High ceilings add a sense of spaciousness and grandeur that you simply cannot duplicate. However, even if you live in a home with standard nine feet ceilings, you can replicate this feeling with a few visual adjustments. By repositioning your existing items, you can visually extend your ceiling height. Here are some luxury designer tricks for adding height to your ceilings.
Raise the Doorways
Raising the doorways to accommodate full-height or floor-to-ceiling doors means the door extends to the entire ceiling height. This instantly creates visual breathing room and makes the whole space feel taller. You should also raise the passageway heights for consistency when you raise the doorway
Install Transoms
Installing transoms above your doors and windows adds height and allows more natural light to shine through. Any time there is an opportunity for plenty of natural light to shine in, the space will feel larger.
Extend Cabinets to the Ceiling
Whether in the kitchen, laundry room, pantry or bathrooms, if you have nine-foot ceilings, taking the cabinets to the ceiling will make the ceiling height appear higher. Store the items you occasionally use in the highest cabinet, such as holiday-specific serving ware, for a more convenient storage system.
Use Tall Bookshelves
Like cabinetry, tall skinny bookshelves that extend to the ceiling will also draw the eye upward. Minimally styling the shelves will ensure they don’t feel cluttered, further contributing to the feeling of spaciousness.
Hang Window Treatments High
Hanging the window treatments high and wide can make the ceiling appear higher and make the windows appear larger. Extending the curtain rod as close to the ceiling as possible will make the ceiling appear taller, while 8 to 12 inches past the window frame will make the window appear larger.
Extend the Fireplace Finish
Bring the face of your fireplace up to the ceiling. This creates the illusion of a stately fireplace, showcases the height and creates more of a focal point. The continual line of one material extending all the way up can make a standard-height room feel grand.
Select a Monochromatic Paint Scheme
Painting the baseboards and ceiling the same color as the wall makes the room feel larger, as there is no distinction to where the ceiling begins. This effect can elongate the walls, making the room appear larger. Even a room with eight-foot ceilings can have a sense of grandeur if it’s all bathed in the same color.
Hang Full-Height Mirrors
Using mirrors throughout a space can make the overall room feel larger. For example, hanging a full-length mirror that extends to the ceiling can create the appearance of higher ceilings. Whether the mirror leans against the wall or is mounted, it will create the illusion of height.
