How Beams Can Transform Your Kitchen Designs

When I am teaching Kitchen Design or coaching Kitchen Designers, the conversation will often come around to how to enhance a Kitchen Design.

While there are multiple ways of doing this, one of the first things I will say is:

Look Up!

The ceiling is the perfect place to add some detail to your Kitchen Designs and there are infinite ways to do that.

Read on to see how the simple beam can be used to add that finishing touch to any of your Kitchen projects.

Kitchen Styles for Beams

First you need to understand that beams are not just for Traditional styled Kitchens.

A beamed ceiling that matches the cabinetry is the perfect way to connect the Kitchen to the fifth wall.

In the two examples above the lineal lines of the simple beams also compliment the slab style doors and add texture to the space.

Transitional styled Kitchens are also great candidates for adding ceiling beams.

By experimenting with widths and depths you can get the perfect proportioned beam for your Transitional Kitchen space.

Of course the Traditional styled Kitchen almost needs a ceiling detail to finish the space.

The detailed nature of the cabinetry in a Traditional Kitchen can feel too heavy in a space with a flat painted ceiling.

Big chunky beams or beams trimmed with crown moulding will work in most Traditional styled Kitchens.

Additional Kitchen Décor styles that can be enhanced by beams are Country, Farmhouse and Provence Designs.

Beams for these décor styles look best when rustic, hand hued or even round log shaped.

Using Beams to Define Spaces

Beams can be the perfect element to define spaces, especially in great rooms.

Changing the direction of the beams in an open space is a great way to divide up a room into distinct spaces while still keeping the flooring the same.

In the example above the dining space at the end of the Kitchen has the beams running perpendicular to the Kitchen beams, making this the logical area to place the dining table.

Wood beams can also be used to add interest to an area such as a hallway.

In some designs, just wrapping the perimeter of the kitchen with wood beams can be the finishing touch.

Using Beams to Highlight Architectural Details

Lately I have designed Kitchens with extremely high ceilings.

Beams are the perfect element to highlight high ceilings, be it a single beam to define a space or a grouping of beams to “bring the ceiling down”.

Vaulted ceilings are a popular look in great room design and lend themselves well to being finished with ceiling beams.

As you can see from the examples above this look works well in Contemporary and Traditional spaces.

Skylights left floating in a high white ceiling can get lost in a space.

Beams defining them or even bisecting them can add interest to your Kitchen Designs.

If you were to go back and look at all these images that feature ceiling beams and removed them, I am sure you would see that the designs would be quite flat.

You would feel something was missing.

This is why I encourage Kitchen Designers to think about the ceiling when they are designing the overall space.