clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Flipped

Ask Flipped: How many exposed beams is too many?

New, 2 comments

Did I go too far this time?

Welcome back to Ask Flipped, where we answer very real questions from readers who are having problems with home decor, design, or anything else. Do you have a question? Write it on a post-it note and throw it into a strong gust of wind. If it was meant to be, we will find the post-it and answer the question.

Dear Flipped,

I read a piece a few months ago that said that exposed beams were the new big thing, that they could evoke a rustic charm, and increase ceiling height, and they didn’t even have to be painted. I’m never one to do anything halfway, so I set about exposed all of my house's beams. If this is the next big trend, I don't want anybody to have more exposed beams than I do, right? Except now that it’s all done, I can’t shake the feeling that I may have gone too far. For one, my house is very drafty. It look pretty rustic, though. I’m torn.

Should I put the walls back?

Overexposed in Odessa

***

Dear OO,

Your house looks great and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I can’t even begin to count how many houses I’ve seen with "walls" and "ceilings" and "additional structural support." To put it bluntly, it's all been done already. You are thinking outside the box, and if anyone doesn't respect that they are simply closed minded.

What’s more, you now have a blank slate to accommodate basically any decor style. Do you want to hang up some tapestries to visually block off different spaces? Sure, go ahead! Do you want to paint each beam a different color? Hey, why not! Do you want to hang chains from the ceiling beams? Maybe don’t add anything that’s going to weigh a lot, actually, just to be safe.

Also, try not to have anything too valuable in your house since people can just walk in and out through the walls.

Hope that helps!

Flipped

Ask Flipped [Curbed]