Stretched, lacquer-finish ceilings are taking Miami rooms to new heights.
Corinne Labastrous at Robert Curran Gallery.
When interior designer Corinne Labastrous and her husband, Dominique, first set eyes on a stretched fabric ceiling in an apartment on the French Riviera, they felt they’d found something that would transform their interiors and contracting business in South Florida. “The minute we saw it, we knew we had to bring it to Miami,” says Labastrous.
With so many midcentury hotels, offices, and restaurants marred with popcorn ceilings or acoustical tiles calling for an upgrade, and hundreds of condos in Miami and the Beach in need of face-lifts, it was clear that the innovative, ultramodern tensile structure could solve a multiplicity of problems in one swift stroke. After searching the States for a similar technology to no avail, the couple contracted with the manufacturer in Europe to license and distribute the product here and launched what they call High Tech Ceiling in 1999. Since then, they’ve transformed myriad hotels, restaurants, and private condos, giving dated environments chic new life with sleek, updated ceiling profiles.
At this Williams Island condo, a lacquer stretch ceiling is enhanced by the surrounded cove lighting.
Made of a thin, film-like synthetic material stretched tightly over a firm frame custom-constructed to perfectly fit any ceiling, the high-tech systems offer much more than just a pretty face-lift. Their films are also eco-friendly, sound and energy efficient, non-allergenic, non-flammable, durable, and waterproof. Because of their antistatic qualities, they resist dust as well, so they’re easy to clean and maintain, too. Installation is quick and easy, and because the new ceilings are placed directly over the old one, there’s no mess with demolition or construction debris. And some of the surfaces in the line can even be used outdoors.
High Tech white lacquer stretch ceilings lighten the ambience at a St. Regis Residences living room.
Among the settings in Miami that have benefited from the ceiling product are the Grand Beach Hotel in Bal Harbour and the B Bar at The Betsy Hotel in South Beach, as well as a slew of private homes and condos in top buildings such as The St. Regis Bal Harbour. “Owners of new developments also want the ceiling not to hide the old one but to make a style statement and give their environment a ‘wow’ effect,” says Labastrous. “Our business has boomed with the high-end high-rises that have been built downtown and on the Beach.”
Available in a matte, satin, lacquer, or translucent finish, the ceilings come in hundreds of colors and patterns. “The most popular finish is the lacquer, which mimics a perfect Chinese lacquer,” Labastrous notes. “Because they’re reflective, they make the ceiling seem higher—when you see the ocean reflected in your ceiling, you quickly forget you’re in an eight-foot-tall room.”