Stretch ceilings are a convenient and practical solution for a modern kitchen. It can compete with any ceiling finish. This product is reliable and durable, which is especially important for the kitchen area. You can install a suspended ceiling in the kitchen using the entire surface, and with its help you can make an insert into a plasterboard structure.
Which color to choose
It all depends on how your kitchen is decorated as a whole: the color of the ceiling often echoes the walls or pieces of furniture. The result is a harmonious and harmonious color picture.
If yours is glossy, has a significant amount of usable space, and uses a multi-level design, it makes sense to highlight one of the levels in rich red. Such a bright shade will always set a positive mood. What else is needed for a healthy appetite?
Dark shades work well in tall and spacious rooms. They bring orderliness and nobility to the interior, so they are ideal for classic, restrained designs or a loft prone to industrial motifs.
Shades can and should be combined with each other so that the color landscape of the room is natural and balanced. Too loud colors (green, light green) are diluted with a snow-white surface or universal light beige and cream elements.
Designer tips
Irina
founder of the interior studio, architect and interior designer. The main area of work is kitchen design
When choosing a color, remember that the glossy texture enhances the shade. Matte or satin, on the contrary, muffles. Based on this, you can select an acceptable color intensity and get it, when implemented, exactly as it was intended in your imagination.
Every hunter wants to know
Let's talk about color preferences in such an important space of the house. Of course, it all depends on your personal preferences, but we will still give advice from designers.
For tall rooms, darker colors may be appropriate than for standard room heights. If you make a light ceiling for the usual height of the kitchen, the room will be visually higher; if you darken it, it will not be very comfortable to be in such a room.
As for warm and cold tones, the rule applies. A room decorated in warm colors is cozy, but they visually make the space smaller. Cool shades, on the contrary, make the space larger and airier.
If the top and bottom of the room are in contrasting colors, the room will seem lower than it actually is. That is, it will be appropriate in high rooms.
Lighting
All wires are securely hidden from view by already stretched fabric. Therefore, it is easy to organize the most complex lighting system and achieve the desired effect for you.
Track lamps fit well into modern interiors and look great in rooms with fabric or matte ceilings. Yes, they cost a decent amount, but you can vary the level and achieve optimal accent lighting.
You will learn what a track system is and why it is in demand in the kitchen in our separate article >>> go.
An example of a classic lighting scenario is a combination of linearly located spots (or LED strip) and hanging sconces in the desired area. For example, above the dining table or kitchen set.
Ceiling zoning
Zoning of space is carried out in the following ways, for example, in a kitchen-living room with a large area, you can equip a suspended or plasterboard ceiling with different levels with a height of about 10 or 15 centimeters. The two-level design, repeating the outline and shape of the kitchen unit, will look very harmonious and, due to the built-in lamps, will create high-quality lighting in the work area.
The photo shows a spacious kitchen-living room with a two-level multi-textured stretch fabric in white and beige tones.
An equally effective solution is to install a multi-color stretch ceiling, which consists of several sections welded together. The plasterboard system is simply painted in different shades to match the interior design of the kitchen-living room.
For example, the ceiling structure above the guest area is made in white tones, and above the kitchen area - to match the color of the furniture. It is advisable to combine no more than 2 colors and combine light, pastel colors with rich ones.
The photo shows a plasterboard ceiling of different colors in the zoning of a small kitchen-living room.
White is perfect as a base color. This design will give the small kitchen-living room lightness and space. Snow-white goes well with any shades. Smaller ceiling elements will look much better in contrasting and bright colors. A warm palette will make the ceiling lower, and a cold palette, on the contrary, will raise the plane.
To separate the living room from the cooking area, the border between the two areas can be supplemented with a volumetric ceiling detail.
Pros and cons of suspended ceilings
We’ll break down all the advantages and disadvantages of vinyl sheets so that you can accurately weigh the pros and cons before purchasing.
Advantages of tensile structures
- reliably protect against flooding from above, holding even the largest volumes of water (up to 100 l) for an indefinite period of time;
- retain the original freshness of the coating even after many years;
- have a solid service life, depending on the manufacturer - from 15 to 25 years;
- fireproof, which means resistant to fire;
- completely environmentally friendly and do not attract dust;
- there is no need to prepare the base - you just need to seal the cracks with putty and that’s it;
- provide a large selection of textures and colors.
Main disadvantages
- the heights take up quite a lot - up to 5 cm, together with lamps - up to 7 cm;
- very fragile under mechanical stress - easy to damage even when simply replacing light bulbs;
- with careless installation, characteristic “wrinkles” appear;
- additional equipment for installation is required (heat gun);
- if the temperature in the room fluctuates, swelling may appear on the canvases;
- are not very suitable for wide rooms, since the joints between the fragments form seams and are very vulnerable to various damages.
Basic materials
An important element is the canvas. Several basic materials are used for its manufacture, which allows us to distinguish the following types:
- Fabric ones have a higher cost and look great. The catalogs present interesting varieties that look luxurious and expensive.
- Film ones attract with lower prices, which will make the purchase more accessible. The advantages include ease of maintenance. There are different textures to choose from, each of which looks very attractive.
When deciding on a choice, it is worth additionally consulting with specialists who will tell you about the features of the two options, their pros and cons, guide you in cost, and help you make the final right decision.
What should you not be afraid of?
There are still many myths around suspended ceilings and their use in the kitchen. This is all the more surprising since everyone now has access to information, but, nevertheless, we will try once again to debunk them here and now.
It will quickly turn yellow from grease and soot. Polyvinyl chloride fabric is not afraid of either the sun's rays or steam with fat impurities rising from the kitchen stove, so even the snow-white fabric will definitely not lose its freshness. But this does not at all negate the fact that it needs to be looked after. More details about this in a separate paragraph below.
Over time it sags and wrinkles. If the stretch ceiling is poorly stretched, it will sag and wrinkle immediately , and not after some time. We recommend that you contact reliable specialists to avoid such problems.
The fabric tears easily. Yes, it can be torn and damaged if you do not follow basic cleaning rules and use abrasive detergents with aggressive ingredients. But in general, it is quite dense and elastic, so it is not at all a fact that a cork that bounces off while opening a bottle of champagne will be able to break through it as easily as, for example, any sharp object.
If flooded, it must be replaced immediately. The most famous stereotype that can be easily destroyed by watching just one video on the topic. We attach it below.
Vinyl fabric contains impurities hazardous to human health. On the contrary, suspended ceilings are environmentally friendly and meet sanitary standards. It is no coincidence that they have international certificates and are popular in the EU zone, known for its strict quality criteria for finishing products.
May ignite. They cannot and do not ignite because they are completely fireproof and according to this indicator they have a level of KM2 or KM3. This means that they only melt when in direct contact with fire (like most other materials), but cannot ignite from a spark or elevated temperature alone.
Secrets of care
To maintain shine and remove traces of cooking, glossy stretch ceilings need to be wiped from time to time. You can moisten a napkin in a 10% solution of ammonia, and then wipe it dry again.
Any product containing acetone or solvent is strictly unsuitable for care.
Matte and satin surfaces can be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner, but only with the softest and most gentle brush possible. Otherwise, there is a high risk of scratching the surface. If there are any stains that are difficult to remove with a regular rag, use a school eraser. It will help get rid of the stain and will not leave a trace behind.
To clean fabric ceilings with a pronounced wicker structure, use brushes with very soft bristles - they are most effective. Difficult to remove stains can be removed with a soap solution with a neutral PH - after which you need to walk over the surface with a dry cloth.
Exclusive photo printing
The solvent method of applying photo images is an economical option.
But you need to take into account that the width of a solid image applied to the canvas cannot exceed three and a half meters. If there is a need to apply a single pattern, fragments of the coating are welded, which in turn will increase the cost of the ceiling structure several times.
Having given preference to exsolvent photo printing, you should think through everything very carefully, choose the subject, the color palette of the design of the image applied to the canvas, since solvent ink tends to show through, and this leads to color distortion, especially on dark media.
Features of a stretch ceiling in a small kitchen
In kitchens with a small area, suspended ceilings can be a good tool for arranging decorative accents.
Multi-level structures are unlikely to look organically in modest Khrushchev buildings - the scale is not the same, so it is worth limiting yourself to 2 levels. This is the maximum that will allow you to beautifully highlight zones without causing visual overload.
If you need to raise the ceiling, use a glossy texture. It gives a beautiful mirror image: the space seems to be extended, making the room seem larger. Forget about photo printing - it is not suitable for small kitchens.
If there is a shortage of usable space, it is best to choose white. It refreshes the room and works well with almost the entire palette.
There is never too much light in a small room. Therefore, use all lamp options to achieve an acceptable level of lighting: spots can be alternated with LED strips, central chandeliers with hanging sconces and tracks.
Structural features
When planning a suspended ceiling, you have to select the required number of levels.
You can choose from the following options:
- Single-level is the simplest option. It looks neat and beautiful. The advantages of this solution include not only an attractive and laconic appearance, but also a more attractive price.
- Multi-level - its installation will cost more, but the design is much more interesting.
When decorating the interior, it is necessary to competently approach the solution of all issues, including the organization of lighting in a kitchen with a suspended ceiling, by contacting specialists.
