About this app
If your ceilings are low, it can make a room look smaller and more closed in. You can make your ceilings look much higher, visually opening up the room! A few simple tricks can transform your living room from one that looks claustrophobic to one that looks spacious, airy and open. In this article you will find several useful techniques for expanding your living room, giving the impression of a higher ceiling.
Remove wall applications that shorten the walls
Things that make your walls look shorter visually bring the ceiling down. For this reason, you want to remove any chair rails, paneling, wallpaper or other applications that go only halfway up the wall. This type of decorating chops the wall up, making it look much shorter than it actually is.
You want to avoid when making your ceilings look higher is cutting your walls in half with paneling, wallpaper and other decorations. If you love paneling and want to use it, choose a light shade and take it all the way up the wall to the ceiling.
Tricks to make your ceiling appear higher
One easy way to make you ceiling appear higher is to continue your ceiling color on to the wall. If your ceiling is tan or cream, continue the color down the wall in a single horizontal stripe. Consider ceiling tiles made of metal to give a mirror effect; the reflection makes the room appear larger than it actually is. A white tile will also make the ceiling appear higher.
Paint is an easy way to raise your ceilings, and it is also affordable and within most budgets. To keep your ceiling from closing in on you, consider painting both your walls and your ceiling an off-white or sand color. Light colors open up spaces; dark colors diminish.
Another good idea is to hang a slim light fixture or ceiling fan in the center of the room to draw the eye upward. Avoid bulky or thick looking fixtures, as they can make the ceiling seem lower.
Curtains and accessories can make the ceiling visually higher
A few easy, subtle changes can make your ceiling appear higher. Consider hanging curtains or draperies close to the ceiling; the long line of the curtain will make the room appear taller. Avoid drapes that are short or stop at the window sill, rather, take them to the floor instead. Stone around a fireplace, when taken all the way up to the ceiling, will elongate walls and make the ceiling seem higher too.
Choose accessories that offer a long, slimming effect. Artificial trees that are taller than usual, tall vases filled with dried flowers, and a bookcase that extends to the ceiling will all add height to your living room, making a short ceiling seem much taller.
Older homes often have very short ceilings, which can give a room a squatty effect. Use the tips above in decorating your living room, and you will see that the room looks open and much more spacious!
Whether your living room is a 21 foot length with a large picture window at one end or you live in a tiny apartment and the living room is bijou to say the least, there are living room décor ideas to suit you and your budget. You can go for cozy chic and warm up your living space or go for open-plan with vaulted ceilings and an expanse of herringbone hardwood floor. At the end of your project you will have ended up with a space that you can live in comfortably, decorated according to the space you have available. Are you aiming for a peaceful retreat, full of serenity and harmony or a more user-friendly, basic living space where you feel comfortable slipping your shoes off and putting your feet up.
If I was choosing a color scheme for my living room I would go to the cooler colors on my color wheel chart - the blues and greens which can be used in different shades to achieve a 'joined-up' look of cool elegance. I always make sure that, when I paint my ceiling,
