• An overstuffed couch will not be overwhelming in a room with high ceilings.Overstuffed Brown Leather Reclining Sofa image by James Phelps from Fotolia.com
  
  While high ceilings can give a room a sense of space and impressive elegance, they can also cause a room to look cold and foreboding if they are not accented properly. Giving a room with high ceilings a new look is a straightforward procedure if you know what your goals and priorities are. Choose decorative features that will enhance the benefits of a room with high ceilings.
  
  

Horizontal Stripes

• Horizontal stripes tend to widen a space and make it look shorter. To this end, place a chair rail around the room. Not only will the chair rail keep the walls from getting scuffed, it will also bring the eye lower. Similarly, place a wallpaper border at waist height or shoulder height in the room to accomplish the same effect. Avoid placing a border close to the ceiling, as it will again draw the eye higher.
  
  

Paint Half the Room

• Divide the walls using a chair rail and paint the bottom half of the wall a different color than the top half. A darker bottom half will ground the room while allowing it to still look bright. A similar effect can be achieved by paneling the bottom half of the room in wood or by wallpapering. This reduces the uninterrupted space and prevents the walls from looking too cold or overwhelming.
  
  

Art

• Wall art, whether in the form of framed art prints, framed posters or decorative rugs, adds texture to the room while bringing the ceiling down. To keep the art from appearing imposing or from dominating the room, hang it at eye level, so that people do not have to crane their necks to look at it. Similarly, when hanging art above a piece of furniture, make sure that there is a comfortable amount of space between the piece and the furniture, as this will prevent the space from appearing cluttered.
  
  

Large Furniture

• Fill a room with high ceilings using large furniture. Dainty furniture or even furniture that is normal-sized can be dwarfed in a high-ceilinged room. Instead, choose overstuffed couches, tall bookshelves and large armoires that will fill up the space. Avoid furniture that will appear flimsy or overwhelmed in the large room.
  
  

Add Texture

• If you wish to keep the room monochromatic, add texture to the walls and the floor. This gives the eye something to catch on in the room, rather than allowing it to go straight up to the ceiling. Use wood, metal, glass and fabric in the room to give it texture. Consider fabric wall hangings and rugs on the floor to add an element of warmth to the room.