While the design feature is certainly not new, my infatuation with the Cove ceiling is. Simply defined, a cove ceiling is a style of ceiling characterized by curved molding that joins the wall and ceiling, creating a transition between the two and eliminating sharp corners. This design requires technical skill to execute, which typically makes cove ceilings more expensive and more common in luxury homes or homes built at the time when manual labor was less costly. In addition to being an interesting design feature, a cove ceiling can also be used in some creative ways. Two of my favorite ideas is to paint the ceiling a contrasting color from the rest of the room, leaving the cove molding the color of the trim throughout the room. If the room can handle it, I love to use a metallic silver leaf paint to achieve this. I also like to light the cove ceiling by installing either florescent or LED lighting inside the cove molding so that it illuminates the entire interior of the ceiling. The look is dramatic, sophisticated and very elegant.
