What do you mean by knock-down style?

I don't know what you mean by a "knock down style". But, on a 9' ceiling, I would make the beams extend downward only 3" from the ceiling. Depending on the size of the room, they could be 6" wide. The ceiling would be painted either white or the color of the walls and the beams could be stained or painted any color you want. As long as they don't hang down to far, they will be fine.

Thank you both. Knock down is a type of stipple that is troweled flat after it is applied. We were just trying to decide if we need to do painted ceiling to make the beams look correct.

This house has a VERY light orange peel texture. The texture guys call it "orange peel mist". They wanted texture, but not noticeable. I have also done an imperfect smooth texture in a similar house.

Ellen - would love your opinion, we are remodeling our home and deliberating between light orange peel mist and a light hand texture on all walls. It will be a traditional-transitional style, would you suggest the orange peel or light hand texture for this look? We are east coaster used to Level 5 smooth but our builder in Dallas is asking for a hefty fee to get this look, therefore orange peel or light hand texture are our best options for optimal smooth walls. Thanks!

Thank you. Is Level 4 or imperfect smooth also known as Santa Fe hand texture as in this photo: http://www.stonebrookconstruction.com/drywall/santa.jpg

No, it looks like perfectly smooth walls - no texture! It's just not as perfect as Level 5