I think fabric panels on the entire ceiling is a good option. They wouldn't have to necessarily be draped if you want the ceiling to feel higher. They could even be thicker like woven or bamboo shades. You could paint the cords to blend with the ceiling. Another idea is to create a lattice type of effect on the ceiling using wood slats to hide the cords either under hollowed out wood or wedged between slats or abutted against the slats.

Thank you! Really appreciate your ideas!!

Good point about draping and the ceiling height....

Use wiremold to cover the cords on the ceiling. It's made for that purpose. Any hardware store will have it, or an electrical supply store may have an even larger selection.. It's white, but paintable to match your ceiling, if needed.

When doing yoga the last thing I would want over my head is some fabric full of dust and spiders, as for the actual lighting please make sure those fixtures have LED tubes for a nice more natural light and if those wires are really making you crazy I think the idea of some form of ceiling covet like the lattice could work, it of course has to be removeable to access the electrical, the system seems fine to me as far as code for commercial spaces.

Pat, come on!. Someone purchased shop lights at HD with cords and plugs and have plugged these lights into some type of outlet above the ceiling. Who know what is going on above the ceiling. They are likely not hardwired in. Could be all extension cords up above that ceiling tile.. That installation has to be flagged for some type of review

Those lights are all clearly hardwired into the octagon junction boxes with extensions that run down the middle of the ceiling. There's nothing happening above the ceiling.

I'm not sure about the cable being used to connect them. It's not solid metal conduit. It also too thick to be the typical 14/2 or 12/2 NM cable (Non-metallic cable more comely referred to by the brand name Romex) most commonly found on a 15 or 20 amp circuit. Also, since about 2001, NM cable outer sheathing has been color coded: 14 gauge white, 12 gauge yellow, 10 gauge orange, and 6 gauge black.

Although it's hard to tell from the picture, I'd venture to guess it's BX cable, also known as Armor Clad or Flexible Metal conduit cable. This is what you'd typically see in a commercial installation and required by code in many municipalities for both commercial and residential applications.

I'm guessing as a new, small business, you don't have lots of cash hanging around. So, if it is BX cable, one super cheap suggestion is to buy some foam pipe insulation, paint it white and slip it over the BX. Friction should hold it in place. Where the cable dips a bit you can add an additional clamp to support it before slipping on the foam insulation. You could try one for about $2.50. If you don't like the look you're only out $2.50 and a little time.

The third picture that Beverly posted with suspended rectangles might be nice and could offer some sound attenuation as well. Ceiling panels for suspended ceiling grids can be picked up relatively cheap in either 2 ft x 2 ft or 2 ft x 4 ft size. They could easily by suspended from the ceiling with wire and painted what ever color you want.

Alternately you could suspend what's called egg crate grids available in the same sizes. These wouldn't catch dust and would allow air to circulate freely. They wouldn't do anything for sound attenuation though.

VERY helpful, thank you!

Why would you use foam instead of wiremold? (Not asking in a snarky way, just wondering since you seem knowledgeable.)

Drop ceiling.

http://www.sonusinteriors.com/knowing-the-different-materials-for-commercial-ceilings/

An uplight would have provided great soft lighting and utilities would be lowered.

@partim

Two Reasons:

1. Wiremold is intended for surface wiring using individual conductors not sheathed cable. If that's truly BX cable wiring the lights, it likely wouldn't fit inside of a wiremold raceway. Now wiremold could be installed and all the lights rewired with individual conductors but that's an expensive proposition if you don't have the skill and knowledge to do it yourself.

2. I'm guessing that a small businesses like a Yoga Studio is working on a shoestring budget. The foam is cheap and fast and I think worth a try before investing lots of time and money. That's why, in my opinion, comments like add a drop ceiling aren't useful. I'm sure the OP knows that drop ceilings exist and if it were remotely in the budget, that's what they would have installed instead of posting on Houzz.

If it's BX, it could also be painted to match the existing ceiling and make it somewhat disappear.

Ah! I was wondering if you could paint it. You are correct that we are on a tight budget!

Sorry, can't figure out how to respond directly to Beverly. That is a lovely idea that I will save for future reference.

The use of foam may be considered a fire hazard too, it's probably not rated for such use. I would just get a can of white spray paint. Slip some poster board or cardboard between the ceiling and the silver tubes ,to protect ceiling from overspray. Maybe wait for the finial inspection first and ask them if it's ok to paint, or even if they know of a simple/cheap fix to cover.

The foam is not a fire hazard - there's no source of ignition. BX can be painted just like conduit can. So can the metal electrical junction boxes. In fact, the existing conduit and the original metal junction boxes have already been painted white to match the ceiling.

You might talk with a local contractor or plumber and see if a plumbing pipe can be cut vertically to cap over the cables and paint them and the metal pieces used to hang them the same color as the ceiling before hanging them. Small pipe could visually mostly disappear if they are hung straight and the spacing between the pipe (middle and both ends) is equal -- they could, if noticed, then appear to be a feature of the ceiling much as a beam would be. Shouldn't even need a joint in the middle -- there should be a pipe available that is long enough to do that. PVC or CPVC pipe would be a safer choice than any fabric and it would protect the wires as well.

These could hold a vertically cut pipe. As log as it is one that is strong enough to not bend, you might even need them only on the ends.

Drop the lights, fur the ceiling, drywall, paint, and reinstall the lights.

I would use a suspended wood ceiling for both beauty and utility. You can make a cheap version of this and install it to cover all the wires.