TRICKS FOR LOW CEILINGS (disclosure)

A question I am often asked is how to style a house with low ceilings.  People are put off by the look of a low ceiling, but there are clever tricks you can use to make it appear higher.  Historically ceilings in homes prior to the 1950s were often 3 meters or higher but during 60s, 70s and 80s the minimum ceiling heights dropped and were sometimes as low as 2.3 meters.  Nowadays, ceilings are usually 2.7 meters high but the minimum is 2.4.  A lower ceiling can make the space feel and look oppressive and cramped.

With the  ceilings in older unrenovated houses, you will see that where the wall meets the ceiling there is often a wooden or plaster board to cover the space.  This  is called a cornice if ornate, or coving if plain.  It can be very decorative in heritage houses with high ceilings and can become a feature.  With a low ceiling, however, it just serves to draw your eye to the low height of the ceiling, especially if it is wide and painted a different colour to ceiling. Vertical features and pendant lights can also be a problem.

Here are some tips to help disguise the look of a low hanging ceiling and fool the eye into believing the ceiling is actually higher than it is!  See the example below where a low ceiling kitchen has heavy dark kitchen cabinets, hanging ceiling lights, dark walls and dark floor and heavy curtains.  All these features draw your attention to the low ceiling and make the room seems smaller and crowded.  If your room looks like the example below, then here are my top 5 tips to transform the space!

Nothing has been tweaked in this room to make the ceiling appear higher and the space is a bit oppressive.

1.  Painting :  paint the ceilings a light colour including the cornices, and walls just a shade darker or the same colour as ceiling (my preferred trick).   Paint any dark wooden kitchen cabinets, especially if they are wall mounted and close to the ceiling.  You can use special laminate paint.  Keep the colours light and bright, more of the cool whites than warm. This might make the room look colder but it will make it look larger and the ceilings higher.  You can warm up the room with other elements such as warm floorboards, rugs, wall hangings etc.  If you paint the ceiling and three of the walls in a light white, you can create a feature wall using a darker colour on the 4th wall.
   

   Paint the ceiling and cornices lighter than the wall and keep most of the lights recessed

    

   

   With 3 walls and ceiling lighter, you can paint a feature wall – eg Dulux Pale Sage

    
2. Remove the cornices and have a plasterer created a seamless look from wall to ceiling.  This is called a Square Set and gives a  modern, square edge look, creating the illusion of a higher ceiling.   Either paper tape or metal internal angle can be used for this finish.  Paper tape is applied with compound, then rolled using a special devise to bond the compound, tape and Gyprock.  Metal internal angle is cut to length and stapled at every 200 mm interval, then compound is applied using a 5” blade to the wall and ceiling junction.  Once both have dried and hardened you can apply top coat and sand. This is by far the best way to make the ceiling look higher but it is expensive and time consuming. If you don’t want to go to this expense, swap a wide cornice for a thin one and paint same colour white as ceiling.
   

   very low ceilings in small kitchen made to look higher

    

   In this low ceiling example, the cornices were removed and replaced with a square set edge, the kitchen cupboards were painted white,  and only one pendant light left for the dining table.  The floorboards were chosen during the renovation-they are light-coloured and give a Nordic feel.  The windows were left bare to allow as much light into the room as possible.  All these details ensured the small kitchen and dining areas looked larger and brighter than they had before the changes.

3. Paint window trims gloss white.  You don’t want to draw attention to the top of the window being close to the ceiling, so keep the windows clear and the trims light in colour.  Avoid using heavy curtains, just white Venetian blinds  or flowing, breezy curtains to draw the eye down away from ceiling. I like the loose eyelet style, rather than heavy fussy pleated curtains. If you have to have use block-out curtains, take them right up to the top of the ceiling and to the floor.
   

   Keep window trims glossy white and unfussy

    

4. Choose low lying the furniture,  and avoid dark wooden cabinets.  Your sofa and armchairs should not have high backs and avoid large heavy dark bookshelves or cabinets.  Swap dark furniture for light and place lots of scattered colourful rugs and cushions to bring a pop of colour to the neutral walls and furniture.
   

   This low ceiling lounge has low and light furniture. it has a thin coving but it is painted white so gives a more spacious feel to the room.

    

5. Lighting is important.  Let as much natural light into the room via the windows (hence remove the curtains if possible) and lighten the walls.  Avoid pendant type lights or if you must keep them to the side of the room above an armchair or dinning table and keep them minimalist looking.  Best lights for low ceilings are recessed or low lying ceiling lights.  Mirrors placed strategically on walls or floors can help bring in extra light and give the illusion of a higher ceiling.
   

   light filled with low ceilings, this area has been cleverly styled to give illusion of space and height

    

   This lounge is small and has a low ceiling, however the furnishings are low and light, the windows are left unadorned. letting in lots of light,  and the hanging light has been replaced with a flatter one. The only storage comes from the use of a vertical ladder (rather than horizontal shelves) on the walls to minimise the lack of ceiling height.  You can also use mirrors to expand the space and hanging small pictures in vertical rows helps bolster the illusion, or if you are brave, use vertically stripped wallpaper.

Check out these  fittings and furniture which would suit a room with a low ceiling. Here is one my favourite online furniture and decor stores (note if you click through to purchase, I will receive a small commission)  : Nestz –  an Australian-Owned and operated online Furniture & Homewares retail shop with free shipping Australia wide.