Architects are always looking for new ways to make their homes stand out. One of the most popular options offered by Brisbane custom home builders is raked ceilings. Capable of bringing drama to any space, a raked ceiling is one of the most unique design touches you’ll find in modern homes. Whether you want to use them throughout your home or just in select rooms, raked ceilings can make your property stand out from the crowd. In this article we’ll be showing off the beauty of raked ceilings and exploring the benefits they can bring to your custom home design.
What is a Raked Ceiling?
Raked ceilings are known by many other names – you’ve probably also heard them called vaulted ceilings, cathedral ceilings or pitched ceilings. While that can be a bit confusing, they all mean the same thing. Raked ceilings are a type of inclined ceiling that rises to a ridgeline or single point. This adds volume, style and drama to your spaces, and it allows for unique design touches such as exposed beams or timber clad ceilings. Most homes feature raked ceilings that follow the external roofline, so they’re also a great way to tie the inside of your home together with the outside.
- Add Volume to Your Spaces
When your ceiling soars far overhead, it’s hard to miss the extra volume that it can add to a room. Raked ceilings are incredibly popular for the ability to bring additional volume to any space. In larger living areas, a raked ceiling can be used to increase the scale of the space. This makes furniture and decorations seem smaller, allowing you to fit in all the interior design features you’d love to have. For smaller spaces like bedrooms, a raked ceiling creates an illusion of space, adding grandeur that can’t be achieved any other way.
- Enjoy Unrivalled Style and Drama
There’s no two ways around it: raked ceilings add serious style and drama to a home. Imagine stepping into a room to find the ceiling rising high above. With sharp angles, extra space and brighter lighting, raked ceilings are a standout design feature that can bring luxury and grandeur to your home. Raked ceilings are also the perfect complement to your design aesthetic. Certain styles such as Hamptons homes often make use of raked ceilings to display exposed beams. If you really want to bring your outdoor aesthetic inside, a raked ceiling is the best way to tie the two spaces together.
- Create Light-Filled Rooms
If you’re a fan of natural light then you’re in luck! Raked ceilings are typically far better at reflecting natural light than flat ceilings. Because the surfaces of the ceiling are angled, they rebound natural and artificial light much more noticeably. Better yet, raked ceilings are also the perfect opportunity for creating a striking lighting design. With plenty of height to use, you’ll be able to make the most of dramatic light fittings like chandeliers and pendants. While these types of fittings can look out of place in smaller and more claustrophobic spaces, a raked ceiling means any room has the scale and volume needed to show off stunning light fittings.
- Improve Airflow
Small, stuffy rooms are the enemy of airflow. If you live in a hot climate like Australia, improving the passive ventilation in your home is the best way to make your spaces more comfortable. Raked ceilings improve airflow in two ways. First, the extra volume in the room offers plenty of space for air movement. With a little bit of cross ventilation, a room with a raked ceiling can be several degrees cooler than a similar room with a flat ceiling. Secondly, the extra ceiling height gives the hot air somewhere to go. Hot air can rise further away from the living areas below, leaving those spaces noticeably cooler.
- Allow Your Creativity to Shine Through
Raked ceilings allow your Brisbane custom home builders to turn ordinary home features into standout architectural components. The angularity and additional height of a raked ceiling makes them the perfect complement to your creativity. With the right placement, simple features such as fireplaces can become the centrepiece of a room and redefine your aesthetic. If you want to make the most of a raked ceiling then speak to your architect – they’ll have plenty of ideas for features, windows and lighting that can turn a raked ceiling into an interior designer’s dream!
