Crowning glory
A lavishly painted ceiling brings regal presence to a suburban study

By LAURA WEXLER

When interior designer Eileen Devine visited Radhika and Dimitri Gunasekera's home in Glen Mills, Pa., the first thing she noticed was that the central foyer offered a great view of the blank white ceiling in the adjoining study. So when the Gunasekeras asked Devine to decorate the study, the centerpiece of her design plan was a paint treatment for the ceiling.

As designer Cynthia Fisher, who assisted Devine on the project, says, "So many times a ceiling goes unnoticed. This was an opportunity to play it up."

Devine, owner of the interior design studio Devine Designs in Wayne, Pa., often looks to history for inspiration. She and Fisher envisioned a symmetrical design featuring a rich palette of colors that would imbue the room with classical formality. But she also wanted to incorporate elements that echoed the Gunasekeras' Sri Lankan ancestry.