I would argue for 6" in your case (technically 5 3/4" giving nominal board widths) We have 10' ceilings and did a 7.5" drop using the following method. Attached 2x6 cleats to the ceiling in the pattern we wanted - in our case a 3x3 pattern because the area we were putting it in was relatively square. These cleats act as nailers for the coffered ceiling. We then had 1x8 poplar (7.5" nominal width) dropped down creating the boxes, which were then finished by putting 1x6 poplar between (think the flat part of the bottom of the box when you look up) using a roughly 1/2" reveal up from the bottom of the 1x8 for interest. We then added crown on the inside of the boxes to finish off the look - ours was painted white, hence the use of poplar. The width of the boxes ends up being 5.75 + the nominal thickness of each side of .75", for a total of 7.25" by 7.5" down from the ceiling.

In your case, because the ceiling is lower, you could use 2x4 cleats, and 1x6 for the boxes and 1x4 between for an overall size of 3.5" nominal + .75" for each side for a total of 5" by the 5.75" drop, finished off with a smaller crown piece...

That's my thought anyway...

With only a 9' ceiling, I wouldn't do a coffered ceiling. It's about proportion. The depth of the coffering needs to be at least 6" to give the proper shadow lines to make the look effective. At 6", that's taking the ceiling down too low to pull off the look successfully. If your ceiling was 10', that would be another story.

I'd find another way to add interest to the ceiling. Maybe some type of textural treatment like beadboard or board and batten or shiplap.

If it helps at all, our coffered ceiling in our hallway is about 9" deep...we have 9' ceilings.

You can always add interest with stencils.
{{gwi:1484550}}

This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Fri, Aug 30, 13 at 19:14

Ct- we did coffered ceilings in our office with 9ft ceilings, ours are 6 inch deep and it makes the room feel cozy but with out making it feel squished. We did crown and then race track (umm its like the trim they use for wainscoting) and it turned out amazing. But I am also a little bias and we did it because we love the look! Hope this helps! Here's a picture as well!

And here is a better one!

And here is a better one!

{{!gwi}}

Wow! Thanks NewBuild! I feel like I can just hand that to my contractor. LiveOak, I am concerned about feeling squished but the other photos below look really good. I measured the molding that is on the wall and it is about 4" and I did feel that the coffer could come down a little more, at least to 5, but perhaps closer to 6" given all of the comments.

Annie and Deg, you did a really nice job! Deg, we are staining our floors a darker stain, maybe walnut. I hope that's not on its way out. I've been noticing lighter stains like your floors, too.

Is there any reason, aside from height that I shouldn't just try to match the existing molding that is throughout the house? As a side note, it seemed like it measured closer to 3.5" in the hall and then 4" in the family room but all of that detail seemed in tact. The thing that concerns me is that the larger part of the design has a concave and for transitional, I was thinking more straight lines.

I've attached a photo of the divider (which we will be painting all white) and the room which will be painted grey. Not sure if you can see the molding. I will post a more detailed photo later. The kitchen is being redone to have white cabinets and a new layout Do you think it would look odd if I changed the molding in only that room for the coffer?

Thank you very much!

Attached is the existing molding. Should I try to use it for the coffer or just start fresh, perhaps with molding without the curve?

Also, in the first photo of the room (which is from the kitchen), notice that the book cases have arches. Is there any rule of thumb of how far down the coffer can come relative to those arches? I'm guessing half way?

Degs, any more info you could give me - like the size of your space and the width of each beam? Where did you get the molding and did it have a particular name or model #?

Does the carpenter make a sample of what the molding would look like so one can hold it up to the ceiling or put it on the floor to get a sense of scale?

Thanks!

degcds, would you mind is shooting an up close pic of your coffered ceiling that shows the molding up close. That really looks good, I am scoping out pics for ours for our great room which will have 12' ceilings. We are getting plans drawn up now. Thanks so much, your house is looking great.

So sorry I have been MIA for a few days! The main space in the office is 13x12. I say this because where the built in is, we removed a closet and made the nitch. The coffered is basically a 4x4 square, and the beam is roughly 6 and 1/2 inches wide. The molding we picked is just a standard trim profile, If I remember I can ask our trim guy when I see him!

I think to get a good effect on the coffereds they should really be at least 5-6 inches deep. You could probably take a piece of wood the same depth and tack the trim to it to see how you like it!

Spudde3 - this is the closest I could find! I'll try to remember to take a closer up picture next time I'm out!! Hope this helps!

Thanks so much! Our space is probably slightly bigger but I'll need to measure I'm guessing 16 x 21

Degs, I just noticed you did not put lights in each square. Did you consult with a lighting specialist or did you just feel that each square didn't need a light?

Newbuildil, do you happen to have a photo of your space to post?

Thank you.

No problem! We didn't do can lights in each box because we are huge lamp people, and will probably only use the can lights on occasion, so we didn't see the value in spending an extra 1k on them! :-) then in our great room we only did 6 can lights because we have a large chandelier and I would much prefer to use that over the cans. (It's coffered too)

Got it! Thanks. Right now, the lamps are somewhat of a hazard with the kids and we haven't even gotten to decorating. I almost wonder if I do need some sort of architect who might also understanding lighting to plan this out. There's also a little bump out towards the divider. The contractor said maybe we start the coffer line there and those boxes will just be different but the contractor isn't a designer and I need to check to see if he's built a coffered ceiling for any of this recs. I am beginning to appreciate the complexity of it in terms of design and execution. Some people complain that their molding joins are too far apart.

Thanks again for your help!.

Got it! Thanks. Right now, the lamps are somewhat of a hazard with the kids and we haven't even gotten to decorating. I almost wonder if I do need some sort of architect who might also understanding lighting to plan this out. There's also a little bump out towards the divider. The contractor said maybe we start the coffer line there and those boxes will just be different but the contractor isn't a designer and I need to check to see if he's built a coffered ceiling for any of this recs. I am beginning to appreciate the complexity of it in terms of design and execution. Some people complain that their molding joins are too far apart.

Thanks again for your help!.

The room that you picture is very large. It won't be proportionate to lower the ceilings in it without some type of room separation between the spaces. If you separated the kitchen from the living space with a few small wing walls, a header, and a cased opening, you'd still keep the open concept, but the division would separate each space into it's own identity, with smaller proportions. A smaller proportioned space can be OK with a lower ceiling. Look at Annie's hall space. It's perfectly proportioned, because it's not a large room. You've got to keep the scale of the space in mind when you plan such dramatic changes to a space. What works in a 25'x30' room with 15' ceilings won't work in a 14'x18' room with 9' ceilings.

I do think you need an architect or experienced designer on your team to help you with all of the variations that will arise in your project.