Groin vault ceilings: then and now

Who doesn't love a groin vault ceiling? 

In the past few years, they have been seen more frequently in newer construction, mainly used in entrance areas, halls and dining rooms. (For an in depth definition of groin vault ceilings, see here.)
 Groin vault ceilings are readily seen in Europe, especially Italy, where the Romans were the first to construct this type of ceiling. We were entranced by their beauty during our trips to Italy.

This series of vaults is in Modena, Italy. The colors and aging are to die for!

In Siena, Italy, this trio of groin vault ceilings is part of the Loggia della Mercanzia, which stands directly behind the Piazza del Campo. Entrances to the Piazza del Campo are on each side of the building. It was constructed in the early 1400s. Two of the ceilings are a beautiful example of the grottesca style of painting. The details are incredible on the ribs, the plaster work and in the painting. 

Here is another groin vault ceiling in Siena with a totally different feel to it.

This is an unpainted example in Arezzo, Italy. Still graceful and beautiful.

Another loggia with "plain" groin vault ceilings in Modena:

The condition of this series of ceilings in Modena is starting to deteriorate.  Again, yet another style of painting...

The Palazzo del Vecchio in Florence, a must-see for any visitor, features my favorite grottesca painting throughout the whole entrance area. 

A wide range of pigment colors can be seen. The cobalt blues and reds- gorgeous! 

This ceiling is in the Petit Palais in Avignon, France. The Petit Palais connects to the Palais de Papes, built in the 14th and 15th centuries as an alternate place of residence for the Pope.

Photo by Henri Del Olmo in Maisons Cote Sud

Let's look at groin vault ceilings built relatively recently. This is the

entry to the courtyard of the famous LA Villa d'Este, built in 1928 to recall the Italian villas of the Renaissance. The courtyard apartment of the West Hollywood Maison au Naturel store owner, Dan Marty, is on the left. The plaster walls and groin vaults here are great examples of the beauty of plaster mixed with pigments. 

Photo by Victoria Pearson in House Beautiful

Gina Wolfrum, a decorative painter in Ohio, is known for her gorgeous ceilings. Visit her website, Elegant Finishes by Gina, to drool over her work.

Krista Vind, another very talented decorative painter in Florida, excels at unusual finishes with the latest materials. You'll be impressed when you visit her website, Ufauxrea. This ceiling finish is a combination of metallics.

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Mia Pratt, of Old Pratt Studios in Scottsdale, Arizona, gave this groin vault ceiling a Wow finish! The silver leaf design on top of the chocolate brown is a fantastic combination.

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Last, but not least, yours truly designed and plastered /painted this groin vault ceiling. For the full story, visit here.

Would you add a groin vault ceiling to your new construction?

An Italian groin vault ceiling... in America

How can one pass up a week in a Tuscan villa? Located just inside of Umbria, an hour from Florence, this to-die-for villa was all you'd expect it to be. (Villa pics coming later.) With the villa serving as our base, we roamed the surrounding areas and just soaked it all in.

While traveling through Arezzo (east of Florence), we fell in love with these groin vaulted ceilings in a non-descript deli. We walked in for lunch, looked up and that was it! So typical of Italy- there is such beauty at every turn.

Arezzo, Italy groin vault ceiling

A few years ago, my SO opened a boutique/cafe that was based on our passion of Italian design. We blew up our video frames of the dome ceiling that we loved in Arezzo to see the pattern and attempted to re-create those designs.

I started out with m-a-n-y sample boards to figure out the finishes; here is one of the final boards- I think I finally figured it out!

Sample board

The groin vault domes (formed by the intersection of two or more barrel vaults) began with a custom engineered metal frame.

Drywall was affixed to the metal frame and the entire ceiling, especially the many seams, was smoothed, filled, sanded, followed by filling and sanding and filling and sanding. The plasterer (Thanks, Dan!) did an AWESOME job.

 

This is how the ceiling was when we received it. Gulp!

I first primed twice and basecoated twice before even thinking of the finish layers. Then I began applying the three plaster layers, using a custom mix for each layer. The first layer was ochre and lapis blue; the second and third layers were more of what you see- the whites and lapis blues.

Then we painted the designs, some freehand and some with a few specific designs cut in mylar to be consistent on site, trying to stay as close to the original ceiling design as possible.

Once the painting was complete, we added a layer of glaze to “knock back” and age the finish.

We only had 2 weeks to take the ceiling from the raw drywall and seams state to completion.

Still adding! These are the electrical guys for the chandelier installation.

Here we are at work...

The ceiling is 25 feet up there!

Adding details

Here is the beautiful Isola Bella groin vault ceiling, ready for the chandelier to be installed!

 

We're done! Just waiting for  the chandelier.

 

Closeup view of groin vault  seam