Cathedral Ceilings vs Vaulted Ceilings

Have you ever walked into a home that has high ceilings that just feel really grand? Cathedral ceilings and vaulted ceilings are two types of high ceiling designs. They both can add a sense of grandeur and spaciousness to a room. Both styles feature a peaked or arched design, but there are some key differences in cathedral ceilings vs vaulted ceilings.

Cathedral Ceilings

A cathedral ceiling is a type of ceiling that is typically found in formal or more traditional-styled homes. It is characterized by its peaked design that usually is symmetrical, and follows the home’s main roofline. Typically cathedral ceilings with a beam in the center of the room. Cathedral ceilings are generally always higher than standard ceiling heights and are most often found in entryways, living rooms, or other formal spaces. Historically cathedral ceilings were found in churches architecture, hence the name “cathedral”. Within cathedral ceilings there are different types of architecture you have a barrel vault ceiling, dome vault, wagon vault and tunnel vault to name a few.

Vaulted Ceilings

A vaulted ceiling, on the other hand, is characterized by a design that sits below the roof and can be a different pitch or a completely interior roofline design altogether. It is often found in more modern or contemporary-style homes and is usually used to create an open and airy feeling in a room. Vaulted ceilings are often found in great rooms, living rooms, kitchens, or other common areas. Vaulted ceilings can be found in countless shapes and sizes, and it is common to see a vaulted ceiling that spans multiple rooms in a home.

Both cathedral and vaulted ceilings add a sense of drama and elegance to the high ceiling space. They each also add their own unique look and feel to a home. Cathedral ceilings are more formal and traditional, while vaulted ceilings are typically more modern and contemporary.

Now that we have discussed cathedral ceilings vs vaulted ceilings let’s look at the pros and cons of each type of ceiling.

Cathedral Ceiling Pros and Cons

Cathedral Ceiling Pros:

1. Aesthetically pleasing: Cathedral ceilings add a sense of drama and elegance to a room, making it more visually appealing to a spaces occupants.
2. Spacious feeling: Cathedral ceilings can make a room feel more open and larger, which can be especially beneficial in smaller homes or smaller rooms.
3. Increased natural light: Cathedral ceilings often include skylights or other types of natural light fixtures, which can help to brighten up a room and reduce the need for alternate lighting sources.
4. Increased ventilation: Cathedral ceilings can also improve the ventilation in a room, which can be particularly useful in hot or humid climates.
5. Unique: A cathedral ceiling is elegant and timeless.

Cathedral Ceiling Cons:

1. Increased construction costs: Building a cathedral ceiling is more complex and requires more materials than a standard ceiling. Which can make it more expensive.
2. Increased maintenance costs: Cathedral ceilings are also more expensive to maintain due to the extra height and the need for additional framing and insulation.
3. Difficulty in heating and cooling: Cathedral ceilings can be harder to heat and cool due to their height and the fact that they often include skylights.
4. Limited furniture placement: Due to the peaked design, it can be difficult to place furniture or decor in a room with a cathedral ceiling.
5. Noise: Cathedral Ceilings can amplify noise in the room, this could be an issue for some.
6. Lack of interior storage: Homes with cathedral ceilings lack attic space, which depending on where you live is often times a critical storage spot in a home.
7. Lighting a home with cathedral ceilings can be difficult. You’ll want to do more research on high ceiling lighting ideas. 

Vaulted Ceiling Pros and Cons

Vaulted Ceiling Pros:

1. Aesthetically pleasing: Vaulted ceilings can add a sense of drama and elegance to a room, making it more visually interesting.
2. Spacious feeling: Vaulted ceilings can make a room feel more open and airy, which can be especially beneficial in smaller homes or rooms.
3. Increased natural light: Vaulted ceilings often include skylights or other types of natural light fixtures, which can help to brighten up a room and reduce the need for artificial light.
4. Increased ventilation: Vaulted ceilings can also help to improve ventilation in a room, which can be beneficial in hot or humid climates.
5. Relatively easier to construct: Vaulted ceiling is relatively easier to build than Cathedral ceiling.
6. Attic space: With a vaulted ceiling if you want an attic you can have you as you are not limited to your homes roofline the same way you are with a cathedral ceiling.
7. Ability to customize: The roof line is not constrained to the styling of your roof line. You are free to design the interior roofline as you wish.

Vaulted Ceiling Cons:

1. Increased construction costs: Building a vaulted ceiling can be more expensive than a standard ceiling due to the need for additional materials and labor.
2. Increased maintenance costs: Vaulted ceilings are also more expensive to maintain due to the extra height and the need for additional framing and insulation.
3. Difficulty in heating and cooling: Vaulted ceilings can be harder to heat and cool due to their height and the fact that they often include skylights. This is troublesome in the winter as warm air rises which can increase your utility costs.
4. Limited furniture placement: Due to the peaked design, it can be difficult to place furniture or decor in a room with a vaulted ceiling.
5. Noise: Vaulted Ceilings can amplify noise in the room, this could be an issue for some.
6. Lighting a home with cathedral ceilings can be difficult. You’ll want to do more research on high ceiling lighting ideas. 
7. Funky lines: Some homes with vaulted ceilings have complex and funky interior roof lines, which can make the space confusing and interfere with your spaces design.

 Cathedral Ceilings vs Vaulted Ceilings in Pictures

Cathedral Ceilings vs Vaulted Ceilings: Cathedral Ceiling Bedroom

This cathedral ceiling in a bedroom is classic example of a cathedral ceiling. If you were to take a peek at the exterior of the home you would see a very similar roof line to what is shown on the inside of this bedroom. Remember the key difference in cathedral ceilings vs vaulted ceilings is that cathedral ceilings follow the roofline of the building. The overall design of this entire room is beautiful particularly the ceiling, the white ceiling beams set the ceiling apart just enough to highlight it but not enough to be distracting.

Cathedral Ceiling Fireplace

This cathedral ceiling is beautiful in its own right. The black fireplace surround is  a great contrast to the white ceiling and brings the two elements together in perfect harmony. The natural light filtering in through the skylights really helps to brighten up this room and give it a cozy feel. The black paint of the high fireplace also makes for great camouflage of the TV. 

Cathedral Ceiling and Wood Beams

Cathedral ceilings often go hand in hand with wood beams. Since cathedral ceilings are the roof outline inside the wood beams make sense. The wood beams are sometime structural and sometimes decorative either way you can make them a part of your overall design. A popular way to highlight wood beams is by using wood stain to make them standout from the light colored painted ceiling.

Cathedral Ceiling Shiplap

Shiplap is still as popular than ever and what better way to incorporate shiplap in your home than by adding it above. Shiplap is a great style choice because it can go with a variety of home styles from farmhouse to coastal.

Cathedral Ceilings vs Vaulted Ceilings: Vaulted Ceiling with Wood Beams

This vaulted ceiling incorporates an exposed beam that is purely decorative in nature. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be an integral part of the homes overall design though. I love the wood stain the homeowners chose for these wood ceiling beams they coordinate perfectly with the kitchen island and lighting fixtures.

Vaulted Ceiling Bedroom

This picture is a perfect example of a vaulted ceiling. The interior design includes a high ceiling that doesn’t not flow with the roof pitch or slope of the roof. This was done solely for decorative purposes. 

Vaulted Ceiling Living Room

This living room is another great example of a vaulted ceiling in comparison to a cathedral ceiling. As you can clearly see there is no way that this living rooms ceiling matches the exterior roof line. The architect of the home gave the room the illusion of space and open the room up to the second story. The added bonus here is the ability to add in more windows allowing more natural light to enter the space, without sacrificing privacy. Often times the angle and pitch of the roof make it difficult to hang ceiling fans or other types of lighting. Click over to my post on high ceiling lighting ideas for tips  on how to illuminate your high ceiling space.

Cathedral Ceilings vs Vaulted Ceilings Closing

The debate between cathedral ceilings vs vaulted ceilings is a tough and ongoing one because as you just saw both ceilings design choices have basically the same pros and cons. Ultimately, the choice  of cathedral ceilings vs vaulted ceilings will depend on the style of your home and your personal design preferences. Both types of vaulted ceilings and cathedral ceilings can a unique and beautiful touch to your home