen sink or a heavily used prep area—there’s no need to do the dishes in bad lighting.

Stick With White

There’s no shame sticking with the classic white ceiling in the kitchen. It can be a great choice when you’re using lots of patterns or texture elsewhere, like Emily Henderson Design did with the glassy tile, wood slat siding, and Persian runner rug in the kitchen above.

Vault Your Ceilings

Vaulted ceilings can make any space feel larger than it really is, including the kitchen. We love the bright and airy look it gives this space, and it helps prevent a kitchen from feeling too closed-in or cramped.

Add Wood

Wood—in all its forms—can add tons of character to an otherwise ordinary kitchen ceiling. You can add some painted white wood to your ceiling to give your kitchen an exposed-beam look, or tear down a drop ceiling to reveal the beams underneath.

Mimic Your Flooring

Let your kitchen flooring serve as the inspiration for your ceiling choice. Take a page out of Kendall Wilkinson’s book and mimic the look of the flooring on the ceiling, as they did in the kitchen above. It doesn’t need to be a perfect match—a repetition of the colors or stains used on the floor will do just fine.