I agree that painting the white "stuff" will help keep it from leaving crumbles. I saw a ceiling like this in a church. They painted the "stuff" sky blue and left the rafters wood color. Their "stuff" had a matte finish (probably because the "stuff" soaked up the paint.) I have also seen this kind of ceiling where the "stuff" was covered by tongue-in-groove boards, left natural. I wonder if those bamboo window shades would fit between your rafters. You would have to buy a lot of them. It would certainly give the ceiling some beach "vibes." I wonder if the Habitat for Humanity ReStore might have some? Check places that sell builder's overstock. You might be surprised what is available for a reasonable price. Best wishes.

It looks to be the underside of a beautiful hardwood timber floor. It might be wise to consider whether a new ceiling with insulation for that upper floor is needed in winter. All white would look good for a crisp finish & some colour on the wall. I personally would look at the area as a whole project & what look you are after. It may be that to make it look finished against the house that some boxing around the top of the pillars & a flat panel roof (could be grooved timber panels that come in large sheets ready for staining or painting) will make it neat & finished.

Keep it light otherwise it makes the low ceilings feel even lower. I will share our story in the hope it may help you! Picture 1. We moved from a house with high ceilings to one with low bedroom ceilings and it felt claustrophobic for a while (2 years we put up with it). Our bedroom, when we moved in, had burgundy walls, dark wooden doors into the ensuite and wardrobe, b&w zigzag curtains and pink carpet (yes someone thought pink carpets and burgundy walls would be a good idea!). The one redeeming feature was large glass sliding doors that led out onto a covered deck which provided a view and let in some light (which pretty much got swallowed by all the dark features). We faced our bed towards the doors when we moved in to have a view - as who wants to look into the bathroom like the previous owners did in the picture! Transforming the space: We pulled up the carpet and laid medium coloured wood floors (dark floors were too much for this space and needed to work through entire house), we painted the whole room including the ensuite and bathroom slatted doors white - all of which transformed the space in a way that really surprised me. A tallish wooden bed head and antique dresser, along with tall (rather than wide) artwork help add height to the room as do the doors now that they are white. To keep a feeling of warmth in the room (sorry minimalists out there) I used linen bedding in greys and used blue accessories in rugs and cushions which compliment the artwork which we picked up from a painter on the streets of Paris (framed on our return). We used a muted rug on the floor to bring elements together and for warmth for our feet as we live in a very cool climate during winter months. I simply wanted colour that wouldn't overpower the space. Since pics were taken: We have since started revamping the outside deck and removed some of the lattice which has brought a beautiful flood of natural light flooding in and a view of the garden. Our next step: will be to add some white linen or silk curtains at the highest height possible to maintain an illusion of height. We will extend the curtains to land either side of the doors when open, as while we now need to have them for some added privacy, we still want the light and the view most of the time including when the deck is lit up at night. We will keep the curtains light as colour would encroach on the room size which isn't very big. Our dream addition is to replace the sliding doors with white French doors. Hope this is helpful.

I think in this case paint them white. I’m not sure why everyone always paints the ceiling a different white. Our designer said to paint the ceiling the same white as the walls and I absolutely love it, and have done the same in subsequent renovation. We used Lexicon half strength throughout and I love the ‘art gallery‘ vibe it gives. Also, why not go real wood on the floor? Yes it might be a bit more expensive but so worth it feeling the beauty of a natural material beneath your feet everyday and much better for resale value on the house. We recently installed european white oak throughout and I love it every day, and it’s so durable and easy to keep clean.