THOUGHTS / On The Fifth Wall
Inside the home of Piero Castellini Baldissera in Milan.
Look up! Ready yourself in Sistine-Chapel-stance à la Michelangelo. The ceiling, or ‘fifth wall’ as it is sometimes known, is oft-forgotten and cast into deathly white pallor. And it needn’t be.
Ceilings can cope with a lot. Colour, plasterwork, panelling, gold leaf, imagery, you name it. They can be dramatic and romantic, and breathtakingly captivating. Think of Versailles, the zodiac ceiling of Grand Central Terminal in New York, Robert Adams’ neoclassical interiors, and countless chapels, churches and beautiful grand homes across the globe. Frescoed and painting ceilings have been around for thousands of years. They have made bold statements and told countless stories.
In post-war austerity, decoration of ceilings fell somewhat by the wayside. Interior styles changed, and ceiling decor habits did not fit with the decades of modernism and minimalism that followed. But now…
Yesteryear’s ecclesiastical tableaux may have gone but the interiors world is looking up again. Ceilings don’t have to be an ode to Rococo mania and Baroque grandeur and classical mouldings. And making a statement with a ceiling doesn’t necessarily disrupt a sense of modernism or minimalism in a room - it can occupy space without clutter.
“I have been considering it the fifth wall for some time.”
At the end of last year, the Pinterest newsroom reported that saves of “statement ceiling” were up +310%. Couple this with the fact that saves for “big wall art” were up an astronomical +637% and we can see that more people are thinking more confidently, expansively and artistically when it comes to their interiors. And this movement continues an ongoing trend for personalisation, in fashion, into interiors. We are asking for more tailored and meaningful experiences in our living spaces.
“The fifth wall: A statement ceiling can transform a room from the top down with bold paint, striking wallpaper or intricate texture (saves for “statement ceilings” +310%)
Large posters, works of art and photography prints are blowing up (saves for “big wall art” +637%)”
Usually, when ceilings are attended to they are painted in a single colour. Whilst decoratively it may be enough, and it of course depends on the project, this approach can overlook the potential of the ceiling as a huge artistic canvas, equal in size to floor. The ceiling has an inherent capacity to hold a room together, to tell a story, to add something nuanced, exceptional and atmospheric, and to characterise an entire space. And what better way than as a piece of art.
“As the ceiling has been so ignored over the last 70 years, it’s definitely about to have its renaissance again”
Indeed, ceiling murals are not so much surface embellishments but architectural art. They enhance interior architecture and create a different spatial experience. They articulate focus and define a room, help to relate different elements and achieve balance and character. Ceiling murals can draw the eye around the room from centre to edges, up and down, and emphasise architectural features such as vaulted ceilings, doorways or domes. The space and the architecture are the starting points, as with wall murals.
Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, husband-and-wife duo of Roman and Williams, transformed New York’s Le Coucou bar with murals inspired by a moody and expressive 18th century landscape artist, Hubert Robert, and painted by Dean Barger. Creating an atmospheric painted ceiling was part-creation of an eloquent and feel-good space that contrasted to the more Scandinavian style of the restaurant, and part-tribute to their love of the lost art.
“Painting a scene or even a series of tones that recalls the sky can transform a space, re-creating the feeling of being outside, when you are inside.”
These comments echo Swiss architect Olgiati’s remarks, on creating the celestial interior of the Céline store in Miami, floors and ceilings clad in cloud-seamed Brazilian pinta verde marble, that he wanted to make a space where an “internal universe can be imagined.” The ceiling is in some ways a symbolic liminal space between inside and outside, heaven and earth. And this offers interesting creative possibilities. It is a surface where perhaps we can transcend what is in the space below, add something, and push an idea that little bit further.
In 2009, Champalimaud Design, renowned for their hospitality interiors, were brought in to re-design the Fairmont San Francisco Penthouse. The suite spans the eighth floor of the hotel encompassing 6,000 square feet. Its billiard room is lined entirely in Persian tiles (ceiling included) but the awe-inspiring centrepiece is in its two-storey domed library. Mural-nificent, it features a hand-painted sapphire celestial map with constellations mapped out in gold leaf. (Secret aspirations to emulate Belle’s library, in Beauty and the Beast have now reached new heights).
We could never reference every beautiful painted ceiling, now or throughout history, in a few words. There are thousands of styles and situations manifold. Here are a selection of ceiling murals, some more well-known than others (skipping the Sistine Chapel, as that’s a given); hoping it might inspire you to consider your fifth wall anew.
The coral reef mural ceiling at Sexy Fish in Mayfair, London. Michael Roberts (Vanity Fair’s style editor-at-large) designed the ceiling and it was rendered from a cut-out design printed onto a fabric panel.
Robert Adams’ ceiling at Adelphi - look at the planning. Even the preparatory drawing is beautiful.
A geometric ceiling by Isabelle Day.
A guest room in the Tuscan villa of Dede Pratesi.
And this one, photographed by Francois Halard.
A 16th century Italian painted ceiling in Saint Moritz, Switzerland. Room by Studio Peregalli.
Another Peregalli room in Milan.
Striped and feeling Floridian…
And going gothic…
And ending on an Art Deco note.
All that really remains to be said is that in life and interiors we should push our boundaries and aim high. With a little caution and the wise guides of Beauty, Architecture, Style and Some Taste (Good or Bad!).
Aster Muro specialise in bespoke abstract art frescoes for ceilings, walls and large panels, working innovatively in pigmented plaster.
If you love art ceilings and need to see more, have a look at our Pinterest Ceilings board: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/lianneasnell/ceilings/