Why the Cornice Box Is Disappearing from Architectural Drawings

Until five or six years ago, nearly every drawing we received had a cornice box built into the ceiling. The picture looks different now. Architects either want the ceiling left completely flat with the track hidden inside it, or they go the opposite way and leave the curtain mechanism visible on purpose.

In the first approach, the whole thing becomes a quiet detail — a motorized track recessed into the plasterboard, with no trace on the ceiling. In the second, a wood or metal rod becomes part of the room itself. We call these rustic systems, and we're increasingly working with architects who treat them not as something to hide, but as something that adds to the character of the space.

The classic cornice box, caught in between, is becoming rarer. The reason is fairly clear: it adds extra volume to the ceiling without fully committing to either approach — not fully hidden, not deliberately visible either.

To us, this is a sign that the curtain is no longer treated as secondary hardware, but as part of the architectural decision itself.