Whilst lots of money if being spent on the walls and floors of homes all around the country the ceiling of a room is often forgotten. To an extent this is understandable- how often do you look up? However if you want your rooms to have a finished, holistic feel, you must consider all aspects and all surfaces. The ceiling is the roof to your scheme, and with a little prior thought, can become just as big a feature as the walls or the floor.

A plain white ceiling may seem a little dull but try to remember the purpose of such a finish before you embark on any DIY project. A flat white ceiling may be essential if you have low ceilings as they help give desperately needed height in such a space. If you feel the rooms in your home have enough height, the sky is the limit (pun may have been intended) - you are limited only by your imagination. This is especially true if you are decorating a child's bedroom where your can afford to be a little more creative and a lot more colourful. A good idea is a night sky scheme. What could be more magical for a youngster than a bedroom amongst the stars? To achieve this first have a professional paint a day time sky mural on the ceiling so that it doesn't look too dark and ominous during daylight hours. Then attach lots of day-glow stars (available in most craft shops) across the surface of your ceiling. The stars will remain invisible all day and will only reveal themselves as the sun goes down- making bedtimes much less traumatic for both you and your child as they will now look forward to lying back and looking up.

If it is a more subtle finish you desire, wooden panelling can add real warmth and character to any space. For a cohesive and stylish finish, match the wood type to any existing wooden surfaces such as wooden curtain poles or ornaments in the room and refrain from varnishing, instead choose a matt protector.

For period elegance that will really bring some attention to the lonely ceiling, why not go for a tin ceiling? Pressed metal ceilings can restore the history of an old house or give old-world charm to a new house and, for all their ornate detail, tin ceilings are surprisingly easy to install yourself without any expertise or experience. There are a few things you should give thought to before you start.

Firstly- the type of metal and the style you desire. They may be called tin ceilings- in reference to the material used during the Victorian period- but they are now available in a variety of metallic finishes. Aluminum is probably the safest option as, unlike some metals, it doesn't rust or corrode and is very light and pliable and therefore cheap to manufacture. The second consideration you must make before putting up the tiles is what type of paint finish you want. Don't wait until you have put them up to do this as painting such a detailed surface is especially difficult whilst overhead.