Project Spotlight: SoHo Office Gets a Reclaimed Pine Ceiling That Transforms the Space

Office renovations in SoHo's cast-iron loft buildings present a unique design opportunity: high ceilings, exposed structure, and generous natural light. When a growing tech company leased a full floor in a building on Broadway, their architects wanted to use that ceiling height to create something special. The result is one of our favorite recent projects.

The Design Concept

The architects designed a "floating ceiling plane" — a large reclaimed wood surface suspended below the existing ceiling at varying heights to define different zones within the open-plan office. The reception area has a lower ceiling for intimacy, while the main workspace opens up to the full loft height. The transitions between heights create a subtle architectural rhythm across the 4,800-square-foot floor plate.

The Material

We supplied approximately 3,200 square feet of reclaimed eastern white pine tongue-and-groove boards for the ceiling installation. The boards range from 6" to 10" wide and were sourced from a barn deconstruction in Connecticut. The wood has a warm, pale honey color with occasional knots and grain variation — light enough to brighten the space while adding natural warmth.

White pine was the ideal choice for a ceiling application. It's lightweight (important for an overhead installation), easy to work with, and has a gentle, non-aggressive character that doesn't compete with the office's furnishings and equipment below.

Preparation and Installation

Every board was de-nailed, inspected, and lightly sanded on the face side. We left the back rough for better adhesion to the mounting substrate. The boards were sealed with a low-VOC clear matte finish — important for an occupied office environment where air quality matters.

The general contractor built a suspended grid framework from metal furring channels, and the pine boards were face-nailed to the grid. The varying ceiling heights required careful layout planning to ensure clean transitions and consistent reveal lines at the edges.

The Result

The reclaimed pine ceiling completely transforms the space. What was a standard SoHo loft with exposed concrete and ductwork is now warm, layered, and distinctive. The wood ceiling absorbs sound (a significant benefit in an open office), diffuses light, and creates a sense of shelter and comfort within the large open space.

Employees and visitors consistently comment on the ceiling — it's the first thing people notice when they walk in. The company's founders told us it was the single best design decision in the entire renovation. For a material that spent decades as the wall of a Connecticut barn, that's a remarkable second act.