Kitchen ceiling options

j_sun

Hi All,
Had to tear the ceiling out of my kitchen due to a leak upstairs. It was 12" x 12" tng fiberglass tiles.
Not really too keen on using those again. Thinking of drywall as the cheapest option but I'll have to reinforce the furring strips to support the weight plus deal with the mess.
Not a big drop ceiling fan either.

Are there any other viable options for a nice looking ceiling? Anybody have experience using something "outside the box" that looks nice?

Thanks in advance,
Jason

DannyT

can you remove the furring strips and screw the drywall right to the ceiling joists?