Bold modernist arches create a statement overhead.

The Look: Showstopper Ceiling

The Designer: Jennifer Heffel, HB Design, VancouverHow She Did It: Heffel kept things simple in this Vancouver living room, favouring a clean and classic style that would let the exceptional art collection shine. Overhead, however, it was a different story: supporting the high, arching ceiling are striking half-circle steel beams that look like works of art in their own right. “They were originally designed by the architect as a more traditional scissors truss; we pared back the design to give them a more contemporary style,” explains Heffel. “I think we can learn that when we design using restraint, symmetry and sophistication with an appeal to antiquity, we create something timeless.”