If you want to hide cables, provide recessed lighting or even soften the acoustics in your home, you may need to build a soffit, says Dan Schaefer, owner of Providence Renovation, LLC a residential and commercial restoration and remodeling company in Phoenix. He talks here about how a soffit can transform the feel of a room.
The official definition of a soffit is the horizontal underside of an eave or a cornice. What we think of as a soffit is a ceiling that is either lower or higher than the rest of the ceiling. It is something that we can use for dramatic effect in a room, either to make it appear softer and more cozy, or to provide effect lighting.
While a soffit may appear to be just a ceiling, it’s actually an architectural accent, whether the ceiling is either raised or lowered. There are many examples why you would lower or raise a soffit. A raised soffit in a kitchen with recessed lighting creates soft appealing light that has a dramatic effect. Lowered soffits over a bed create a feeling of cozy security. When you crawl in a bed with a lower ceiling over it, it makes you feel like you are protected. Lower ceilings over work areas, like a kitchen island or an office, can create focus as well as practical lighting options for a workspace.
Creating Architectural Interest
In a general way, soffits break up a square room and create dynamic architectural interest. They are also functional, in that they provide a type of open cavity to hold not just lighting but electronics, for example. Compared to a regular open ceiling, they provide a channel for cables and wires, and will make the whole room appear to be seamlessly designed.
There is also something called a flying soffit. What that means is you can make the soffit into any shape. For example, think of a kidney-shaped soffit that sticks out into a room. The top shape can be used as a design accent, or a decoration on the top of the soffit. Then, it will give you focused lighting options.
Varied Reasons for a Soffit
Why would you want a soffit? For example, if you have a piano ,you can put a soffit over it to give you special lighting. Soffits can also be useful places to hide video projectors or HVAC ducts, or enhance the acoustics of a room. They can also make a room appear larger than it actually is.
If you are interested in having a soffit installed, replaced or repaired in your home, call Providence Renovation today, and our team of qualified contractors will guide you through each step of the budget, design and installation the project will require. Give us a call today!
