<p>I can sympathize with your steam pipes & other ugly ceiling issues. How about draping fabric around the ceiling to screen it? </p>
<p>Found this website with some interesting ideas & pics. You can likely install a few dowels to drape fabric over and save lots of $ vs buying their kits. Just be careful & keep the fabric away from the steam pipes. </p>
<p>[Fabric</a> Ceiling Draping](<a href=“http://www.fabricdraper.com/index.html]Fabric”>Home Page)</p>
<p>here’s a DIY link:
[How</a> To Drape A Ceiling With Fabric | Made Manual](<a href=“http://www.mademan.com/mm/how-drape-ceiling-fabric.html]How”>http://www.mademan.com/mm/how-drape-ceiling-fabric.html)</p>