Which came first, the shed ceiling or the shed roof? The former would not actually exist without the latter, as the interior space of a structure is created by the exterior dimensions. Slanted roofs in themselves are nothing new, but the modernist architectural shed style we’ve come to know originated in the 1960s on the rugged West Coast of California in Sonoma County. The slope of the shed roofs of buildings in the Sea Ranch renovation project conceptually mimicked the style of the barns they were replacing and functionally deflected the strong winds coming in off the Pacific Ocean. The slope of a shed ceiling can create some tricky design issues, as architects and interior designers have discovered over the years. We’ve put together a curated gallery of some designs that you may wish to consider in a project of your own.
1. Pendant Lights Set at Different Lengths to Align with Space
Kitchen features a pendant light fixture hanging from a shed ceiling over a large center island with a breakfast bar. Pendant lighting is an ideal solution for slanted ceilings, but this 16-candle multiple-light fixture takes the concept to another level entirely, with each lamp set at a different length to align with the space.
2. Gable Wall Includes Widescreen TV and Fireplace
Massive kitchen has a double-height shed ceiling with skylights and recessed lighting. The gray gable accent wall also features a widescreen TV and linear fireplace. The space includes marble tile flooring and a large center island with a marble countertop.
3. Shed Ceiling Incorporates Corrugated Metal into Design
Industrial-style kitchen features dark tones and a corrugated metal ceiling. Two dome pendant lights hang from the ceiling, which also has skylights to draw in natural lighting.
4. Mid-Century Modern Home Blends Interior and Exterior Spaces
Like the iconic Sea Ranch project of the 1960s, this mid-century modern space uses cedar throughout the shed ceiling, the walls, and the furnishings. The marble tile flooring, with a long area rug, extends into the backyard, creating a seamless transition between the inside and outside spaces. Sea Ranch was considered ahead of its time in both design aesthetics and environmental awareness, and this room gets across the same message.
5. Natural Light Beams in Through Glass Panels
Kitchen’s shed ceiling is composed almost entirely of exposed beams and glass panel skylights for a unique design letting in plenty of natural light. The space also includes a large island, marble tile flooring, and wood furnishings.
6. Rural Retreat Showcases White Cedar Shed Ceiling
Modern home is at one with its rural Québec surroundings in a great room that features glass walls and windows with expansive views of the landscape. The space includes track and pendant light fixtures suspended from a white cedar ceiling, a massive linear fireplace, contemporary furnishings, and polished concrete flooring.
7. Stone, Marble and Exposed Beams Create Rustic Sophistication
A spacious primary bedroom features a stone wall, marble flooring, and a shed ceiling with rustic exposed beams. The space also includes a pendant light fixture, a king-size bed and bench, a large area rug, a widescreen TV, and two separate doorways to outside areas.
- Image Source: Zillow Digs
- Photos by Jim Bartsch
8. Clerestory Windows Saturate Room with Sunlight
Spacious living room features a tall shed ceiling surrounded by glass walls and doors. Clerestory windows also draw in even more natural light from the top of the ceiling. The space includes a combination flooring of polished concrete and tiles, along with leather furniture and wood furnishings. The open-floor plan makes a seamless transition between the inside of the house and the exterior landscape.
9. Kitchen Appliances and Cabinets Built into Gable Wall
Kitchen features a long center island with a marble countertop set on hardwood flooring. A rectangular pendant light fixture is suspended from the shed ceiling, which also has recessed lighting. Kitchen appliances and cabinetry are set into the gable accent wall.
10. Great Room Sprawls Out with Open Floor Plan
Great room features a large kitchen area with a center island, extensive wood cabinetry for storage, and light hardwood flooring. French doors lead out to a back patio with waterfront views. The shed ceiling includes skylights, recessed lighting, and pendant light fixtures.
11. Clerestory Windows Draw Light into Great Room
Globe pendant light fixtures are suspended from the shed ceiling of this great room. The space also includes a dining room set with seating for 12 and a living room with a sofa and chair that face a fireplace and a widescreen TV on a gable wall. The double-height wall looking out to the backyard pool area features sliding glass doors and clerestory windows.
12. Skylights Light Up Space Over Second Floor Balcony
Indoor swimming pool features a shed ceiling with skylights opening on to a second floor balcony. The space includes wall-mounted lamps, arched doors, and windows with marble slab flooring.
13. Chic Walk-In Closet Decked Out in Wooden Cabinetry
A chic walk-in closet features elegant wood cabinetry, carpet flooring, and a shed ceiling with skylights and recessed lighting.
14. Hardwood Flooring Matches Wood Paneling in Shed Ceiling
This formal living room features a fireplace and a sliding glass door on a gable wall. The space also includes a sofa set with chairs and a coffee table facing a TV, as well as storage cabinets. The hardwood flooring matches the wood paneling used in the shed ceiling.
15. Cool, Calm and Collected Bedroom Balances Light and Dark Tones
Bedroom features a white shed ceiling with exposed beams and French doors with wooden shutters. The cool, calm, and collected space also includes a dark wood four-poster bed and furnishings set on top of red oak hardwood floors.
16. Kitchen Cabinetry Contrasts with Black Appliances and Flooring
Contemporary kitchen features a shed ceiling with skylights and track lighting. The space contrasts light wooden cabinetry with black appliances and flooring.
Related: Types of Ceilings | Primary Bedrooms with Shed Ceilings | Kitchens with Shed Ceilings | Tall Ceiling Designs | Ceiling Design Ideas
17. Wood and Brick Combined in Rustic Kitchen Décor
Rustic kitchen features a wooden shed ceiling with exposed beams, a gourmet oven in a brick wall alcove, light hardwood flooring, and marble countertops. The ceiling also has track lighting, which is augmented by plenty of natural light through the side windows.
18. Recessed Lighting Augments Pendant Fixtures and Skylight
Large kitchen featuring a center island and kitchen counters with marble countertops lit by pendant lights hanging from the shed ceiling. The space includes extensive cherry wood cabinetry and light hardwood flooring.
19. Wood Craftsmanship Stands Out in Second-Story Kitchen
A second-floor kitchen features wood craftsmanship in the shed ceiling, cabinetry, and hardwood flooring. The space also has transom windows over a sliding glass door leading to a deck.
20. Skylights Draw Natural Light into Kitchen and Dining Room
Kitchen features wooden cabinetry and a large center island with a white marble countertop. The shed ceiling has globe pendant lights over the dining table, and skylights draw natural light into the space.
21. Kitchen Counters Cherry Wood Cabinetry with Black Marble Tops
Kitchen features cherry wood cabinetry and counters with black granite countertops. The high shed ceiling is supported by exposed beams with clerestory windows.
22. Pendant Lights Hang from Wooden Shed Ceiling
A rustic kitchen setup features a center island with a breakfast bar lit by pendant lights hanging from a wooden shed ceiling.
23. Garden Shed Relies on Wood and Stone for Décor
A garden shed with a shed ceiling features exposed beams, stone flooring, and wood throughout the space. A pendant light fixture is suspended from the ceiling, with cabinetry providing plenty of room for storage.
