If you live in a space with 8-foot-ceilings, don't despair: Just as some petite women utilize fashion tricks to make them appear taller, designers have tricks for making your ceiling look higher. Full disclosure: As a 5'11 woman living in a home with high Victorian ceilings, I will be flipping this advice on its head: horizontal stripes here I come...
Ten Tips For Making A Low Ceiling Look Higher:
Ceiling color: Paint your ceiling a color lighter than the walls, preferably white. Some believe high-gloss paint is best because it reflects light and makes the ceiling look somehow less fixed and static, while others say a matte finish will help the ceiling to blend in more. Some designers suggest you paint the wall beyond the top of the wall. In other words, paint the first two or three inches of ceiling around the perimeter the same color as the walls to give the illusion of taller, higher walls.
Crown Molding and Trim: Some say crown molding and trim at the top of the walls should be painted in the same color as the walls so as not to draw attention upward, which would highlight the low ceiling height. I'm a bit conflicted about this because I love contrasting trim, but you can still have contrasting baseboards, etc.
High Art: Hang artwork slightly higher than you normally would. Hanging small frames above door openings and windows also tricks the eye into thinking the room has higher ceilings.
Decorative paneling: I like this idea from Better Homes & Gardens: You can make the ceiling look higher by covering the lower two-thirds of walls with beadboard or decorative paneling. Then paint the ceiling the same color as the upper walls. In rooms with a chair-rail, consider painting both the upper part of the walls and the ceiling the same light color, with a darker color below the chair rail.
Tall floral arrangements: I came across this helpful (and new to me) advice on Shelterpop, where Brian Patrick Flynn of HGTV's Design Happens recommends setting out a tall urn or vase filled with seasonal grasses or blossoming branches because it slows down the eye's movement as it moves gradually upward.
Avoid overhead lights: Skip fans and ceiling or overhead lights because they draw attention to the ceiling. If you do hang a chandelier or pendant, hang it slightly higher than you normally would.
Raised door openings: Mrs Howard, Personal Shopper has this nifty recommendation, which only applies if you are willing to make some structural changes (say, if you have just bought a home with low ceilings or are renovating a room): She says you should raise the interior door openings all the way up to the ceiling-or close to it.
Vertical stripes and patterns: Taking a cue from fashion, it is best to use vertical stripes instead of horizontal stripes, because vertical stripes create the illusion of height. And this rule doesn't only apply to paint and wallpaper: A four-poster bed with tall, skinny posts can also draw the eye upward.
Floor-to-ceiling curtains: Hang window treatments as high as possible. Floor-to-ceiling curtains elongate a room.
Low-profile furniture: Use lower profile furniture with fewer horizontal elements (arm rests, for example) to emphasize the distance between the furniture and the ceiling.
(Image: Mrs. Howard, Personal Shopper.)
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This post is a keeper, thanks.
Great tips!
Wow--I never thought to raise the door openings. What a great idea!
However, the suggestion to hanging artwork higher gives me pause. Our art framer showed me how to hang artwork relative to the height of the viewer. So, if the viewer is seated or standing, artwork is generally at eyeball height. (His magic number is 64" from the floor.)
I agree...great tips. I have a room I am in the middle of renovating w/ a VERY low ceiling and some of these will definitely help. I am wondering though if Chair Rail would help or hurt in terms of making the ceiling look higher...assuming you paint the bottom half a very light color. Thoughts?
oooh where is that white bedframe from?
Good ideas and love the ceiling in the first picture. I prefer higher ceilings, but I've learned to live with 8 ft. I prefer contrasting crown molding. I actually haven't done any of the above tricks, except in the kitchen. To give the illusion of height in my kitchen I installed cabinets that were longer and then used crown molding at the top. It's a bit more expensive, but it fools the eye and draws it up. It made the kitchen feel more spacious. I also don't have open shelving. I like the look in mags but for me are not practical and dust is an issue where I live.
I’m so surprised to see high gloss ceiling paint listed here. That has always made ceilings feel low to me, but maybe I’m alone.
What have other readers done when the lights of their ceiling fans hit young men who walk underneath them on the head ? My 8' 3-4" ceilings were no problem until my beloved nephews mushroomed into young giants!
I can attest to high gloss ceilings, helped by crowns and trims and the 8" wall between them painted in the same high gloss paint and the south sun made the room look brighter. The previous flat/matted ceiling made its presence "obvious" because it looked darker, at to me it did.
I have a flush-mounted ceiling fan, the unfortunately-named Ball Hugger: http://www.modern-fans.com/Ball-Hugger-by-The-Modern-Fan-Company-p/bal-hug.htm
It looks great against my pale blue-gray ceiling (DKC 37, a color so lovely you want it only 8' above).
Thanks! So far, I've taken just the free, quick, and easy approach of rearranging the furniture. Each low ceiling light-fan is blocked by a dining table, sofa or coffee table, twin bed, or king bed. The only active head-bumper remaining is in my home office.
I would think that an unltra-flat ceiling paint would be best since it doesn't reflect much light. Plus, most ceilings are drywall and tend to have blemishes that a glossy paint would highlight.
Ha, ha, I love the idea that I shouldn't despair with 8-foot ceilings. Ours are 7-foot almost exactly, 8 foot would be fantastic! I've had to learn not to lust over chandeliers and pendants and to measure tall furniture -very- carefully. My other tip is, if you have ceiling spotlights, make sure you're using energy-efficient bulbs. My taller friends can't stand in certain bits of the kitchen because the lights fry their hair...
we have 7" ceilings as well (old, old house, plus we're short), very light wall colors have helped make the rooms look airier.
I am playing the devil's advocate here.We know (thank you Mark Hampton) that painting small rooms white and using small furniture doesn't make them bigger. I say go with what you have. I personally like rooms where the ceiling is painted the same color as the walls. If you can't have 14' ceilings, go for cozy and intimate.
@Riverdeep - I thought the same thing! Those poor people with their 8' ceilings! lol (Mine are 7.5')
I just took some walls down. I know most people can't go this route, but making the space wider really makes the ceilings look higher.
I'm loving all of the 7'ers down here. You're all amazing!
I live in a basement "apartment" (I have my own living room and bedroom down there) with 7' 3" ceilings. It was nice, because then I could paint the dark wood paneling with little assistance when I moved in. Now, I'm in the process of tearing out the hideous drop ceiling and replacing it with white foam board between the joists for sound insulation. The extra 8" between the joists makes the room look two feet taller. Can't wait to get it done!
@Bodicegoddess - I researched basement drop ceilings (I want to finish mine and it's only 80"!) and I came across two products that allow you to put the ceiling right against the joists (where as a drop ceiling eats up a good 6-8 inches of space). Look for Ceiling Max or Ceiling Link. Might be a good option for you. But hey, if your joists aren't ugly, then you're maximizing your space by exposing them. Good luck!
One of my pet peeves is pictures hung too high. I subscribe to the guideline of hanging the top of the picture never higher than a window or door frame - and yes at eyeball height. I always feel I am in a 1940's post-depression (not too classy) house when there are poorly positioned pictures. Can AT have an online workshop on some picture hanging guidelines? The only thing tackier than scattered pictures flying around the room is stacks of crap on the floors - yeah I'm grumpy (allergic) today :-).