7 Ways to Make Your Ceiling Look Higher Than It Actually Is

There’s something about high ceilings that make any room look much more open and airy. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of height in their house (and doing so means renovation money you probably do not have). However, there are several decorating tricks you can use to create the impression that your ceilings are a lot higher than reality!

Adorn your walls with stripes

One of the easiest ways to make your ceilings look much higher than they actually are is to add vertical stripes on your walls. As House Beautiful notes, this is a design trick which will draw the eyes upward and give the impression of higher ceilings. You can achieve this either by painting the walls or even using patterned wallpaper.

Paint your walls and ceilings the same color

When your walls and ceilings are painted the same color, the areas where your wall end and where your ceiling begins to get blurred, so the room seems much more open and spacious. Apartment Therapy suggests painting your ceiling in the shade lighter than the color of your walls, which will give the same effect.

Install your curtains higher

If you want to make your ceilings look like they’re much higher, one trick you can try is hanging your curtains higher up your walls instead of just above your windows. “Hang your window curtain panels just below ceiling height, as opposed to just above the window frame. This will draw the eye up and make the space feel taller,” Alessandra Wood, an interior design expert and vice president of style at interior home design service Modsy, tells Apartment Therapy.

Use low furniture

Low furniture or pieces that sit closer to the floor are great for giving the impression of higher ceilings because they make the distance between the top of the furniture and the ceiling much higher. Designer Farah Merhi tells House Beautiful, “Low-profile furniture avoids making your room feel cramped and closed in.”

Choose the right lighting

Like low furniture, low-hanging lighting pieces also allow you to draw attention to the distance between your ceiling and your fixture. An example of a lighting piece you can use is pendant lighting.

Hang your mirrors up

Mirrors not only help make a space appear bigger but can also create the impression of higher ceilings, especially if installed higher than usual, says designer Francesco Bilotto. “This, in an instant, adds a tremendous amount of help when you want to achieve an expansive look,” Bilotto tells House Beautiful.

Tall shelves are your friend

According to Popsugar, tall shelves that reach up to your ceiling draw the eyes upward and create the illusion of height. You also get some extra storage and space for adorable decorative pieces!