If you’re living in a home with low ceilings, don’t fret. Just like petite ladies use fashion tweaks to look taller, you too could use some design hacks to make your ceiling seem higher.
Here are some of them:
- Paint the ceiling a colour that’s lighter than your walls. Some designers love glossy paint for reflecting light and making the ceiling look more dynamic, while some love matte paint so that the ceiling will blend in and appear endless. Consider painting your trim and crown moulding the same shade as your walls to draw the eye downwards and avoid highlighting the low ceiling.
- Utilising low furniture with fewer horizontal sections, like an armrest, is an excellent way to emphasise the distance between the ceiling and your furniture. Forbes also suggests using skinny bookshelves and full-height doors.
- Cover your walls’ lower 2/3 sections with decorative panelling or beadboard to make the ceiling appear higher. Follow up by painting the ceiling the same shade as that of the upper walls.
- Maximise the function of your window treatments by hanging them up as high as possible to elongate the look of the space. Consider floor-to-ceiling drapes or vertical blinds, which also work well for light control and ventilation, shares Online Blinds Shop.
- Hang artworks a little bit higher than usual and hang smaller frames above windows and door openings to trick the eye into thinking that the space has high ceilings.
- Get a tall vase or urn and fill it up with tall blossoming branches or seasonal grass to effectively slow down the movement of the eyes as they gradually move upward.
- Think vertical instead of horizontal stripes when incorporating patterns to get that illusion of height. In the bedroom, consider a four-poster bed that has skinny, tall posts for drawing the eye up.
- Skip overhead lights or ceiling fans, which could draw the eye to the ceiling. If you really must hang them, hang them a bit higher than usual.
Put simply, getting more of that visual height isn’t too hard. Just make smarter paint, lighting and furniture choices and you’ll be all set.