10 Ceilings to Look Up To & Learn From

Upward glances get short shrift in most of our homes and lives. We’re too busy taking in and reacting to what’s in front of us–like getting kids acclimated to a new school year.

But we (and they) could learn a lot from a ceiling well-treated. See if you agree.

1. Art history, for one…

Found on Audrey Loves Paris

The Paris Garnier Opera House unveiled its Marc Chagall-painted ceiling 51 years ago later this month. The nearly 2,600-square-foot canvas required 440 pounds of paint and was completed over the course of eight months.

Russian-born Chagall once said “the dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world.”

Wonder. That’s a good reason for looking up and for having something to look up to.

2. Mythology, for another…

Found on Home and Garden Inspirations

Cupid seems a bit romantic for the kitchen, but I’m all for anything that inspires the cook.

3. Then there’s astronomy…

Found on Kids Theme Bedrooms

I love how multi-dimensional this design is, continuing onto the walls and bed, as well as into space itself with the dangling planets.

4. And navigation…

…Though you should be careful not to be taken in by the stylized beauty of this one. Study a few charts before setting sail and take along a sextant.

5. Meteorology…

Found on Decor Design Review

Does it aid the digestion to know your cloud types? It’s a good instructional tool anyway. Are these cumulus or nimbus? Or cumulonimbus? It’s up in the air.

6. Geography…

Found on The Pink Porch

Oh, the places you’ll go! But only if you know what’s out there and have a realistic sense of your place in the world.

7. Horticulture…

Found on Home and Garden Inspirations
Just how do you get a tree to grow upside-down into a chandelier? What great dinner conversation this will make for!

8. Physical fitness or study hall?

Found on Hipster Apartments
Though it looks like this hammock/trampoline ceiling (floor?) is also a great inducement to study, reading, solitude, and giving the old aching muscles and bones a breather.

9. Camping techniques and safety…

Found on MFAMB (My Favorite and My Best)

…For which my instructions would be, like this homeowner, to stay inside. In bed if possible. With air-conditioning. Multiple pillows. Snacks and drinks at hand. TV set to “Andy of Mayberry” reruns.

10. And finally, whimsy…

Found on Pinterest

…Which takes us back to where we began. Though we shouldn’t have to teach wonder or whimsy, lest we forget, all 10 of these lessons speak to it.

There’s a poem about that, of course (at least one!)…

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

– T. S. Eliot

Have a great weekend, and remember:
Never stop learning.

PS: Check out more great ceilings on my Pinterest board “Upscale.”

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