Paint your baseboards and crown molding the same color as your walls. You're visually extending the wall by several inches on both the top and bottom, space which is ordinarily white, instantly tricking your eye into thinking the walls are 8-12 inches taller than normal walls.
Another technique for making walls look taller is painting a border of at least one foot in the same colour as the ceiling. This way, the ceiling will take up more visual space, and your walls will look taller.
If you want to add the illusion of height to a room, look up. In smaller rooms, painting the ceiling a light color can heighten the overall feel of the space. And it doesn't have to be a shade of white, either. Turn tradition on its head by using a crisp white on the walls and trim with a pop of color on the ceiling.
Bright White
White is the default color for ceilings, and for good reason: A white ceiling adds the illusion of height to any room, says Felipe Navarro, owner of Philippe Luxe, a Los Angeles interior design firm. “It'll also make the room more modern and crisp,” Navarro adds.
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.
If you don't have any wall collages, think about stacking a few art pieces on top of one another vertically to reach new wall heights. If your room has room for it, a nice bookcase (we've got the best of 2014 right here) or other tall furniture piece (hey, ladders work, too) is a great way to add some height to a room.
If your average-height ceilings aren't capturing the ambiance of the elegant cathedral ceilings you desire, a dark floor—whether hardwood, tile, or carpet—can make a light-colored ceiling seem even higher.
' 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.
In a kitchen, crown molding adds dimension to upper cabinets, making them, and the room, feel taller.
Low ceilings in your home isn't necessarily a bad thing. Before modern times, 8 feet was typically regarded as the standard height for ceilings. Today, however, not uncommonly, most ceilings are 9 or even 10 feet in height.
It typically involves removing horizontal beams called joists and installing a new ceiling. If you don't have sufficient space above the room, then a contractor has to raise the roof in order to elevate the ceiling. They make the surrounding walls taller, often by adding taller support beams.
8.5 to 9 feet is the minimum height from the floor required for a false ceiling.
Typically a project tackled by a contractor, the cost to convert a flat ceiling to a vaulted ceiling can run you $18,000 to $35,000, adding major resale value to your home. But with a little engineering know-how and some solid carpentry skills, this project can be tackled by experienced DIYers.
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.
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.
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.