Upward Bound

Before: The steeply sloping ceiling left a no man’s land of trapped space.

After: Joslin and Fischer raised the ceiling 5 feet but maintained its natural angles. Birkerts used glossy white paint (Benjamin Moore 214870) and Fabby Lighting wall sconces (“very reasonably priced, and I liked the baked finish,” she says) to play up the space’s structural drama.

“When we mentioned glossy paint, the painters said, ‘You must be crazy’—but it worked really well,” says the wife. “It made the ceiling dynamic and lively, as opposed to a black hole that swallowed light.” Birkerts, however, recommends proceeding with caution when using a non-matte finish: “It’s a dangerous thing to do,” she says with a laugh, noting that shine accentuates bumps and imperfections.

Go on to the next page for more photos...