Suspended ceiling system incorporating key and keyhole combinations and method of installing same

A suspended ceiling system for suspending panels, comprising:

• a plurality of elongated beams each defining a beam longitudinal axis, each of the beams defining longitudinally opposed beam end sections;
• a plurality of connectors for connecting the beams to each other to form a panel support structure for supporting the panels, each of the connectors defining at least two spaced apart beam coupling sections for each coupling to a respective one of the beams through one of the beam end sections;
• and
• a plurality of locking keys for selectively locking the connectors and beams to each other;
• wherein, with the suspended ceiling system assembled, the beams are joined to each other by the connectors to form a grid configured for supporting the panels, the beams and connectors forming connector-to-beam junctions each including one of the beam end sections and one of the beam coupling sections engaging each other and together defining a keyhole, the keyhole including keyhole beam and connector portions defined respectively by the one of the beam end and coupling sections, the keyhole receiving thereinto one of the locking keys so that movements of the one of the beam end section and the one of the beam coupling section relative to each other perpendicularly to the keyhole are prevented to secure the one of the beam end sections and the one of the beam coupling sections to each other;
• the suspended ceiling system further comprising decorative elements supported in register with the connectors to hide the connectors from below, the decorative elements each defining a decorative element keyhole portion positioned in prolongation of the keyhole beam portions so that a single locking key locks both one of the beams and the decorative element to the connector when the suspended ceiling system is assembled.