In 2009, the Schippertje has been engaged in a special project for several months. The team was commissioned to design and install ceiling for a mansion in ‘t Harde. The main design theme for the ceiling is in Louis XIV style. The frequent use of acanthus leaves and other distinctive style-specific elements is common in a Louis XIV design. The following moldings and ornaments were used in this project:

• Soffit List KL80
• Soffit List KL12
• Soffit List KL13
• Soffit List KL100
• Perk List Oak List
• Perk List L41
• Perk List EC-2 + L37A
• Perk List EC-1 + L58
• Perk List L46
• Perk List L42
• Corner Piece H46
• Corner Piece H50
• Corner Piece Oak List
• Custom Curvy
• Rosette EC-R 101
• Rosette EC-R 102
• Rosette EC-R 103
• Ring 1009

House Entrance

Because there are quite a few open spaces on the walls and ceiling near the entrance of the house, we decided to use various partitioning options. In this case, a leaf-inspired decoration enclosed in a fine circular border fills this open space on the ceiling quite beautifully. A chalice and several acanthus leaves were also incorporated into the design in order to maintain a Louis XIV style motif. If you look at the image, it’s as if only the tips of the acanthus leaves are holding the chalice, providing a very nice and intriguing visual effect.

Dining/Kitchen

The core design elements in both ceilings in the main dining room and in the kitchen are quite similar, which is also identical to the ceiling design in the study. The key difference, however, is that there are two smaller ornaments in the main dining room instead of just having one, which is what the kitchen has.

Unlike the main dining room, which has two rosettes at the center of the ceiling, the kitchen only has a single rosette with a different style of chandelier hanging under it. This is mainly because the kitchen space is not elongated like the main dining room. The room is more square-shaped rather than rectangular. So, it was decided that we would use a single rosette with a diameter of about 1.25 meters, positioned at the center of the room.

Other Rooms

There are no coving installed in the halls and in most of the rooms in the mansion. The team, however, has found a good use for a coving in the ground floor. With its 4-meter high ceilings, adding a nice coving has really made the room look larger and more spacious.

The coving in this room is heavily decorated with acanthus leaves, staying true to the Louis XIV style motif. From the mantelpiece to the alcoves, the décor is exquisite and elegant. About 30cm just below the ornamented coving, you will see the paneling with the same finish as the rest of the ornaments in the room. The patterns used on the panels, however, are slightly smaller than those found in the hall or in the other rooms in the house.

Study

The ceiling in the study is comprised of three enhanced gradients. Each of the ceiling frames consist of two parts. One is larger and a lot simpler in design, and the other is narrower with more intricate patterns and decorations. This particular structure gives a lot of opportunities for the assembly team to come up with more sophisticated and elegant ideas in terms of design. In the narrow space between the two frames are a series of spotlights that are concealed within the ceiling. The spotlights are only for artistic purposes, not to serve as the main light source.

Despite the many different enhanced gradients and additional ornaments installed in this room, it’s incredible how the entire ceiling design doesn’t appear overdone. In fact, there was even room for curtain coving and extra ornaments in the corners of the ceiling.

Hearth Room

The hearth room features a completely different ceiling design compared to the other rooms in the ground floor of the mansion. The moldings and ornaments used in the other rooms of the house are made of a special mix of plaster. The molding in this room, on the other hand, is entirely made of wood, or so it seems. In fact, all the moldings and ornaments you see in the image are actually made of plaster, and then made to look and feel like wood. The different layers of paint and the intricate detailing has given it the appearance of real wood molding and paneling. Besides the colors, the ceiling design in this room differs in several respects as well.

Although the color palate in the hearth room doesn’t really match the main motif of the other rooms in the house, the basic Louis XIV style still holds true in this room. The acanthus leaves, which play a prominent role in most of the design elements in the other rooms, isn’t used as much here. The patterns and detailed elements of the design are much more subtle compared to the rest of the rooms in the house.