The sky’s the limit. This familiar idiom need not be restricted to our ambitions or aspirations. Within our homes we are surrounded by things we love hanging on walls, resting on shelves, or sitting on coffee tables. But why have we neglected one of the largest surface areas: the ceiling? “Spatially, ceiling installations can transform the dynamics of a room,” says Lyndon Cormack, founder of travel goods and accessories brand Herschel Supply Co. and keen advocate for art hung from ceilings. “They can define a cosy nook with subtle lighting or floral arrangements, or give character to a large room with bold, cascading architectural elements.”
Within Lyndon’s waterfront home nestled in Deep Cove, North Vancouver, British Columbia, sculptural objects, lighting and mobiles drip from great heights, enveloping the space with a dynamic and surprising vertical plane that gives the home a real three-dimensional wow factor. “Hanging art from ceilings is particularly advantageous in modern designs with high, open-concept ceilings,” he says. “These installations create more intimate and comfortable spaces within larger areas. They add a layer of warmth and interest, enhancing the cosiness of a room.”
There are a few elements to consider when hanging objects from the ceiling, such as scale, form, texture and hang height, however as Lyndon warns: “one of the main things is maintaining design coherence. In
my Vancouver home, for example, I used the Bocci 28 series lighting fixture extensively. Despite its varied applications throughout the space, this consistent element helps tie the entire design together.”
/ We literally took our cue from the colour of autumn leaves… inspiration from nature that softened the space as you look up into the blank canvas of the ceiling. / MICHAEL HABACHY
The incredibly tall ceilings of Lyndon’s Deep Cove home allow for large-scale hanging installations, yet
even within this home, the scale of the hanging pieces is adjusted depending on the purpose and sensibilities of the room. For example, in the sitting room clusters of smaller and more formal Bocci 28 series lighting fixtures have been added to create a feeling of uniformity and refinement that differs greatly from the playful and grand sweeping gestures of the same lighting series used in the bedroom on a much larger scale. While the use of glass in these instances helps to create a sense of lightness (dozens of heavy opaque spheres above your head might make one feel slightly
claustrophobic), the use of natural fibre textures in other hanging pieces in the home give a very different feel. Hanging above the dining table, four highly textured textile pieces help give the immensely tall
ceilings a more intimate feeling. Organic and almost seedpod-like, these fibre sculptures connect the ceiling with the earth visually and metaphorically.
While cohesion and intimacy are paramount for Lyndon, Brooke Aitken, founder of Brooke Aitken
Designs in Sydney, notes that hanging sculptural pieces from ceilings helps create drama and sophistication. “We always strive to create a level of visual drama and beauty within our projects by incorporating sculptural lighting,” she says. “When this lighting element is, in fact, an artwork, it provides a level of expression that goes well beyond a mere statement light. By suspending carefully curated pieces from the ceiling, we not only illuminate the space but also infuse it with drama and sophistication, particularly noticeable at night when light becomes a focal point.” For the Sydney home of Elizabeth Pakchung, Aitken integrated ceiling-hung sculptural works seamlessly into the space, notably showcasing Lindy Lee’s hanging orb work in the stairwell. “Stairwells are perfect settings for
this type of drama,” says Aitken, “as movement rises up underneath the pieces, providing varied views and light as one ascends through the space.” The silver moonlike work reflects its surrounds and adds a surprising focal point within its curved staircase situation. For Aitken it’s about, “elevating the ordinary passage of movement into something extraordinary”.
The drama of a hanging sculptural piece is prized too by Michael Habachy, the principal of Habachy
Designs, Atlanta, Georgia. For him, it’s the movement and escapism created by such works that draws him to them. “I love a sculptural light fixture within a clean, minimal space,” he says. “Imagine in autumn, you are sitting under a tree and looking up at the vast sky. You see beautiful autumn leaves cascading and falling over your head. That is in a sense a sculpture that you are experiencing. You can almost create that same effect inside a home with a really special piece, whether it’s a decorative light fixture, or in the case of the sculptural lighting in our Ansley Residence, a kinetic mobile. We literally took our cue from the colour of autumn leaves. It added this delicate inspiration from nature that softened the space as you look up into the blank canvas of the ceiling. Also, the individual shapes made from laser-cut metal were so delicate and so light, that they would move ever so slightly with the movement of the air. The motion of the sculpture added to the effect, similar to the falling leaves of the tree.”
/ When this lighting element is, in fact, an artwork, it provides a level of expression that goes well beyond a mere statement light…We not only illuminate the space but also infuse it with drama and sophistication. / BROOKE AITKEN
When hanging objects from ceilings, being playful is also a must. At night, Lee’s orb transforms the space with a disco ball effect, shrouding the space with dappled beams of light that dance across surfaces. Meanwhile across from this spectacle, a low hanging upside-down chair artwork by William Smart is suspended from the ceiling and serves as a playful conversation piece within the sitting room. Echoing the curved lines of the Sydney Opera House beyond the windows, the low hang of the piece encourages you to look down to the harbour views below, rather than up as with many other ceiling hung objects.
Lyndon too uses airspace as a site of play. Above his kitchen rests an upturned wooden boat, fit with oars that serve as the home for the kitchen down lights. Why not have a boat as your chandelier? “It’s crucial to strike a balance between uniqueness and harmony when incorporating such pieces,” says Lyndon. The wood of the boat ties in seamlessly with the thick timber columns around it, while the position of the boat pointing out to sea gives the playful impression that at any moment one could haul the boat off its stand and row out to sea.
“Conceptually, ceiling installations add a vertical dimension to interior decorating, reminiscent of layering in fashion,” says Lyndon. “This additional layer is something I find very inspiring.” Transforming the empty space above our heads into something visually and spatially stimulating doesn’t have to be daunting, the scope for ceiling-hung works is incredibly vast so start out small with mobiles or sculptural pendant lights. From there, the sky really is the limit.
Above: In the master bedroom of Lyndon Cormack’s home hangs the Bocci 28 lighting fixture. Photo: Ema Peter. Courtesy: Lyndon Cormack.
