Exposed Wood Beams: Painted White or Left Dark

A set of exposed wooden beams under a high-pitched gable. Large square wooden beams cross the space at equal intervals, or a set of A-frame trusses support a soaring ceiling. They are either painted the same white as the ceiling, leaving only their form, or kept as dark natural wood, creating a strong contrast with the white background. The two approaches are not mixed. The beam surfaces are smooth, not rough-sawn. Avoid: painting some beams white and leaving others natural wood, using rough-sawn and adzed surfaces, making beams too small and lacking presence, or adding carvings and decorations to the beams.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一組挑高山牆下的木樑。粗大的方形木樑以等距橫過空間,或是一組人字形的桁架撐起高聳的天花;它們要嘛漆成與天花相同的白色只留下形體,要嘛保持深色的原木與白色的背景形成強烈對比。兩種做法不混用。樑的表面是平整的,不是粗鋸的。避免:讓部分樑漆白部分留木色、使用粗鋸與斧鑿的粗獷表面、把樑做得細小失去份量、在樑上加入雕刻與裝飾。