Ten
Effective Ways to Deal with Low Ceilings

by Pamela
Cole Harris*

So here’s the low down! Low
ceilings can make a room seem claustrophobic and smaller than it really is.
If you feel as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders when you walk
into your home, here are some ways to raise low ceilings to new heights (at
least visually!)

1. Paint
   can do wonders for your ceiling. Remember that cool colors recede,
   making the surface appear farther away. So pick a cool (temperature,
   not style!) color for your ceiling!

2. A
   shimmery or satin paint color can also make the ceiling appear higher
   by drawing the eye upward. 

3. Painting the room in
   monotones will also make the ceiling appear higher. Be sure that the
   lightest tone of the series is used for the ceiling. 

4. Don’t break up the
   walls with horizontal lines. Chair rails, horizontal paint strips and
   extended horizontal art groupings will emphasize the height (or lack
   thereof) of the ceiling.

5. Don’t hang chandeliers
   when hang low in the room space. It just screams lack of height and
   visually cuts the room in half! Instead use flush or semi-flush
   lighting fixtures or recessed lighting.

6. Use uplighting in the
   room as much as possible. Lamps should cast light on the ceilings to
   create the illusion of height.

7. If you want to use crown
   moldings, make sure they are thin. 2-3 inch moldings will add a touch
   of class to the room without emphasizing the ceiling height.

8. Whatever you do,
   don’t
   use a wallpaper border! It cuts the room in half visually – just what
   you are trying to avoid!

9. Draw attention to the
   bottom half of the room with low-backed furniture, colorful rugs and
   low tables.

10. Add
    vertical lines in the room to create the illusion of height! This can be
    done with drapes, vertical striped fabrics and tall, thin bookcases,
    cabinets or chairs.

With
a little visual magic, you can remove that claustrophobic feel and create a
light and spacious feeling in your room.

Hey! Do you think uplighting will
help turn me from a “short stuff” to a runway model?

___________________

* Pamela Cole Harris
is a writer, eco-decorator and author of
 “100+ Wildly Imaginative Ways to
Make Your Own Coffee Table – a Handbook for Creatively Deficient
Decorators.”