A tray ceiling is an easy way to add detail to an often-neglected part of many homes. Named after its resemblance to an inverted tray, tray ceilings feature a central raised ceiling portion connected to a lower ceiling by sloped or vertical sidewalls.

Parts Of A Tray Ceiling
Although a tray ceiling is simple, it does have a few clearly defined elements:

• Main ceiling — Taking up the largest surface area, the main ceiling in a tray ceiling is typically rectangular, but can also be formed in other geometric shapes such a hexagonal or octagonal.
• Lower ceiling — Located around the perimeter of the room, the lower ceiling is often a narrow strip less than two feet wide.
• Connecting walls — Depending on the design, the connecting walls between ceilings can be vertical, sloped or a combination of both. One popular option is to create stair-stepped connecting walls to add detail.

Tray Ceilings Provide Plenty Of Design Options
A tray ceiling can bring added functionality and architectural interest by bringing design opportunities to a traditionally flat surface. Here are some areas where you can make your tray ceiling shine:

• Molding — As an architectural element, tray ceilings create a number of intersecting surfaces. All of these intersections are opportunities to add molding. Molding can change the look of your tray ceiling, making it look sleek and modern or traditional and formal.
• Tray Ceiling Lighting — Tray ceilings create an excellent opportunity to add dramatic lighting to a room. Recessed lighting can be located in the lower ceiling to wash down over the walls of the room. Hanging fixtures become focal points when framed by a tray ceiling.
• Color — Creative color choices can highlight the detail of a tray ceiling, making it seem cozy and intimate or soaring and open. Darker colors will bring the main ceiling closer, creating a warm atmosphere. Light colors, on the other hand, will make the ceiling recede into the background, creating an open, airy feeling.
• Murals — Nothing will dramatize and focus attention on your tray ceiling like a mural. Creating this classic look will bring a bit of old world Europe into your home.