How to 'Fake' the Look of Soaring Ceilings

August 28, 2017

Even if your home is short on square footage, high ceilings can help create the look of more space and make a room feel larger and more open than it truly is.
ceilingsBut what if your home isn’t blessed with soaring ceilings, which is typically the case in older homes? It’s not exactly feasible to lift the roof and add a couple more feet to your walls in order to achieve this look.
Luckily, you can pull some tricks of the eye to help make your home appear as if its ceilings are much higher than they really are, thereby creating a more spacious and grandiose feel to the space.
Here are some tips to help you achieve this look.
Keep Window Treatments to a Minimum
The ability to see an expansive outdoor space can help make any room feel just as spacious. By minimizing the coverings over the windows, you can amplify the view to the outdoors and help make your room feel taller than it really is. This tip is especially helpful for ground-level spaces.
Outfit the Space With Low Furniture Pieces
The lower the furniture, the more space there will be between these pieces and the ceiling above. Low furniture works really well in maximizing the perceived height of your room and can be especially beneficial if you’ve got great views that you don’t want to cut off with unnecessarily high furniture.
Paint Crown Moulding and Ceilings the Same Colour
Rather than breaking up the colour of the walls and crown moulding, paint them both the same colour. Breaking up the colour scheme has the effect of shortening each component, which is the opposite effect that you want to achieve. Instead, keeping the flow of colour going from walls to ceiling can have an elongating effect to a space.
Hang Straight, Vertical Window Draperies 
Hanging vertical draperies on either side of the windows can help make a room appear as if it’s got high ceilings, especially if there is nothing added across the windows as was customary in the 80’s with “balloon” drapery. Letting the draperies hang without anything intercepting them is best.
Take things a step further by hanging the rods a few inches above the windows to add more length to the drapery. Also, make sure that the pattern and colour of the fabric is uniform, which helps avoid breaking up the length.
Hang Artwork Vertically
You can absolutely hang some artwork horizontally, but make sure a few pieces are hung vertically. Doing so will help to draw the eye up and make the space seem like it’s got much more headroom.
Use Vertical Lines on Walls
This trick works in the fashion world to create the illusion of height and can be applied to the interior design realm as well. The use of vertical lines or stripes can help elongate the look of a space, making the ceiling in a room seem higher.
ceilingsMake Sure Your Lighting is Flush With the Ceiling
Chandeliers and pendant lamps are fantastic, but they may not necessarily work in low-ceiling spaces. If your home’s ceiling height is modest at best, consider using flush-mounted lighting to help create the appearance of more headroom.
Hang Patterned Window Drapery
Patterns on textiles help draw the eye upward, which is precisely the effect you want when trying to make your home look as though it’s got high ceilings. Just keep your patterning consistent without over-complicating the space.
Use Vertical Shelving Units
Just like vertical lines on walls can help create the illusion of more height, so can vertical bookshelves. This type of decorating has an uplifting impact on a room by taking a few key pieces all the way up to the ceiling.
Need More Tips to Help Give Some Height to Your Ceilings? Call Hope Designs!
You can call the pros at Hope Designs master illusionists, as they have an uncanny way of transforming the look of any space into one of pure bliss, no matter what type of space they’re working with. To enhance the look of your home, give Hope Designs a call today!