The choices a designer makes for their own facility speak volumes. In the case of House Sprucing, a firm located in North Dallas, Texas, that does both residential and commercial design, their taste is on full display in their office and retail showroom. Visitors enter spaces that are finished and furnished with relaxed elegance, making you forget you’re in a 40-year-old commercial building. To complete the effect, they upgraded the suspended ceiling to a richer decorative look using thermoformed tiles from Ceilume.
The presentation room, where Heather and Tyson Fujikawa present designs to their clients, is a conference room with a decidedly welcoming, residential feel. It’s the look they specialize in, Modern Traditional. The style of the conference table is somewhere between contemporary office desk and dining table. The chairs around it are comfortable and modern, supplemented by easy chairs in the corners. Grass-cloth wall covering and a knobby area rug (rather than carpeting) on the floor make a visitor feel at home. The dropped ceiling is made of decorative, three-dimensional tiles in an elegant pattern reminiscent of a classic coffered ceiling.
When they took over the space, it had a typical suspended grid ceiling of old, discolored mineral fiber tiles. The grids were yellowed as well. “We wanted to create a nicer experience,” Tyson explained. They chose Ceilume’s lightweight thermoformed Stratford tiles, a shallow relief pattern of coffer-like squares, in pure white. “Ceilume was a great product to elevate the space and make it more modern,” Tyson added.
The existing ceiling in the space was made of discolored and mismatched mineral fiber tile. The grids were also yellowed. New Ceilume tiles were simply slipped into place beneath the existing tile.
Photo courtesy of House Sprucing via Ceilume
Made in the USA from high-quality, rigid vinyl, Ceilume tiles are durable, long-lasting and eye-catching. They are impermeable to water, and unlike mineral fiber, they do not stain or discolor from exposure to moisture. The Stratford style is one of over 40 patterns that complement a wide variety of looks, both traditional and contemporary. They are made in 13 colors and finishes as well as three levels of translucent material for creating luminous ceilings. Ceilume tiles fit standard 2-inch by 2-inch and 2-inch by 4-inch ceiling grids. Many styles can also be directly adhered to ceilings (and walls) in spaces such as residences that typically do not have dropped ceilings.
Yellowed T-bar grids were re-faced with Ceilume’s EZ-On Drop Ceiling Grid Covers that quickly snap onto existing grids.
Photo courtesy of House Sprucing via Ceilume
To refresh the yellowed grid, House Sprucing installed Ceilume’s EZ-On Drop Ceiling Grid Covers. These satin-finish vinyl covers snap over the grid in moments, completely concealing the old, yellowed enamel and providing a fresh look to complement the new tiles.
The decorative ceiling is extended into the two restrooms as well. Because they are water impermeable, Ceilume tiles are a better choice for wet areas, like restrooms, locker rooms or showers. “We wanted to have a more elevated look in a very old space,” Tyson said. “We had this beautiful remodel done, beautiful wall tile, new floors, but the old ceiling tile was terrible, badly stained and discolored. If we were to have replaced them with the same type of tile, that would have totally thrown off the design. It would still look not-great even if it was new. Ceilume was the perfect thing for us.”
The decorative ceiling extends into the restrooms as well. Thermoformed tiles are a good choice for wet areas, like restrooms, locker rooms or showers, because they are impermeable to water and do not sag, stain or support mold growth when wet.
Photo courtesy of House Sprucing via Ceilume
Customers like the look, which helps sell the design business. “People love it,” Tyson related. “They come in and say, ‘This is great.’” One customer even picked a similar ceiling for their physical therapy studio. “They saw it in our showroom and wanted it in their new facility,” Tyson added. “We showed them the Ceilume tile, and she was like 100 percent because the alternative is so ugly.”
