Suspended below the primary ceiling, the intersecting beam grid creates a more intimate dining environment while integrating lighting and celebrating the structural character of solid timber.
Project Overview
For this premium restaurant fit-out, the design brief called for an architectural intervention that would lower the visual ceiling height, improve acoustic comfort and introduce warmth into an expansive dining room.
Large-section solid French oak beams were custom milled by French mill partners to form an intersecting ceiling grid. The natural blond tones and clean grain of the oak provide a refined contrast to the dark metal fixtures and crisp white ceiling plane above.
Design Response
The exposed beam grid is reinterpreted with clean contemporary detailing. Solid oak members are visible on three sides and intersect with custom black steel connection brackets that make the construction legible rather than concealing it.
Suspending the timber grid below the primary ceiling creates a more intimate, human-scale atmosphere over the dining area. The framework also accommodates track lighting and pendant fixtures directly within the timber composition.
Application Exposed ceiling beams
Material Solid French Oak
Grade Prime / Select
Origin France
Certification PEFC Certified forests in France
Solid sections – beams are milled from solid French oak, giving the ceiling genuine mass and material authenticity that cannot be replicated by veneer-wrapped sections.
Exposed connections – custom black steel brackets at the intersections provide support while creating a deliberate contrast with the natural oak.
Integrated services – track lighting and pendants are incorporated directly into the beam grid, making the timber framework part of the restaurant’s functional ceiling design.
Acoustic contribution – the deep beam profiles help break up the broad ceiling plane and contribute to a more comfortable dining environment.
Architectural scale – the suspended grid visually lowers the ceiling and gives the dining room a more intimate proportion.
Visual warmth – natural blond French oak softens the commercial interior and provides a strong counterpoint to black steel and white ceiling surfaces.
Enduring material – old-growth French oak provides the stability, scale and character required for substantial architectural applications.
The result is a ceiling that is not simply finished in timber – it is
