What Are Ceiling Medallions?

Ceiling medallions are special architectural elements that conceal the junctures where fixtures like lights and fans descend from ceilings. Instead of simply hanging from stark flat spaces, fixtures that are paired with ring-shaped ceiling medallions evoke an air of planned intentions.

Ceiling Rosettes make the transitions from ceilings to suspended elements, such as chains, posts and fan bases, look far less abrupt. In the process, they can also add a unique touch of style and flair.

Much like plaster and millwork moldings, ceiling rosettes empower designers and property owners to insert subtle touches that tie distinct spaces together and ultimately create a more harmonious effect. For instance, many people use ceiling medallions to minimize the contrast between modern appliances like fans and the other elements of their vintage-style rooms. In spaces that use updated minimalist lighting fixtures, such as utilitarian, industrial or nautical styles, adding decorative ceiling medallions can effectively reinforce the tone set by the lighting without detracting from its cleanly appearance.

Sizing Secrets: Should I Choose Small or Large Ceiling Medallions?

Like many architectural building blocks, ceiling medallions are typically sized according to their outer diameters. As an aspiring interior designer, it’s up to you to pick a happy medium. Err on the small side, and your rosettes will lose the impact that you desire as their details get lost in the surrounding space. Choose overly large options, and they’ll feel overbearing.

So how big or small should your ceiling fan medallions be? It all depends on the size of your rooms. As a general rule, you can use the following handy guideline from the Capitol Lighting team: Simply calculate the area of your room in square feet, and divide this number by 7. The resulting value is the diameter in inches of an ideal medallion. For instance, a room of 280 square feet would work well with a 40-inch medallion, and a 20-inch medallion would suit a 140-square-foot room.

Bear in mind that these rules aren’t set in stone. You should ultimately select medallions that look cohesive when they’re paired with your other fixtures. For instance, you might want to scale back the size of ceiling fan medallions so that they appear proportionate in relation to the fans themselves. This is especially effective in large rooms or spaces that contain multiple fans. If you’re upgrading a space with a stretched oblong or rectangular profile, such as a long hallway, it may be wise to reduce the medallion’s size so that it doesn’t dominate too much of the room’s smallest dimension.

If you’re unsure about how to get started, contact a Capitol Lighting expert today! Call us at 1-855-305-8798 or contact us here via chat. Be aware that in addition to sizing your medallion’s outer diameter to fit the room, you’ll need to make a selection whose inner diameter can accommodate your lighting or fan fixture base.

Stylistic Insights: How to Make the Most of Decorative Ceiling Medallions

As you might expect, there are many different medallion types and styles. Want to add a Rococo or Baroque flair to an ornate room? You can easily choose large ceiling medallions with intricate floral designs, arabesques or scroll work.

Perhaps you’d prefer a straightforward form that matches the plaster minimalism of your existing molding or augments your metal fixtures with textures like brushed metal and polished brass. Fortunately, ceiling medallions come in innumerable materials and artistic designs. In most cases, it’s simply a matter of having the patience to search through the options or getting help from a lighting expert who can point you in the right direction.

Remember that ceiling rosettes don’t necessarily have to be circular. Some let their floral patterns, geometric themes and scroll work extend all the way to their borders, resulting in leaf-shaped, square, octagonal and irregular profiles. Others include purposeful negative space that allows the ceiling’s color to show through the pattern for a more integrated impact.