Fancy ceilings are latest trend in luxury homes

Things are looking up as high ceilings are decorated with artwork.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Things are looking up for people building or remodeling luxury homes. They are adding higher fancy ceilings.
The Wall Street Journal says that in keeping with the trend to pricey decor such as marble and crystal chandeliers, special scenic panels, Gothic arches and gold-treated domes are going in overhead. For $1,600, a San Diego artist will rub a 6-foot-wide foyer with crumpled gold leaf. An Austin, Texas, couple emulated some of the vaulted ceilings seen in medieval churches for an extra cost of $20,000.
Many homeowners are opting for three-dimensional effects. A Lakeland, Fla., artist presses lace into wet plaster and then removes it to create the illusion of depth and a fallen ceiling. She says business is up about 30 percent in the last year because commercial home builders are so competitive.
Meanwhile other manufacturers are coming up with ways to imitate the artists' work on a mass level. A company in Fairfield, Iowa, sells acrylic panels with images such as sunny skies or the Milky Way for $190. Dentists and doctors are becoming good customers because patients spend time looking up.