Exposed Beams Add Rustic Elegance

Don’t you love the beauty of exposed beams in a home? Exposed beams have strong historical ties to France and were originally used as support structures. Wood proved a strong, sturdy, and readily available resource for building purposes. Oak and chestnut were the materials of choice. Another French tradition was to let the wood used for the beams age to create a beautiful rustic patina on the surface–sometimes for 100 years!

Your house may not have been built with exposed beams in the ceiling, but you can create the look yourself. Here’s some ideas:

Get even more ideas for using exposed beams here. Historical uses of exposed beams can be found here.