A soffit is a feature to fill in space near the ceiling. It could be part of the ceiling that's lower than the rest. Maybe you use it to bridge a gap between furniture and the ceiling.
Because the definition is quite open, you'd think it would be easy to design one, right?
It's sometimes harder than it looks! Yet interior design is a great way to boost your home's value. So, it's worth getting it right.
We've collected some tips and tricks to designing an interior soffit to make it easy! Read on to learn more.
Divide Your Rooms Using Strategic Soffits
Divide open plan living areas using soffits. Perhaps you have a combined kitchen and dining room. You don't want to use a dividing wall to break up space.
Install a soffit over the kitchen. This creates a subtle visual hint that not all the room is the same.
This is also helpful if you want to install spotlights in the kitchen. Recessed fixtures work well in soffits because the soffit hides the electrical parts.
Interior soffit lighting is one of the main motivations for installing one. You could also add other services like sprinklers or speakers.
Screen off Space With an Interior Soffit Detail
Use soffits to fill 'voids' that are otherwise hard to clean. For example, you might have a gap between your kitchen ceiling and the top of your cabinets.
You probably don't want to spend time on a stepladder cleaning the dust or cobwebs out of this space.
An interior wood soffit is a great way to screen off the void. You can use the same wood finish as your cabinets for visual coherence.
Match the wood to any furniture in the kitchen if you have non-wooden cabinet doors.
Improve Your Acoustics With an Interior Soffit
How about turning part of your home into a cinema room? You can create a better experience by thinking about acoustics as well as the size of your TV.
An interior soffit can become part of the acoustic design. This helps direct the sound where it needs to be, giving you that cinema experience at home.
You can also install speakers in the soffit for a surround sound effect. The soffit helps to hide wires and fixtures for a cleaner look.
Mix up the Materials You Use
Experiment with finishes for your soffit. They're usually made with the same materials as interior walls.
Yet you can clad them in a range of other materials. Consider tiles if you add a soffit to a bathroom. Perhaps use the same color as a feature wall for visual unity.
Or try a molded plaster finish for a more ornate soffit.
Use an Interior Soffit to Make Space More Cozy
Bedrooms are a room where you want to relax and feel cozy. Big, cavernous rooms create the opposite feeling.
Turn your bed into a sleeping nook by adding an interior soffit. This brings the ceiling level down, creating a feeling of intimacy.
You can also add shelf lighting above the soffit for a more diffused, relaxing feel.
Which of These Designs Will You Try First?
An interior soffit can be a flexible, multi-purpose addition to any room. Whether you're dividing up space or you're installing extra hardware, they're a great design choice.
Check out our other articles for handy tips in installing and maintaining soffits both inside and outside your home.
