How to Design with Low Ceilings in a Small Room
- 1). Use color to "raise" the ceilings. Paint ceilings white to make them look higher. Continue the theme of light colors on the walls to open up a small room. Continue a darker wall color several inches onto the ceiling to make the ceiling appear smaller and the walls taller.
- 2). Go the cozy route and paint the walls and ceiling warm or even hot colors. Continue a deep golden yellow wall color onto the ceiling. Paint the the moldings, too. Contrasting molding can draw the eye to the low ceiling height. Stencil decorative elements on jewel-toned walls and ceilings with white or metallic paint to set an ornate, intimate scene.
- 3). Make your room reflect the light. Cover a ceiling paint job with poly-acrylic gloss. When light bounces off the ceiling, the small room feels bigger and more open. Tile the ceiling using copper or tin for the same effect. Tall mirrors on the walls also capitalize on light to open up the space.
- 4). Decorate a small room with small scale furniture that is low to the ground to make the walls appear taller and the room more open. Make a clean, super modern space with heavy duty plastic cube chairs and compact tables in primary colors paired with glossy white ceilings, walls and floors.
- 5). Add interest with graphic wallpaper. Cover one wall in a bold retro print -- the visual dynamism can actually make a small room feel larger. Wallpaper with a background that is the same shade as the painted walls will be especially effective.
- 6). Hang floor-length curtains as close as possible to the ceiling, creating strong vertical lines that draw the eyes upward and make the room feel taller. Mimic this effect with a tall arrangement of art or branches on one wall to give the eyes something interesting to linger over.
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