If you are painting the walls something other than white, try painting the ceilings that color, too. Doing so will draw the eye upward, making the ceiling feel higher. Some experts recommend choosing the same color, only 20% lighter.
Embrace painting your ceilings
Much like how crown moulding and baseboards painted to match your walls extends your wall height visually, so does carrying that same colour on to the ceiling. If your eye can't find a stopping place, then it makes your ceilings feel much higher.
Paint your ceiling the same color as your walls.
This will draw the eye up, which creates the illusion of a larger room and higher ceilings. Bonus if you're able to install some trim and crown molding, as I've found this can also make the ceilings look higher. How do I know this paint trick works?
Even if you have a bold color or a soft neutral on the walls, stick with a white ceiling to make the room feel taller.
Add reflective surfaces
Yes, you know that mirrors make a space appear larger. (“It's like doubling a room,” Curtis says.) But other reflective surfaces — high-gloss painted ceilings, lacquered furniture, shiny tile on a kitchen backsplash — have a similar effect, casting light and creating the illusion of volume.
Radiant white, soft cream or delicate pastel hues are best suited for low ceilings, as they open up the room visually, reflect the light better, and make the ceiling appear further away. This helps to make the space appear much larger and brighter.
Choose a lighter 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.
' It's why color-drenched rooms feel modern and fresh - there's a minimalism to them that gives even spaces with traditional features a contemporary feel. Painting the ceiling the same color as the walls can also help a small room look larger, especially in rooms that have low ceilings.
High ceilings can increase a home's value by five to 25 percent. In fact, raising the height of a ceiling added an average of $4,000 to home values, according to a survey by the National Association of Home Builders.
Make the Space Feel Larger
As counterintuitive as it might sound, a black ceiling can open up a small space and create the illusion that the ceilings are higher than they really are. In this particular space, the black ceiling and bright white walls also balanced the more saturated hues of the furnishings and decor."
The illusion of space.
Although one common fear of painting a ceiling with darker colors lies in closing a room in, the truth is that a deeply saturated ceiling can actually enlarge a space. “It helps to blur the lines and edges of the space,” Cesa says. “It can make small rooms feel larger.”
In this case it distracts the eye from the low ceiling, because you look at the painting first, then the wall framing, which is, of course, taller than it is wider to correct the room's proportions. Clever right? The white around the framing plus the white ceiling also help push that ceiling up visually.
Dark walls paired with a light floor and ceiling give the illusion of a taller room. There's no need to paint your walls black: just apply a bolder shade to a section of your room to illuminate and highlight the light shade above your head.
On the contrary, flat paint offers a chalky, matte finish that doesn't reflect light. Therefore, flat paint is a good choice when it comes to applying on ceilings. Flat paint actually lowers down the light glare, making it an appropriate choice for ceilings.
Gray can make a room look bigger. A light gray can be a great pick in place of white; it will reflect natural light, but it looks less architectural and cool than white, which you might prefer.
Pro painting tips will usually tell you to follow a certain order when painting a room. They paint the trim first, then the ceiling, then the walls. That's because it's easier (and faster) to tape off the trim than to tape off the walls. And you certainly don't want to tape them both off!
Ceilings should almost always be painted in a flat, matte acrylic paint. The reason for this is that: Flat paint will not reflect light or draw attention away from the wall and room furnishings. Ceilings don't receive much wear and tear, so a glossy, durable paint is not necessary.
Light colors have an inherent reflectivity, which is why they can make a room feel bigger. Another way to achieve this—or to boost the already enlarging effects of a light color—is to go with an eggshell, satin, or semi-gloss sheen instead of a matte. Don't pair dark colors with a light trim.
How to Choose Ceiling Paint Colors. As a general rule, ceilings that are lighter in tone than the walls feel higher, while darker colors will make the ceiling feel lower. That doesn't necessarily mean the room will feel claustrophobic, however. Visually lowered ceilings can evoke a cozy, intimate feeling.
While a flat white is usually the safest ceiling color, the opposite end of the scale is to pursue a striking, dramatic, and confident feeling. A red ceiling can bring life to an otherwise dull room, especially when the room has a lot of natural light. Red ceilings pair up well with off-white or gray walls.