7 Unusual Ways to Visually Raise the Ceiling

How to improve the situation if the ceiling is far from reaching the desired three meters?

Besides conventional methods of visually 'stretching' a room—such as wallpaper with vertical stripes or glossy ceilings—we offer fresh and unconventional solutions.

1. Paint furniture and doors in wall color

A bold trick of painting wardrobes, shelves, or side tables in the same color as the walls helps create an impression of a unified interior and prevents the space from 'fragmenting' into separate planes. It also adds several centimeters to ceiling height.

You can achieve this with a less radical approach: for example, paint only the doors in wall color and choose textiles that match.

2. Add vertical elements to the interior

An engaging alternative to wallpaper with vertical stripes could be current panel partitions or a vertical arrangement of pictures on the wall. It's important to add such décor locally, decorating only one wall or a fragment of it.

3. … or diagonal patterns

Broken lines or angled designs on the walls make the gaze glide diagonally and create an impression of dynamic space without boundaries, as if it 'pierces' through the ceiling.

4. Use pendant lights with long cables and tall floor lamps

You can limit yourself to point lighting in each room to avoid overloading the ceiling. However, many may find such a solution boring.

Therefore, loft-style hanging lights with long cables and tall floor lamps are excellent helpers in interiors with low ceilings. They won't weigh down the space and can serve as additional vertical accents.

5. 'Extend' the ceiling onto walls

If you're unlucky with ceiling height, why not experiment with width? The easiest way to do this is by using wide white cornices that mask the junction between ceiling and walls, visually increasing the ceiling surface.

If the ceiling isn't white, make sure the cornices match. Let the floor and walls be the same color – such a solution prevents the colored ceiling from optically 'sinking' downward.

6. … or vice versa – walls onto the ceiling

This approach makes sense if you choose a bright, vibrant wall color and the room is large or medium-sized. In this case, perspective plays with imagination – it will seem as though the walls are higher than they actually are.

7. Use gradients

Dark floors and walls that gradually fade in color from bottom to top help the white ceiling literally float in the air, lightening the space.

And it's just beautiful!

Also read:

• How to raise low ceilings: 7 tricks from professionals
  
• Practical renovation: how to paint a ceiling yourself
  
• All you need to know about designer paints for interior