A ceiling dome can encompass an entire ceiling or it can simply span a small space, and while the ceiling dome works well on its own, it can prove a focal point for ambient lighting, and hanging objects.

Today's contemporary ceiling domes are inspired by a rich architectural history. The first domes were of simple design and appeared in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and India. The Romans advanced the construction of domes on a larger scale. A fine example is seen in the Greek Pantheon.

Byzantine architects developed the dome further, and inspired both Islamic and Italian Renaissance architects. Renaissance architects raised stunning multi-layered domes, and domes decorated with religious frescoes.

A saucer dome is named as such because it has the appearance of a shallow saucer when viewed from bellow. Saucer ceiling domes are low-pitched in terms of depth. Elliptical domes, named for their elliptical bases, are less common. The Persian, or onion dome, is more than half a sphere and raises to a point. The most famous examples are those seen at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, and at Saint Basil's Cathedral, in Moscow, Russia.