Long ago, most homes had ceilings that were at least 10 feet high and often as high as 13 feet. Now, most newer homes have 9-foot ceilings while some are as low as 8 feet. If you have shorter ceilings, you may feel boxed-in in your living room. Here are six ways to increase the visual height.
1. Avoid furniture with high backs.
Furniture with high backs can provide extra comfort and an impressive look. However, if your ceilings are lower than you’d like, consider getting furniture that doesn’t have such tall backs. You can go with a low-slung couch. Or, a choice like the Bristan Walnut Sofa, with its medium-high back, gives you more visual and physical headroom.
2. Use paint to create the illusion of height.
The way you paint your room can make it feel taller. By painting the walls and ceilings the same color, you create the illusion of vertical space. Houzz recommends using the same colors as your walls but mixing it with 50 percent white if you feel your wall color is too bright or dark for the ceiling.
3. Bring in vertical lighting elements.
When you use vertical lighting elements in your living room, you give the room a taller look. Floor lamps with tall, slim posts are perfect for this. Another option is to use vertical wall sconces. Even a hanging lamp can add the appearance of height. However, if you use a hanging lamp, be sure the light is high enough that it doesn’t make the overhead space feel cramped.
4. Hang your curtains high.
If you hang your curtains high, you emphasize how much space there is above the floor. In fact, if you hang curtains that go from the ceiling to the floor, you make your room look much taller than if you break up that vertical space with curtains that only cover a portion of that wall space.
5. Add some tall bookcases.
Adding tall bookcases is another way to make your living room ceilings appear higher. The best choices are narrow bookcases with open shelves that cover the entire height of the wall. These draw your eye upward slowly so that it seems like there’s a lot of space between the floor and the celling. On a site like 1StopBedrooms, you can find many different tall bookcases to complement any home décor.
6. Display wall art vertically.
One way to add the look of taller walls (and thus higher ceilings) is to create a vertical display of wall art. For example, you might have a collection of paintings you can put in the same size of frames. Arrange them in rows so that the grouping as a whole is taller than it is wide.
Just because you have low ceilings, it doesn’t mean you have to feel cramped in your living room. Use these tips to create the illusion of a tall living space. Then, by making the right home décor choices, you can enjoy a wonderful sense of spaciousness.