The One-Of-A-Kind Fixer To Fabulous Ceiling Design You'll Want In Your Own Home

Jenny and Dave Marrs are known for their amazing home transformations on HGTV's "Fixer to Fabulous." Through modifications in materials, color, and architectural details, they can help families envision their perfect home. This includes giving character to outdated and unattractive abodes, as they did with a recent remodel of a mid-century ranch home that lacked the distinctiveness the homeowners desired. 

While the changes included re-siding and adding cedar shingles to the exterior to make the home more unique, it was inside that the Marrs' most stunning modification occurred. By installing faux ceiling beams and zig-zag paneling, they were able to give a cookie-cutter drywall ceiling the look of a craftsman-style home the owners wanted.

The new paneled ceiling works to give the room age-old character, warmth, and additional texture. It also draws the eye up to the vaulted ceilings, making the otherwise boxy living room look vast and stunning. Combined with a similar wood finish on the floor, the new ceiling draws the room together seamlessly. Since the new beams have nothing to do with supporting the roof, they can be placed wherever you want them, which is particularly useful if you would like to highlight certain areas.

When presented with the freshly drywalled space during the episode of "Fixer to Fabulous," Jenny Marrs says she realized it needed something more to draw the eye up. "The good thing we have here is the ceiling height, so we need to accentuate that and create a focal point," she said. The Marrs created several real-looking faux ceiling beams in the same warm wood tone as the floor, which warms up the room considerably while still allowing its light and openness. It is augmented by new and larger windows on the front of the home and in the door. The wood paneling, which matches the color of the beams and floor, is paneled in a zig-zag herringbone pattern as an innovative twist. Subtle variations in shading between panels make the ceiling another layer of interest in the neutral-driven room. 

Installing paneling and faux wood beams may be easier than you think, with many options for DIY-ing a similar ceiling yourself. One involves using two 2x4 cuts of wood placed side by side as the beams. For thicker-looking beams, screw a 2x4 frame to the ceiling and attach a hollow wood casing along the outside. 

For the panels, use primed shiplap with interlocking boards or use sheets of wood paneling screwed to the ceiling. Attach the beams to either the ceiling joists or the studs for a firm hold. Most faux beams can be attached to the ceiling with finish head screws placed about every 14 inches along the beam.