this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2026
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hmmm
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For things that are "hmmm".
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It's easy to get mad about this, everyone would prefer the fancy ceiling. But a lot of old plaster work like this was cheaply and hastily made, a lot of what survives is in bad shape. There may have been good reason to add a barrier between the plaster and the people below. This may even have been the best choice for preserving the plaster until an owner with greater resources could restore it.
This picture invites you to tell yourself a story about what happened, but it doesn't give you enough information to know what happened.
Plus covering up the plaster allows you to run HVAC and cables without breaking it
Lower ceiling = lower cooling and heating costs as well.
Higher ceiling with proper ventilation can reduce cooling costs dramatically. Of course it works just to a certain degree
not at all
And this is the root problem of memes-as-news. Hell, half the time people here worked up over a 10 year old tweet. There are so many things that seem dumb or crazy without context, and then you provide a single kernel of explanation and people are fine.
Uhg.
I recently saw a video where someone bought a house with an intricate ceiling like this and it turned out that it was made of styrofoam
There's a company that makes replicas of antique plasterwork, taking castings from old homes. They're plastic surface castings filled with foam. I got a few medallions from them for our ceiling lights during a remodel.
Yep, needed to add ducts, plumbing, electric, etc and didn't want to fuck up the original work, or was just easier, or both. Also good for sound deadening and even lighting. This is the best move if you want to have the chance for someone to come by after you and do something with it when you're done with the space
while this is true, also, there was the 80s.... where families covered up gorgeous hard wood floors with linoleum and drop tile ceilings were considered cleaner. remember we're talking about people who wrapped their couches and recliners in plastic! and chain smoked lol
so who knows, it could be assholes, it could be cost.... I do wonder how easy it is to keep such an ornate ceiling clean / dusted.... but would probably give it a go :D