This Custom-Designed Ceiling Structure Is Artful and Inviting

An award-winning kitchen feature brings purposeful architecture to the kitchen

May 5, 2026

This ceiling structure brings warmth and artful function to this expansive, vaulted kitchen. — This ceiling structure brings warmth and artful function to this expansive kitchen.

TreHus Architects + Interior Designers + Builders envisioned this unique architectural centerpiece, which serves as both a structural focal point and a functional canopy. This white oak ceiling structure, dubbed “the cloud,” establishes this North Oaks kitchen island as a welcoming gathering space, without added walls or visual weight—cleverly adding shape to the kitchen, without filling it, and also concealing the wiring for overhead lighting.

Crafted with white oak for its natural warmth, the structure incorporates contrast to the room's clean lines and hard surfaces. — Crafted with white oak for its natural warmth, the structure incorporates contrast to the room’s clean lines and hard surfaces.

Suspended above the island, this object’s design allows light to filter through and adds contrast to the room’s clean lines and hard surfaces. Its curvature and careful detailing soften the architecture while improving acoustics and concealing infrastructure. It’s an impressive example of purposeful architecture, winning the first-place honor in the Custom-Design Object category at the 2025 Midwest Design Awards.

Like what you see? Explore more Midwest Design Awards Spotlights.