The look of solid timber

Due to the high arch of the ceiling, we either needed to create a "box" from which to hang our ceiling fan, or add a beam running the length of the room. We chose the beam because it would have the same finish as the trim and ceiling in the next room, thus helping pull the two rooms together.

I built a false beam, a 3 sided box (the false beam) needed something to be anchored to, so I layered two 6" x 6"s with the top board cut to the angle of the ceiling as illustrated below.

The 6" x 6"s provided a secure
anchoring platform for the "box".

 By cutting a reverse angle on the top of the boards that touched the ceiling, provided a snug fit and a perfect look

A close-up of the hollow beam. You cannot tell this from an 8" solid beam. The finished beam looks as if it is part of the support structure of the house.

A 16' shelf and new paint

Next, we added a shelf that runs the length of the wall. We used one board cut from "blue pine" to match the other wood. The shelf supports were made from 5/4 blue pine and finished off with decorative buttons to hide the screw holes and add character.

As you can see from the previous photos, the walls were quite dark. We chose a light butternut color that would lighten the room and absorb the softer tones of the abundant woodwork.