Things are looking up for the boring painted white ceiling. Soaring ceilings are de rigueur in many new homes, and they're becoming major focal points in entryways, family rooms, dining areas, and other spaces because of new stunning designs made of a multitude of materials.

Michael Coakley, president-elect of the Ceilings and Interior Systems Construction Association and a commercial ceiling and drywall contractor in the Washington, D.C., area, says that he's installing lots of fancy ceilings in commercial projects. Ranging from puffy clouds to curved styles and adorned with ornate molding and trim, his clients are demanding highly detailed ceilings for grand public spaces.

While Coakley admits that many of these designs aren't showing up in private residences just yet, they're a harbinger of what's to come. He says it's fairly simple for builders and remodelers to add oomph up above because most products can be glued, stapled, or hung from traditional T-Bar systems.

“You really can dress [ceilings] up in a number of ways and it's not too expensive,” he encourages.

Manufactured to look like high-end, hand-applied plaster, lay-in gypsum-based ceiling systems are on the rise. They add interest and elegance, but they cost a lot less than their plaster counterparts and aren't as hefty.

“It really cuts and handles just like dry-wall,” comments Isaac Benayon, vice president of International Architectural Ceiling Tiles (Interact), of his firm's lightweight gypsum ceiling product. Interact's tiles weigh 6 to 7 pounds apiece, compared with competitors' gypsum products that weigh 10 to 15 pounds each.

Graeme Gee, USG's specialty ceilings business manager, says gypsum tiles are laid into 2x2 suspension grids—an easy installation that allows contractors to add additional wiring down the road.

Priced from $5.50 to $15 a square foot uninstalled, manufacturers also stress that gypsum tiles are mold- and moisture-resistant, require little maintenance, and won't crack or sag.

Nonetheless, plaster still is a viable ceiling choice. Arches, domes, curves, and other noteworthy shapes are fashionable in plaster. Metal framing and preformed arches and curves, along with drywall suspension systems, allow pros to achieve these dimensional looks with plaster.

Carpenter Jon Schmidt of Chicago-based McNulty Bros. estimates that ready-to-use metal pieces and suspension systems cut his plaster ceiling installation times in half. “These products are big time savers,” he comments.