If you have an 8 foot ceiling with an attic above, you can do a minor remodel to the ceiling of one or more rooms of your home to increase the ceiling height in the middle of the room to 9 foot or more, depending on the available space in your attic.
In an effort to stem heating/cooling costs, houses were constructed with less interior space by shortening ceilings. Home insulation and heating/cooling systems have vastly improved since then, and eight-foot ceilings are now considered outmoded.
Ceiling Color
The lightest and whitest colors work best at making a low ceiling appear taller. A bright white or a slightly gray white color are the optimal ceiling colors. Avoid using a color in a different hue on the ceiling if possible, as it will appear darker on the ceiling and not reflect as much light.
Do coffered ceilings make a room look smaller? Yes and no. Installing beams will physically lower the ceiling and can make a small bedroom, for instance, feel even more cramped. That's why this style is recommended for rooms that are on the larger side and ceilings 9 feet high or taller.
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.
The standard ceiling height is around 10 ft for different types of buildings and the average ceiling height for a residential building should be at least 9 ft. 6 inches for any habitable room.
For example, in a room that measures 12 feet by 13 feet, the ideal ceiling height would be 12.5 feet. In a small room that measures eight feet by ten feet, the ideal ceiling height would be nine feet. A room illuminated with natural light is pleasant and cheerful, and can even lift our spirits.
What Is Considered Low Ceiling Height? For residential rooms such as bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, hallways, or offices, anything less than eight feet is low. A seven-foot-high ceiling makes the space feel cramped and crowded.
With the price increase being relatively small when you go higher, it's usually worth it to raise your ceilings to 13 feet if your budget and house structure allow.
You can still raise stick roofs, but it will most likely require you to tear down the existing roof and rebuild the structure. A few factors could make raising your roof impossible, or incredibly costly. These include: Your roof's framing.
It is absolutely more desirable to haveif you 9' ceilings, and will more than pay for itself in value added to the home. Consider choosing more economical finishes like counters and bathroom floors that can be upgraded down the road, ceiling height is forever.
A typical ceiling height in an apartment is 8 feet, but newer construction (built after 1995), can have ceilings 8.5 to 9 feet+. If you live in a historical building (i.e. pre 1940s) that was converted into apartments (such as an old warehouse or school), you can see ceiling heights of 14 feet+.
8′ Ceilings
The actual height of an 8′ ceiling is 8′ 1/2″ = 97.125″-0.625″, measured from the subfloor. Since the finished floor height is ~0.5″ thick, the final height is ~8′.
For an 8-foot ceiling, your curtain panels should probably be about 91 inches long. If you don't want to get custom window panels, you can buy 96-inch ones and hem them so they are floor to (almost) ceiling.
Generally speaking, the tree height should be at least 6” shorter than the ceiling height to allow for a tree topper. For a room with a standard 8' ceiling, a 7-7.5' tall tree would be ideal.
In most instances, many people choose a deep coffered ceiling with a crown of 4 and 5/8 inches, and this is best for ceilings over 8 feet 6 inches in height. Ceilings that are a minimum of 8 feet look better with a medium coffered ceiling with a 3 and 1/2 inch crown.
When designed right, and paired with lighter colors and textures to balance out the contrast of the room, a black painted ceiling can make a room appear larger. When the eye is drawn up to notice such a bold statement, it can give the illusion that walls are taller than they actually are.
Crown molding can certainly be used to make ceilings look even higher. If you paint over the trim in the same color as the walls, the ceiling will seem to blend into the wall, and you won't notice the height as much. Thin trim can also make the ceiling line appear further away.