Norbert created and lead the execution of this custom ceiling and viga design for the fifteen foot ceiling in the living room. For those not accustomed to Southwest phrases, vigas are round wooden posts most often added as supports in ceilings throughout much of the region. Often they are hand peeled logs using a draw knife, a bit of historical look which most often fits nicely with local homes.
The wall sections of the master bedroom, kitchen and guest wing all collected in the back, center of the room which made a spoke wheel design a natural choice working with the wall support beams. The vigas are not structural in this room, so the effect was created for decorative purposes only, and if you look closely (or are a timber framer, in which it will be obvious to you) it can be seen that the vigas are only half vigas. They have been mounted to the tongue and groove ceiling in half slices, as it were.
The finished effect was an interesting one and added to the drama of the high ceilings in this “great room” which serves as the centerpiece of the house.