Vaulted Ceilings – White or Wood?

It’s been a fun two days around here (I wish you could hear my sarcastic tone).  My beloved computer died.  Yes, it’s a laptop I’ve had for five years and I should’ve seen it coming, but I didn’t expect it to be such a sudden death!

Mourning my grad school laptop, researching the right new one, and purchasing my new work sidekick postponed yesterday’s post.

But we’re up and running again over here and I NEED YOUR HELP for this design dilemma we’re facing.

Read on, friends, and please, please leave your honest opinion!

lisa tharp

Lisa Tharp

One of you suggested on a previous post that we vault some of the ceilings in the addition.  You read our minds!  One of the things I’m most excited about (I realize I use that phrase too loosely these days) is the vaulted ceilings that we’ll be doing in the kitchen and living space.

I’ve always wanted vaulted ceilings.  My parents have gorgeous high vaults in their home with lots of wooden beams and I knew that one day, I wanted something similar in our own home.  

When we realized that we would be adding on the main living spaces, we immediately knew a vault was possible!  It’s definitely possible on an existing house.  I know bloggers who have done that, but it’s much easier with a new build to build with that in mind.  

The way the roof line is going to run is the key here.  Our side master bedroom addition will be continuing the roof line of the current house.  But the living and kitchen on the back will be a large gable that runs perpendicular to the current roof, making it the perfect candidate for a large vault!

The plan for our ceiling is to run a large beam down the center of the vault.  Then, have smaller beams that attach to it and go down to the walls on either side.  We’ll have bead board in between the beams.

The issue we’re having is deciding how to finish it.  I’m shocked to be writing this, but I’m wanting wood beams with white in between and my husband wants it all to be white.  I never thought he would want less wood and I wouldn’t want white.  That is opposite of every design debate we’ve ever had!

I just assumed we would be doing wood beams and as we were talking about it just the other day, he was shocked that it wouldn’t be all-white.  I’m still stunned at his change of rustic heart.

We love adding a touch of rustic styles to our designs and to me, nothing says that like a little warm wood.  There isn’t going to be a ton of other wood in this main space or any other beams like we have in our current home, so to me, this small touch of wood will add warmth, texture, and contrast.

jenna sue design

{Jenna Sue Design}

We’ll be going with a medium-toned wood if we stain the beams (not dark like in our current home).

Wendy Possard

{Wendy Possard}

We won’t be doing any cross pieces like this room has, but it gives you an idea for the high contrast between the wood and white.  For reference, our beams would be lighter than the ones above.

Leslie Burkett

{Leslie Burkett}

I do love the all-white like in this pretty image above.  But, with all white walls and the furnishings I’m planning, my gut just says wood beams are the way to go.

house tweaking

{House Tweaking – if you haven’t checked out this post you need to!  Dana is one of those unbelievable bloggers I was talking about who vaulted an existing ceiling}

I do love the all-white ceilings in Dana’s home.  It totally fits and is bright and calming.

To me, the key in deciding between wood or white is your goal for the ceiling.  Do you want the vault to be more of a focal point that really defines the room?  Then, go with wood.  Or do you want it to disappear a bit more and just be a light and bright high ceiling with subtle texture? 

I don’t think either option is “right” at all.  I think it would be different for every space and is really determined by what else is going in the room.

But regardless, we haven’t come to an agreement or a final conclusion on this issue just yet.

We need your help!  

Would you go wood?  Or white?  

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53 Comments

for me personally i prefer wood- i like the rustic touch and i can always paint it later, but once painted i can’t go back so easily. of course, sarah dorsey painted hers white and it looks amazing! so both really will look fab! i am no help, am i?

I love the look of both!! If I were you I’d probably do the wood and white knowing that painting the beams wouldn’t be the worst project in the world if you both end up longing for white once you have everything else in place. Can you even imagine trying to switch from painted to stained down the road?!

I like the all white inspiration photos better but when you explain that the walls will be white and that there aren’t many other wood finishes in this room I think that sounds like the better plan to break up all the white. It also sounds like it fits better with the overall tone you’ve described for the house. Either way will look great. This answer probably isn’t much help.

Honest opinion time :)….. Personally, I like the white on white ONLY if the beams are new (or if they all look too perfect/exactly the same) wood. If the beams were rustic and looked like they’d been sitting in a barn for 50 years and no two look alike, then I’d like the wood better. However, if you’re unsure, it’s always easier to paint wood than to strip it.

We are having the exact same debate in our house! I am leaning towards wood, but every once in a while I get this scary image of 1970-1980’s crappy Tudor knockoff and it scares me. I say go with wood. Worst case scenario, you can paint over it.

I like the white. I only like the wood if it has the cross beams (like the third picture), because otherwise it looks a little out of place. If the floors are dark and the beams are dark, it would make sense and make the whole room cohesive, or if they’re really chunky or character-filled barn wood. Otherwise, I think it’s a bit distracting.

I would leave the beams’ wood natural and rustic if they are old beams. Old beams painted would not have the same charm. If the space is not very big, use new beams painted white to open up the space and make it feel bigger. Just a curiosity question: why not do some decorative cross beams ?- they would add a nice decorative touch – particularly if you go all white.

Melissa, that’s a great point. We’re considering that option. We’re waiting to see the space framed out to see how high the ceiling feels once it’s finished. To me, if it’s high enough they would be awesome! But if it’s lower (because the width of the vault is 30 feet so it’s possible), I think cross pieces could make it feel smaller. Still considering it all!

The photos of wood beams against a white ceiling look too busy to me. I agree with the first post that said if the beams were really old, hand hewn, and not uniform, then leave natural. But that’s not the case here…so go white! All-white is calming, airy, and light.

I agree with it depending on what you were trying to accomplish – calm and fading into the background? Definitely white on white. Want to draw the eye upward/add detail? Wood. I think the wood adds such a nice touch, but I’ve really gotten on board with how clean the white-on-white looks. Clearly I’m just as torn as you are! Ha ha. If I were pressed, I’d go with the wood – because how do you say no to rustic wood beams?! Hoping you and your hubby can reach a solid agreement!

WOOD! I don’t picture anything else for you… And your style! But I’m partial, mine are wood that my husband just added a few years ago. Best decision ever!

Since you’re so uncertain, it seems safe to go with natural wood beams and you can always paint them white later. It would be a bummer to paint them white and then regret having done so. Leave the beams wood tone and live with them for awhile to see how they mesh with your room design.

Go with WOOD! Your vaulted ceilings are meant to be a focal point, and with white on white, your eye isn’t drawn up to appreciate the nice vault as it is with the contrast of wood on white. The wood will also draw attention to the beadboard texture in between, which could also easily get lost in a white on white ceiling. You are paying extra to make the ceiling something special, why take the chance of it being kind-of blah? I bet your hubby will love it when it’s done, too.

White is neutral, and if you are looking to be selling, a buyer will not be offended by white ; whereas a buyer who doesn’t like dark will wish it was light, a buyer who doesn’t likes light will wish it was dark. So I guess it depends on what your long term plan is for the dwelling. Are you going to be there for a while? Or are you looking to flip within a year or two and move on? Ahh, decisions, decisions! Gotta love it when you renovate! (and or flip).

I think wood if you are wanting more of a focal point and to bring in a rustic feel. If it’s a clean, fade into background feel, then I’d choose white. I don’t think you can go wrong, but I am really digging the wood to balance out the rest of the white you’ll be having elsewhere. Best wishes.

Love them both! I have a vaulted ceiling and want to add some beams so badly! I think you should go with the wood especially if you are not going to have as much wood as you do in your current home. I’ve always identified you with wood. Cannot remember…Is your live edge island free standing so you can take it with you?

No, sadly, Gina, it has to stay with the house 🙁 It was a big selling point I think for the buyer, plus it doesn’t work or fit in the new kitchen design. I’m working to come up with something equally as statement-making for this new island!

You utilize a great deal of pattern and color in your decor, just look at your inspiration boards. I think that white beams will allow a break from pattern, color and a sense of busyness in a space, allow you to place artwork higher in a vaulted space and prevent the sense of old and out-of-date that natural beams can bring to a space after time. Just my opinion and love your blog!
C.

I love both options but think it depends on the flooring choice and the color of your cabinetry. Those are all variables that would lean me one way or the other. If your gut says wood with all the other choices you have in mind then I would do that.

I say stained wood…live with it for awhile, decorate, take pics, etc then if you guys really hate it, paint them white later on.

I honestly love both options! And I’m drawn to the natural wood beams first. However, for your home I think the white beams are the way to go. I think the white will make your home feel a lot bigger than it really is. You mentioned you loved House Tweaking’s ceiling, did you notice she doesn’t have the cross beams running down to the walls? Another thing to notice in the pictures you provided is the center beam. In most of the pictures it runs down the middle of multiple rooms. I’m assuming your center beam will run with the living room on one side and the kitchen on the other? My opinion is white beams similar to House Tweaking since hers is probably a similar layout to yours. If you find something with wood beams dividing two living spaces, I might change my mind 🙂 Good luck!

How bout a combo…my home had pine ceilings and a wooden ridge beam (no cross beams). I recently painted the flat surface a warm white and beefed up the ridge beam, making it more substantial and rustic looking, then stained it dark walnut. You could do the same but paint your cross beams to match the ceiling – that would give hubby a lot of painted surface and you one big, beautiful wood statement at the top of it all. Here’s a link to a photo…https://goo.gl/photos/4mWfAeT8SaYiZn5M8

I think it depends on the furnishings you are going to use. Wood beams demand attention and if your furniture is basically neutral they work great. If you are going to have lots of color and texture to the furniture the wood beams will just be competing for attention and white would be a better choice.

Our floor plan is very similar to Dana’s, high vaults, minus the beams. When we had all white, it looked very sterile. We painted the walls of the open floor plan area, and it warmed it up immediately. I am on the wood beam train for warmth and coziness.

I may be a little late to join the convo but we are getting ready to plank our ceiling and I too struggled with all white…white with wood beams etc…so I decided to reverse it. We are leaving the T&G natural pine and painting the beams white and adding a craftsman style stacked crown in white too around the room. I will post pics when it’s done. Right now the planks are sitting in my living room acclamating and it smells glorious!! (;

maybe ask yourself if you want your eyes drawn up towards the ceiling or a more open feel – to me it seems if you go with the wood your eyes would be drawn up to that – but if you went with white it would feel open – am I making sense?

I’ll add my vote to the resounding majority–wood! We have a vaulted ceiling in our living room with a beautiful rustic barn beam in the middle. However, it was painted over by previous owners. Now you have me thinking about whether I can strip it. I’m planning to redo the ceiling anyway (the rest of it is really dirty stipple), so that would give me a chance to reclaim my wood… maybe?

I have a house with yellowish wood ceilings. High vaulted wood ceilings .Wood walls. Wood floors. Occasional sheetrock walls with wood walls. When I first came here….wood toilet paper holders, wood towel racks, wood toilet seat covers, wood light switch covers, wood bear lamps. You catch my drift. I changed all the small stuff. But someone’s idea of the old rustic cabin look, just looks old. On top of that the former owners painted several walls yellow. I am tearing my hair out deciding what colors would go with this house. I just love the white ceilings. All my trim is wood. I can’t seem to fall in love with that much wood. Any suggestions about wall colors that would help.

Which way did you go? Exposed timber beams? All white? My wife and I have just bought a home and have the same dilemma! Ha! 🙂