Low ceilings always don't like it. They “pressure,” irritate, “hang,” and visually make a room with relatively large dimensions around the perimeter appear smaller. But the situation can be changed. Visual illusion comes to the rescue. Interior designers have their own tricks and recommendations on how to visually increase the ceiling. Various design tips and optical illusions will help you “lift” it.
At the stage of renovation of the premises
If repairs are only in the future, then it is possible to plan some elements for visual increase heights in advance.
- To visually increase the height of the ceiling, you need to immediately discard all ideas for decorating the room in which there is a horizontal orientation. They visually expand the walls and shorten the height.
- In some cases, you can gain in the height of the room if you dismantle the old wooden floor and replace it with a screed.
- Compensation effect. You can slightly reduce the height in neighboring small rooms. In small rooms around the perimeter, a low ceiling puts less pressure on them, so this will not spoil them. And the difference when moving from a room with a low ceiling to a room with a normal height will be felt significantly. For information on how to visually increase the height of the ceiling, see the photo below.
Increasing the height of a room with color
This is one of the main tools that designers manipulate.
- In order to visually make the room taller, you need to give preference to painting the ceiling in cool shades light colors. For example, use white, gray or soft pearl color.
- Soft blues and light greens also make the room feel more open.
- Ceiling and walls painted pale blue sky, blur the line between them, making the room tall.
- Bright walls with a white, pale ceiling “raise” it, “pushing it further” further and higher.
Mirrors and room height
You can visually increase the height of the ceiling through the use of mirrors.
Specularity makes the top of the room seem poorly defined. For this purpose, mirror panels or a metal frame with mirrors are sometimes used. They are very heavy, so the issue of fastening them is very important; its solution requires some effort and expense.
Instead of glass mirror can be purchased today polystyrene panels. This option costs much less, is lighter in weight, and easier to maintain. We must not forget that, unfortunately, the ceiling structure required for this will itself lower it. The illusion of the second floor will save the situation which gives mirror reflection rooms in the ceiling.
For a ceiling with a mirror reflection, you can consider stretched glossy options. They will also give a reflection and increase the height, but everything will be reflected blurry, so the effect of increasing the height will be weaker.
Mirror surfaces should also be present in other finishing elements, room decoration. For example, an elongated large mirror that stands on the floor in an elegant design, mirrors that repeat the shape of vertical paintings hanging next to them.
In general, you should prefer a glossy surface to a matte one in everything. It helps to visually increase space.
Features of room wall decoration
Everyone knows that a pattern with vertical stripes is good for low-slung rooms. It seems to stretch out the walls, thereby making the room taller. But not everyone knows the nuances.
Any stripes should be moderately wide. The narrower the stripes, the greater their height appears. You need to refrain from too contrasting stripes in large quantities. You can use, for example, one wall for them.
If you go overboard and make all the walls striped and bright, the room will become smaller. There don't have to be clearly defined stripes. It is enough that it will be any drawing with a vertical orientation. This is a floral theme, geometric delights, or any other elongated patterns.
Plain walls in non-garish pastel colors work well. You shouldn’t give up on them, thinking that they are monotonous and uninteresting. They will undoubtedly do their job, they will be able to visually increase the height of the ceiling, and add brightness and creativity to the room decorative elements, pieces of furniture.
The option of placing wallpaper a few centimeters on the ceiling is also effective. This technique has been used for a long time, but remains no less effective. But there is an opinion that such a visual illusion makes the room look smaller.
If you don’t like this option of installing wallpaper, then it is still not recommended to make their height a few centimeters below the transition from the walls, as is customary. Walls trimmed with wallpaper up to their very top border will look advantageous.
You can resort to painting the walls and/or ceiling by an artist. It is better to choose a drawing that depicts a distant subject.
Illusions of room volume
To visually increase the height, moldings are also used, decorative beams. These are light decorative elements. They are selected so that their color is slightly lighter than the entire ceiling. Thanks to this, the effect of its deepening in relation to the molding is created. But do not confuse molding with stucco details. They are the ones who make the room look lower, no matter how elegant they are.
Room lighting
Its potential for “increasing” the height of a room is great. Any types of large chandeliers are immediately excluded, even if they are not located low. Massive, hanging chandeliers are not ideal for low rooms, as they increase the feeling of “pressure from above.” You need to limit yourself to small-sized flat chandeliers or small point sources Sveta.
A well-lit room seems more spacious. However, you should not overload the room with chandeliers and other light sources. A smart decision would be to abandon chandeliers altogether in favor of side lighting and spotlights. As for the direction of lighting, the lamps on the walls should direct their light upward.
Furniture and ceiling height
Its role in visual deception is important. Harmonious and well-chosen, it can visually raise the ceiling. The visibility of high walls will be helped by creating narrow, thin display cases; open, ceiling-height shelves and racks.
Like all elements in the room, they should have a vertical orientation, which lengthens the room in height.
It is worth giving up bulky furniture, wide and low chests of drawers, long cabinets, and giving preference to simple, laconic forms. Great furniture makes small room even less, and therefore lower.
Curtains for “pulling out” a room
This is not just “clothing” for windows. This is the space connecting the floor and ceiling. Therefore, its significance in the illusory increase in the height of the room is enormous.
The principle of refusal remains here. horizontal lines. Large patterns of wide vertical and horizontal stripes. This means that their length should be to the floor, and not end at the level of the window sill. You should avoid various lambrequins and other decorations that create horizontal lines.
Only long floor-length curtains will help to visually increase low ceilings. Even if the window is small and the curtains on them are narrow, you should not worry about this. From their vertical visual orientation visual height will only win. The right decision there will be a vertical fold on the curtain or any decorative element hanging from the ceiling to the floor.
Low room decor items
All decorative elements are subject to general rule– be long and have no horizontal lines.
Can be applied:
- paintings of an elongated shape with a corresponding pattern;
- mirrors of various, but always elongated shapes;
- posters without baguette;
- elongated vases;
- flowers with tall long stems,
- floor lamps with long legs.
Deepening the floor instead of raising the ceiling
How to visually raise the ceiling if this is not possible or the changes made in the room for this purpose do not produce results? Why not try to visually deepen the floor! Can be used floor tiles with a glossy finish in light cool colors, varnished wooden surfaces(parquet, laminate).
Other accents for small rooms
From the low ceiling it is worth turning attention to other parts of the room. On the floor, for example. This can be done if you use materials that contrast with the top of the room in color and other bright properties. This could be finishing or decorating the floor with elements with a special structure. Perhaps a carpet, the structure and color of which should attract attention, an interesting contrasting floor tile.
Low ceilings
The optimal ceiling height in an apartment is 2.4-2.5 meters. If the height is less, the ceilings can “press” on those present. And the lower the ceilings, the stronger this effect. Unfortunately, in typical Khrushchev-era buildings, the ceilings are usually not high enough. There is only one way to really raise the ceiling - remove the plank floors on the joists and make a screed. The ceilings will become several centimeters higher, and this, of course, will be noticeable.
All other ways to raise the ceiling are based only on visual illusions. Designers have several techniques in their arsenal to eliminate the effect of ceiling “pressure” and visually enlarge it, thereby making the room visually more spacious and pleasant. What kind of techniques are these?
Low ceiling: how to visually raise it?
1. Choosing the right color for the ceiling. Light, cold shades tend to visually move away from us. It seems that surfaces painted in these colors seem to move away, so the room visually increases. You can choose a cold ceiling white-gray color or a light pearl shade. Blue and green objects also visually move away. Therefore, a low ceiling can be painted light blue, gray-blue or cool pale green.
The effect of infinity can be achieved by turning the ceiling into the sky - that is, by covering it with wallpaper with a heavenly pattern or decorating it with appropriate painting. You can also order installation of suspended ceilings with heavenly photo print.
An effective technique suitable for children: decoration with a heavenly pattern on the wall and ceiling. At the same time, the boundary between the wall and the ceiling is blurred, and the top of the room begins to seem endless.
2. Reflective ceiling. A mirrored ceiling is the dream of many. But a real mirror ceiling is not very safe. Ideally, this should be a suspended ceiling with metal frame and small in size attached to it mirror panels. Nowadays, instead of a real mirror, mirrored polystyrene panels are more often used. Installation of such a structure will lower the ceiling by several centimeters, although this drawback is offset by the illusion of having a second floor with a transparent floor. If possible, you can choose such a solution - for example, for a living room, bathroom, hall, etc.
Safe " mirror solution"are glossy stretch ceiling . This ceiling makes the room taller, but the reflection is still blurry.
As for color, you need to choose a canvas of one of those shades mentioned above: cold grayish, pearl, bluish, barely visible green, etc.
3. Vertical wall pattern. Wallpaper in narrow vertical stripe- a classic of the genre, if we're talking about about a low room. It is advisable that the stripe is not too contrasting.
You should not differentiate between a plain ceiling and striped walls with a wide ceiling plinth. It would be better if it were narrow and blended with the color of the ceiling. Otherwise, being too noticeable, it will “cut off” the ceiling from the walls and thereby emphasize their small height.
An interesting technique is to cover the walls with striped wallpaper with a slight approach to the ceiling: the walls will appear higher.
The wallpaper does not have to be striped - it can be any vertical pattern, floral or geometric. In addition, wallpaper can be plain, but textured with a vertical orientation of the texture.
4. Ceiling with the illusion of volume. Above this, a coffered ceiling may appear. You can use not very large ones by gluing them transversely to the ceiling. The moldings should be lighter than the space inside the resulting squares (or diamonds). This space needs to be painted darker and preferably cool color- the ceiling seems to deepen.
5. Playing with lighting. Bulky low chandeliers are absolutely not suitable. You can mount a flat lampshade chandelier on the ceiling. If it is a suspended or suspended ceiling, you should give preference to spotlights.
To prevent the ceiling from pressing, the following technique is used: several lamps are mounted under the ceiling around the perimeter of the room with upwards or up and down. Their light illuminates the ceiling only along the perimeter, and the center of the ceiling remains darkened: it is not clear whether it is high or low. In any case, the “pressure” effect disappears.
Using the same principle, you can organize tabletop and floor-standing ones, the light from which will create light spots on the ceiling, but not completely illuminate it.
6. Furniture. Furniture can also help adjust the height of the room. Tall narrow display cases, shelving, and counters will visually elongate the walls (the same principle as the vertical pattern on the walls).
Furniture should not be too bulky - it is better to give preference to neat, minimalistic items.
Against the background of high narrow cabinets, display cases and shelving will appear very miniature and low coffee tables(in Japanese and) and TV stands. It will seem that they only appear so low due to the height of the room. This is a game of contrasts.
7. Decor and curtains. Choose long curtains and hang the curtain directly from the ceiling. Let them reach the floor.
A vertical fold in the curtains will help to visually raise low ceilings. For kitchen and other rooms, you can give preference to vertical blinds.
In this article we will talk about what design and architectural techniques can be used to visually raise a low ceiling in ordinary apartment. All the options described are easy to put into practice and very effective.
A high ceiling makes any room, even the cramped one, more spacious and brighter. It is not for nothing that in advertisements for the sale of apartments, as one of the main advantages, the “ceiling height is 3 meters” must be indicated.
Unfortunately, typical old-built apartments and new “economy class” buildings cannot boast of such a height. What to do if the ceiling literally “presses”, making the room look squat and uncomfortable? We offer you 15 ways to help cope with this problem, even if the height of your rooms is only 2.5 meters.
Agree, there is something special in such rooms, the ceiling of which is at an unimaginable height! There is so much space, light and air here. It's a shame that most of us have to make do with ceilings that rise to a maximum of 2.85 meters
1. Glossy or mirror ceiling
This option can be called one of the most effective and at the same time quite simple. Of course, the purchase and installation of a glossy stretch or mirror ceiling will cost a substantial amount, but the effect will be airy, free space immediately, as they say, it is obvious. On shiny surface everything below will be reflected, and as a result the ceiling will seem to disappear.
Interestingly, to achieve the effect more high ceiling The reflective surface does not have to be light at all. A dark blue glossy ceiling will also reflect the interior of the room and the effect of additional depth of space will be the same.
IN in this case glossy ceiling was chosen in white to match the rest of the kitchen interior. But darker shiny tension surfaces will give the same effect of increasing the height of the room
Look how effectively we managed to visually increase the height of this living room with the help of mirrors
2. We use low upholstered furniture, beds and chests of drawers
If nothing can be done about the ceiling itself, you can visually increase its height by using low furniture. In rooms with low ceiling sofas should be installed without legs, squat, no higher than 40 centimeters.
We use exactly the same principle to select chairs - let them be lower than usual, but at the same time quite comfortable, on strong massive legs or without them at all, like a bean bag chair, for example. Choose a bed with a low headboard and a chest of drawers with no more than three drawers.
Lower-than-usual furniture will not “eat up” vertical space and visually “raise” the ceiling
3. Large windows
A higher ceiling will give an excellent effect big windows. But they should not be increased in width, but up and down. A tall window in itself looks impressive, making the room brighter and more spacious. Against the background of such windows, it will seem that the ceiling has “risen” up.
In this case, it is not at all necessary to occupy the entire wall with a window - let it be narrow, but be sure to be elongated. For the effect of a higher ceiling, this is even better.
The windows stretch up almost to the ceiling, making the room brighter and more spacious. Such high windows often made arched, but rectangular ones are also quite suitable
4. Built-in spotlights
A lush hanging chandelier will make your already not too high ceiling look very low. Imagine how a distinguished guest clings to the dangling pendants of a chandelier or a lamp suspended on a long cord above the table!
Leave such light sources descending from above for higher rooms, and install built-in ones in your room. Spotlights. Such lighting will allow you to visually raise the ceiling and will be much more appropriate in this case.
In a room with a low ceiling, you should avoid a massive chandelier and hanging ceiling lamps. Such small built-in light sources can visually raise the ceiling
5. Vertical striped wallpaper or the same pattern created with paint on the wall
All fashionistas know that a dress with vertical stripes is slimming. The same effect can be used in the case of a low ceiling - a vertical strip will make it possible to lengthen the wall, and accordingly, the ceiling will appear higher.
You can choose striped wallpaper or paint vertical lines using painter's tape - it's not that important. It should be remembered that in a small room narrow vertical stripes will be more appropriate, but in a fairly large room you can use wide ones.
Not all walls of the room can be decorated with a vertical stripe, but only one - the most noticeable one
6. Curtains
Curtains can be a good help in the fight for a visually higher ceiling. If your ceiling is low, install a curtain rod right under the ceiling, or better yet, completely hide it behind a strip of plasterboard or plywood, designed to match the walls.
Curtains in a room with a low ceiling should seem to flow from the highest point. Moreover, the curtains should also go down to the floor. Only in this case the effect of a higher ceiling will be maximum. As for the pattern and color, it is better to choose curtains that are light, light, with a vertical stripe or a floral pattern that tends upward.
For a low room it is better to choose ceiling cornices to increase the length of the curtains and, accordingly, visually raise the ceiling
You can raise not only ordinary ones to the ceiling, but also Roman and Japanese curtains. Let it seem that your window is larger than it actually is, and the ceiling is higher
7. Vertical layout
According to principle vertical stripes Narrow but tall cabinet furniture can also be used on wallpaper or painted walls. For example, choose a narrow but very high, up to the ceiling, rack and install it in the same way bookshelves, order a wall for the living room, consisting of fairly narrow, but as high as possible individual parts.
The cabinets in the kitchen can be made just as high, and the wardrobe traditionally occupies the entire space from floor to ceiling. The principle of vertical layout to visually increase the height of the ceiling applies not only to cabinet furniture. So, it is also better to choose paintings that are elongated in height, and not wide, as usual.
A tall flower in the living room or bedroom can also “raise” the ceiling.
The higher the rack or shelves rise, the higher your ceiling will appear.
Tall flowers, of course, take up quite a lot of space in the room, but they visually raise the ceiling
8. Light from below
Choose sconces and floor lamps with shades that allow light to be cast upward onto the ceiling. Such lighting from a lower point will also make the room visually taller. A similar effect is often used by photographers - to make the model’s legs appear longer, they are photographed and illuminated from below.
Choose floor lamps and sconces with lampshades that cast light both down and up. Such lighting will allow us to achieve the desired effect of a higher ceiling, but, unfortunately, only in dark time days
9. We expose the structure of the floors and remove the finishing
If you completely get rid of everything that is applied to the ceiling - plaster, drywall, paint, tension fabric- the room will not visually, but actually become taller.
In addition, this “decor”, or rather its complete absence, looks unusual. Of course, a “bare” ceiling is not suitable for all rooms, but it will be quite appropriate when decorating the interior of a room in an industrial or loft style.
Concrete in Lately from construction is increasingly turning into finishing material. Get rid of unnecessary decoration on the ceiling, and explain to guests that you are following a fashion trend
10. Painting walls diagonally
Remember how your gaze stretches behind the thin strips of railway rails - straight to the horizon! This visual effect can also be used in an ordinary apartment - use paint to draw a diagonal from top corner to the floor. In this case, it is better to paint the wall in contrasting colors - in the end it will seem that the distance between the floor and the ceiling is longer than it actually is.
The diagonal on the wall can be drawn from the top corner to the bottom, or to the middle of the wall - as you like. In any case, the eye will be drawn to this line, and the ceiling will seem higher
11. Light ceiling and wall of a different color
Of course, simply painting one of the walls a different color is not enough. But if you leave a strip 10-20 centimeters wide between the wall and the ceiling and paint it the color of the ceiling, it will become part of it and make it visually higher. This effect can be achieved using the most different shades— the main thing is that the ceiling is a little lighter.
See how the ceiling plinth, painted in the color of the ceiling, became an integral part of it and noticeably “raised” the height of the room
12. Plinth to match the color of the walls
For some reason, the vast majority of homeowners, when making renovations, traditionally choose baseboards to match flooring. However, such a plinth simply “takes away” part of the surface from the wall and “gives” it to the floor. As a result, the wall looks shorter and the ceiling, accordingly, lower. It is better to choose a baseboard that matches the tone of the wall itself. The result will be original and beautiful, the wall will seem longer and the ceiling, accordingly, higher.
Avoid traditional baseboards that match the color of the floor. Choose this finishing detail to match the color of the wall or paint it - then paint it along with the entire surface and make the wall visually longer
13. Vertical panels
The use of wooden panels also gives a good effect. In a small room, you can visually raise the ceiling with the help of panels that, reaching the middle of the walls, will, as it were, “push apart” them.
However, in big room, where the viewing perspectives are wider, the use various materials to finish the upper and lower parts of the wall, on the contrary, it will divide it horizontally and “lower” the ceiling. In this case, at least one wall should be covered with panels from top to bottom. In general, the effect of wooden panels can be compared with the possibilities of a vertical strip on the wall.
Wood panels running the full height of a wall will perform much the same as striped wallpaper or vertical stripes painted with masking tape and paints - “raise” the ceiling
14. Doorway extended to the ceiling
Just like an increased window height, a high door also gives the effect of a “raised” ceiling. Increase your doorway up to the ceiling or replace it with a high arch - the room will look taller and at the same time unusual.
Such high doors will make your room not only taller, but also brighter. And they look unusual, immediately attracting attention and making the interior more original and interesting.
High arched openings can also visually “raise” the ceiling. Moreover, both narrow and wide arches can cope with this task.
15. “Run” the wall to the ceiling
We have already proposed an option where the strip from the upper edge of the wall, thanks to the same shade of paint, became part of the ceiling. You can use another option - literally roll the wallpaper onto the ceiling by 5 centimeters. Or paint a strip of the same width with paint of the same color as the wall. The larger the room, the wider the strip you can “take away” from the ceiling. But this option will not work in tiny rooms, for example, in the kitchen.
In this case, the vertical strip simply “crawled” onto the ceiling, significantly increasing the length of the wall
“Fighting” a low ceiling does not necessarily require sacrifices and significant expenses. Often just one tall flower or the right coloring of the wall can make the room taller and brighter. All the options proposed in this article have been repeatedly tested in practice and are often used professional designers when decorating the interiors of low rooms.
The content of the article:
If it is necessary to carry out renovations in typical buildings with low ceilings, the question arises of how to increase the height of the room. Most often, the design of the building does not allow the actual height of the room to be increased. In this case, different ways to visually raise the level of the room come to the rescue. Let's look at these methods in more detail.
Room decor to increase ceiling height
If it is impossible to actually raise the level of a low ceiling, then you should resort to visual effects, which are achieved in different ways. The easiest option is to decorate the room.
Several ways to decorate a room to increase the ceiling height:
- The use of moldings (decorative convex strips), which can be easily attached to the ceiling, creating the effect of moving the surface upwards, does not require large investments and complex manipulations. To do this, at some distance from the perimeter of the ceiling, make a square, rectangle, triangle or other shape from the moldings, in internal space of this outline, create a smaller copy of it.
- Install decorative beams on the ceiling surface; they will create the impression of distance from the main surface of the ceiling.
- Use pictures, mirrors or other elements that have a vertical shape. Place all wall elements in the center of the wall, at eye level. Do not allow them to be located above the middle level of the room.
- Place vases and vertical figurines on low surfaces.
Avoid horizontal stripes in the interior that make the space look down. Use only vertical stripes, decor or patterns with elements that tend upward.
Choosing colors to increase ceiling heights
Figures same size, but painted in different colors, are visually perceived differently: the darker the object, the visually smaller it appears. Based on this optical effect, in order to visually increase the size of any object, it is painted in light colors. This applies to both the decoration of the walls and the ceiling in the room.
Before increasing the height of a low ceiling, pay attention to some tricks when choosing the color and color of materials for renovation:
- Colors that can visually enlarge an object include white, milky, pearl, cream, white-gray, light shades of blue, delicate tones of green and yellow.
- Excellent results can be achieved if all walls and ceilings are finished in the same color. However, an even greater space-enhancing effect can be achieved if the ceiling is a couple of shades lighter. In this case, the top horizontal surface the room seems to be moving upward a little.
- It is not recommended to create edging around the perimeter of the ceiling, especially in dark or bright colors. It is allowed to install ceiling plinths, the color of which will match the color of the walls.
- One of the options for expanding the space in height is to play on contrasts, in which the ceiling has light, cool tones, and the walls are painted in bright colors.
Types of ceilings to increase the height of the room
Despite the fact that virtually any suspended structure on the ceiling eats up space, a wise choice of ceiling design and material can visually increase the height of the room. Let's consider the formats of suspended ceilings that visually increase the level of the room.
Stretch ceiling
The best option for height-increasing suspended ceilings is a sheet of PVC film. At the same time, it must be glossy so that the room is partially reflected in it. This option adds depth to the overall space of the room.
Achieve lightness and weightlessness throughout ceiling structure possible using translucent film and hidden lighting located in the ceiling space.
The color of glossy ceilings plays virtually no role in the perception of the height of the room due to its unobtrusive reflection. Even dark colors able to expand the space a little.
Mirror ceiling
A more complex, less safe, but at the same time effective option for ceiling design, which can increase the height of the room, is a completely or partially mirrored design.
If you trim all ceiling surface only mirrors, the space will certainly expand, but in a sense it will become uncomfortable. Clear mirror reflection can highlight imperfections general interior in the room. Furniture, decorative elements, personal belongings - everything will double. An absolutely mirror ceiling is a bold choice, suitable for rooms with perfect design and in order.
To avoid unnecessary reflections, combine mirrors with other finishing options, placing mirrored elements around the perimeter of the room or staggering them with other types of panels. A simplified option is to use mirrors to decorate a narrow strip around the perimeter of the room under the ceiling.
A safer material option for a mirror ceiling is mirror-coated polystyrene. Boards made from this material can even be glued to plaster, which avoids creating a frame for a suspended ceiling.
An alternative to a reflective ceiling to increase the space of a room is to create an accent on the floor. In this case, when finishing the lower plane of the room, it is necessary to use reflective materials, for example, glossy tiles, laminate or any other material created using the “mirror floor” production technology.
Multi-level ceiling
Creation multi-level ceiling, like any single-level suspended structure, actually takes away the height of the room, but if you think through the design correctly, you can achieve the opposite effect. If two or more ceiling levels are installed, the lower plane should be located around the perimeter or on 2-3 sides, but not in the middle of the room.
Form different levels plays virtually no role in creating a particular perception. These can be either rectangular sections or levels with rounded or abstract elements. Most high level do it in the center of the ceiling, and the area of this part of the structure should be noticeable more area other levels.
As for the material for a multi-level structure, when creating the lower levels, any option can be used, for example, sheets of plasterboard for painting or wallpaper, fabric, PVC film, and for the inner highest part it is better to use a material with a reflective effect.
You can add special charm to the room if you create an image on the ceiling, the elements of which visually stretch the ceiling upward. Such options include photo wallpaper or suspended ceilings with a three-dimensional image (3D technology), for example, a cloudy sky, a pattern of a multi-level ceiling with a decorative window, an abstraction in which decorative stripes rush to the center of the ceiling, creating a dome effect. The design option depends entirely on the direction of the room design.
Wall decoration with increasing ceiling height
When finishing vertical surfaces you can also visually increase the height of the room. To do this, you need to use one or more tips on selecting the type and color of material for the walls, as well as the option of placing it on the vertical planes of the room.
So, a few tips for decorating walls to visually increase the height of the ceiling:
- Glue wallpaper with a suitable pattern and color close to the ceiling.
- Do not use wide horizontal stripes or borders to separate the ceiling space from the walls. It is better to attach thin planks to match the wall decoration.
- Wallpaper or paint the walls with allowance for the ceiling surface. Those. finish the perimeter section of the ceiling in the same way as the walls. Thus, the ceiling visually becomes smaller in area, and the walls seem to extend upward. The strip should not be too wide, it all depends on the parameters of the room. If the area of the room is less than 13 m2, then refuse the ceiling.
- Draw a drawing on the walls and ceiling that goes into perspective. It could be a landscape, a false window.
- In small rooms, creating two levels of decoration on the walls will help to visually increase the height of the ceilings. The border between the bottom and top parts should be approximately 120 cm. It is better to choose plastic or wooden panels, tiles, and for the top - paint or wallpaper.
- The presence of many vertical stripes with a sharp contrast of tones overloads the space and can visually lower the ceiling level.
- Do not oversaturate the walls with drawings. It is better to place wallpaper with images in separate areas, and make the rest of the walls plain or with a small, unobtrusive print or texture.
Selection of furniture to increase ceiling heights
Factors that influence the visual perception of the size of a room include the choice of furniture.
Rules for selecting furniture, the implementation of which is necessary in order not to reduce the visual dimensions of the room:
- Do not install tall, bulky “wall” type sets and cabinets with mezzanines, which will significantly burden the interior design.
- Lower furniture sets the ceiling surface a little further. However, don't overdo it. Choose narrow furniture modules - shelving, display cases, racks, the effect of which will be similar to the use of vertical stripes on the walls.
- If there is a need for spacious furniture, then install a wardrobe, the doors of which are best made mirrored.
- When selecting furniture, give preference to light and cool colors. To diversify the interior, you can combine enhancing colors with dark or bright ones, for example, the lower part of the cabinet furniture is made in dark or bright colors, and the upper part is made in light or cool shades.
- The use of a single color in the design of a room for walls, ceilings and furniture greatly increases the overall space, but this option may turn out to be boring and inexpressive. If a significant number of interior elements are white, then a sterile effect is created, which is not particularly suitable for the living space.
- If you plan to use a minimum amount of furniture, then install, for example, two narrow ceiling-height modules located in adjacent corners of the room.
- Do not forget about the shape of furniture handles - they should also be rectangular, place them vertically.
- Use local lighting in furniture, which adds volume to the entire structure.
How to increase ceiling height with curtains and tulle
Curtains and tulle are the most common decorative options for window spaces. In addition to decorating the room, protecting from the sun and unwanted glances, textile decoration windows play an important role in visual definition room sizes.
Tips for decorating windows with textiles to visually increase the ceiling height:
- Place curtains on both sides of the window, avoid decorating only one side.
- Attach curtain rods as high as possible.
- When choosing curtains and tulle, use colors and patterns that increase the height of the ceiling.
- When sewing curtains individually, add to the overall design vertical elements: ruffles on the side seams, frills, ribbons.
- Curtains and tulle should not be short. Best option- to the floor or even longer, so that part of the fabric lies carelessly on the floor.
- If the room has suspended structures on the ceiling, then leave a small opening at the window to place the cornice in it. This way the cornice will be hidden suspended ceiling, and the impression of airiness of the ceiling will be created.
- Light fabrics help visually increase the overall space.
- Lambrequins will not interfere with the perception of ceiling height if they are not very wide.
Proper lighting to increase ceiling heights
How to increase the ceiling height in your home using lighting? The answer to this question is ambiguous and multifaceted. To solve it, use your imagination and practical advice.
- Avoid installing bulky hanging chandeliers.
- Lamps must be small size. An acceptable shape is flat.
- The lamps should be directed upward so that the light is slightly diffused due to reflection from the ceiling.
- The best option is built-in lamps or lighting fixtures located in the ceiling space.
- Do not place the light source in the center of the room; it is better to install several spotlights along the entire surface of the ceiling in any acceptable order.
- If overall design room allows, install several lamps on the floor so that the light extends upward. This option, in addition to visually raising the ceiling level, produces a stunning effect of slight weightlessness of the entire room.
- Eliminate dim light that eats up space. Use only bright lighting.
- Located in ceiling niches around the perimeter of the room LED Strip Light or LED lamps can create an airy ceiling effect, and the use different colors these lighting fixtures will help create a special mood.
The options described in the article allow you to develop your own individual plan before visually increasing the height of the ceiling. Of course, each room requires an individual approach: it is possible to use one or several options at once.
When carrying out design projects in new buildings, not to mention secondary housing, customers are often faced with the problem of low ceilings. There is no need to despair: any ceiling can be “raised”, albeit visually. Let's find out how to do this.
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Low ceilings (by this we mean a height of 2.4-2.6 meters) are a problem for many standard apartments. With them, the room may seem darker, cramped, and closed. However, coping with the task is not so difficult if you tackle the repairs competently. In this article I will talk about practical ways how to visually increase the height of the ceiling.
1. Choose a color
White color or beige, pastel, soft colors - here right choice to visually increase the ceiling height. The only difference is in creating an interior in cold or warm colors. White color allows you to perfectly expand the space. When using several colors in the interior, it is important to remember the rule: the color of the walls cannot be darker than the color of the ceiling. If you use a gradient when painting walls, then the top of the wall should be lighter than the bottom.
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2. Gloss or matte
When choosing paint for the ceiling, it is better to prefer gloss, since glossy surfaces By creating a reflection, they increase the space, which means the ceiling in the living room will seem higher.
3. Ceiling
There are also 3D photo wallpapers that, when hung, create unusual design The ceiling in the living room has a sky effect.
Pictured: Brave wallpaper P170501-9 by Mr Perswall.
If you still really want to become the owner of a two-level ceiling, but the height does not allow it, then you can make not too wide drops around the perimeter of the room, but inner part make the ceiling higher. In this option, visually most of the ceiling will be relatively high, and the perimeter drops can be decorated with spotlights. The central, higher part of the ceiling can be illuminated LED backlight. You can also lower only one side of the ceiling by placing spotlights in it, and leave the main level higher.
For storing clothes great solution There will be a wardrobe from floor to ceiling with mirrored doors.
Pictured: Zero 2 wardrobe from Napol.
The furniture in the apartment should be visually light, elegant, preferably light shades. Too tall and massive furniture will “crush”, so it is better to choose low models.
8. Kitchen
Concerning kitchen furniture, then to visually raise the ceiling, the distance from the wall cabinets to it must be minimized. It is better to choose light colors for the finishing of the headset. An interesting option is a combination of darker lower cabinets with wall cabinets in light shades. For example, with a white glossy finish.
9. Wallpaper
If you want to choose wallpaper with some kind of ornament or pattern, it is better to use a longitudinal pattern that is not too bright in color. The most common solution is wallpaper with vertical alternating stripes of varying thickness and color.
10. Decoration
It is better to use large vertical mirrors: for example, a floor mirror in an elegant, uncluttered frame will look beautiful in the interior.
In the photo: Agrip mirror from Tonin casa.
You can use mirrors or glossy surfaces in the interior of the apartment. A mirror will not only increase the height of the ceiling, but also visually expand the space of the room.
Don't abuse it big amount framed photos, paintings or brought souvenirs on shelves. They will create a feeling of congestion in the room.
Instead of several small paintings, it is better to choose one - bigger size. Moreover, it is better to choose a canvas with a vertical rather than horizontal composition. If you do choose several small paintings, hang them slightly above eye level.
11. Curtains
The curtain rod should be located as close to the ceiling as possible so that the curtains look as long as possible. If you have made drops in the ceiling, you can completely hide the cornice in the plane of the ceiling. Curtains should be chosen with a vertical pattern, but you should not take everything literally.
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They do not have to be strictly vertical stripes - an ornament with a longitudinal pattern is quite suitable. You should not use too bright “screaming” colors.
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