If you wish, you can turn the ceiling into the focal point of a room. Or, "remodel" an entire room simply by sprucing up a blank, boring ceiling. Ceiling remodels are often overlooked until the plain white surface starts to weigh on an otherwise fashionable room's décor. Don't wait until then to take action. Here are some ideas for your home right now.

• An arched ceiling of bleached cedar boards adds boat like character and gives a small room more pleasing proportions.
• Low ceilings feel closed in. The solution is to push the ceiling up. While modern ranches of years ago had great high ceilings, many of the ranches that followed have lower ones. A higher ceiling makes a room feel much larger.
• For porches, kitchens, and eating rooms, a bead board ceiling gives a room a rustic charm that is difficult to top. These wooden ceilings bring warmth to a room and are a great way of dealing with a cracked ceiling. Bead board ceilings are usually painted white to make the ceiling appear visually taller, but also look magnificent with a natural stain.
• Trey ceilings add character.
• Crown molding is decorative trim that hides the joint between the wall and ceiling. This eye-catching architectural detail was once quite common in older homes, and gives a ceiling a nice finished look. Nothing dates a room more than an outdated light fixture. If the ceiling fixtures date from the 1970s to 1990s, it's probably time to replace them. Don't overlook the importance of an impressive ceiling.