How to visually increase the height of the ceiling: designer tips How to visually increase the height of the ceiling at different stages of repair Curtains that increase the height of the ceiling

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 described options are easily applicable in practice and are 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, it is necessary to indicate "ceiling height - 3 meters."

Unfortunately, typical apartments of an old building and new buildings of an "economy class" cannot boast of such a height. What to do if the ceiling literally “presses”, which makes the room look squat and uncomfortable? We offer you 15 ways to help deal with this problem, even if your rooms are only 2.5 meters high.

Agree, there is something special in such rooms, the ceiling of which is at an unimaginable height! How much space, light, air is here. Too bad most of us have to settle for ceilings that go up 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 of airy, free space is immediately evident, as they say. Everything that is below will be reflected on the shiny surface, and as a result, the ceiling will seem to disappear.

Interestingly, to achieve the effect of a higher ceiling, the reflective surface does not have to be light at all. In a dark blue glossy ceiling, the interior of the room will also be reflected in the same way and the effect of additional depth of space will be the same.

AT this case glossy ceiling was chosen white color, in tone with the rest of the interior of the kitchen. But darker shiny stretch surfaces will give the same effect of increasing the height of the room.

See how effectively using mirrors managed to visually increase the height of this living room.

2. 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 a low ceiling, sofas without legs should be installed, squat, not higher than 40 centimeters.

We select chairs exactly according to the same principle - 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” the vertical space and visually “raise” the ceiling

3. Large windows

An excellent effect of a higher ceiling will give big windows. But they should not be increased in width, but up and down. A high window in itself looks impressive, making the room lighter and more spacious. Against the background of such windows, it will seem that the ceiling has “raised” up.

At the same time, it is not at all necessary to occupy the entire wall with a window - let it be narrow, but always elongated. For the effect of a higher ceiling, this is even better.

Windows stretch up almost to the ceiling, making the room brighter and more spacious. Such tall windows often made arched, but rectangular ones are quite suitable

4. Built-in, spotlights

A lush hanging chandelier will make your already not too high ceiling very low. Imagine how a distinguished guest clings to the hanging pendants of a chandelier or a lamp suspended on a long cord above the table!

Leave such descending light sources for more high rooms, and in your room, install built-in, Spotlights. Such lighting will visually raise the ceiling and will be much more appropriate in this case.

In a room with a low ceiling, you should abandon the massive chandelier and pendant ceiling lights. Such small built-in light sources can visually raise the ceiling.

5. Wallpaper with vertical stripes or the same pattern created by paint on the wall

All fashionistas know that a vertical striped dress is slimming. The same effect can be used in the case of a low ceiling - a vertical strip will allow you to sort of lengthen the wall, respectively, the ceiling will appear higher.

You can choose striped wallpaper or draw vertical lines with paint using masking tape- it's not that important. It should be remembered that in a small room narrow vertical stripes would be more appropriate, and in enough large room You can also use wide ones.

A vertical stripe can decorate not all the walls of the room, but only one - the most noticeable

6. Curtains

Curtains can be a good helper in the fight for a visually higher ceiling. If your ceiling is low, install a curtain rod just under the ceiling, or better yet hide it behind a strip of drywall or plywood, decorated to match the walls.

Curtains in a room with a low ceiling should, as it were, flow from the very top 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 vertical stripe or a vegetative pattern tending upwards.

For a low room, it is better to choose ceiling cornices to increase the length of the curtains and, accordingly, visually raise the ceiling.

Not only ordinary, but also Roman and Japanese curtains can be raised to the ceiling. Let it seem that your window is larger than it really is, and the ceiling is higher

7. Vertical layout

According to the principle of vertical stripes on wallpaper or painted walls, narrow but high cabinet furniture can also be used. For example, choose a narrow, but very high, up to the ceiling, rack, install bookshelves in the same way, order a wall in the living room, consisting of rather narrow, but as high as possible separate parts.

The cabinets in the kitchen can be made the same high, and the sliding wardrobe traditionally occupies the entire space from floor to ceiling. The principle of vertical layout for visual magnification ceiling height concerns not only cabinet furniture. So, it is also better to choose paintings elongated in height, and not wide, as usual.

A tall flower in the living room or bedroom is also able to "raise" the ceiling.

The higher the rack or shelves rise, the higher your ceiling will look.

Tall flowers, of course, take up a lot of space in the room, but they visually raise the ceiling.

8. Light from below

Choose sconces and floor lamps with a shade that allows you to cast light up to the ceiling. Such a backlight from a low point will also make the room visually higher. A similar effect is often used by photographers - to make the legs of the model seem longer, they shoot and highlight from below.

Choose floor lamps and sconces with lampshades that cast light up and down. Such a backlight will allow us to achieve the desired effect of a higher ceiling, but, unfortunately, only in the dark

9. We expose the structure of the floors and remove the finish

If you completely get rid of everything that is applied to the ceiling - plaster, drywall, paint, stretch fabric- the room is not visually, but actually becomes higher.

In addition, such a “decor”, or rather, its complete absence, looks unusual. Of course, the "naked" 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 recent times from a building material is increasingly turning into a finishing material. Get rid of unnecessary decoration on the ceiling, and explain to guests that you are following the fashion trend

10. Painting the walls diagonally

Remember how the eye stretches behind thin strips of railroad tracks - straight to the horizon! This visual effect can also be used in an ordinary apartment - draw a diagonal from the top corner to the floor with paint. In this case, it is better to paint the wall in contrasting colors - as a result, 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 you can go to the middle of the wall - as you like. In any case, the eye will stretch exactly behind this line, and the ceiling will seem higher.

11. Light ceiling and wall of a different color

Of course, just 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 in the color of the ceiling, it will become, as it were, part of it and make it visually higher. This effect can be achieved using a variety of 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 its integral part 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 repairs, traditionally choose matching skirting boards. floor covering. 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, respectively, is lower. It is better to choose a plinth to match the wall itself. The result will be original and beautiful, the wall will seem longer, and the ceiling, respectively, higher.

Ditch the traditional skirting boards to match the color of the floor. Choose this finishing detail to match the color of the wall or to paint - then paint it along with the entire surface and make the wall visually longer

13. Vertical panels

A good effect is also given by the use wooden panels. In a small room, you can visually raise the ceiling with the help of panels, which, reaching the middle of the walls, will, as it were, “push apart” them.

However, in big room, where overview perspectives are wider, use various materials for top and lower parts walls, on the contrary, will divide it horizontally and “lower” the ceiling. In this case, at least one wall should be paneled from top to bottom. In general, the effect of wood panels can be compared with the possibilities of a vertical strip on the wall.

Full-height wood paneling on the wall will act much the same as striped wallpaper or vertical stripes painted with masking tape and paint - "raise" the ceiling

14. Doorway, enlarged to the ceiling

In the same way as a window increased in 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 higher and at the same time unusual.

Such high doors will make your room not only taller, but also brighter. Yes, and they look unusual, immediately attracting attention and making the interior more original and interesting.

High arched openings are also able to 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 when the strip from the upper edge of the wall, due to the same shade of paint, has become part of the ceiling. You can use another option - literally wrap the wallpaper on the ceiling by 5 centimeters. Or paint over a strip of the same width with paint of the same color as the wall. How more room, the wider strip can be "taken 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 "creeped" to the ceiling, significantly increasing the length of the wall.

"Struggle" with a low ceiling does not necessarily require sacrifices and substantial expenses. Often just one tall flower or the right coloring of the wall can make the room taller and lighter. All the options proposed in this article have been repeatedly tested in practice and are often used by professional designers when decorating low-rise interiors.

How to raise the surface, photo

Low ceilings in buildings of the old type are a common phenomenon, associated primarily with the planning conditions of that time. Now there is no escape from these conditions, but any problem can be solved if you approach it correctly. In particular, there are many ways to visually increase the height of the ceiling.

Design solutions to visually increase the height of the walls

First you need to eliminate all horizontal architectural details - they make the walls wider and lower. It's best not to use any at all. decorative panels, they tend to "eat up" the space. If you still want to use them, then try making them a little lower than the standard height.

In addition to architectural changes that can be used to raise ceilings, there are several options for creating an optical illusion. They are good because they do not require you to carry out serious repair work and extra costs.

There are a few simple tips, which will help make your walls taller, the room wider and more spacious. One of them is changing the color of the room design.

The right color scheme in the design of the ceiling

From the color in which the design of the room is made, its visual perception largely depends:

How to visually raise the ceiling, photo

• Cold and light shades visually distance the object painted in them from us.. Therefore, if you paint the ceilings in this way, they will visually “rise”. To do this, you can choose a cold white-gray shade or delicate pearl.

What ceiling can be raised visually, photo

• Blue and green objects also tend to visually move away.. That is why many paint the ceiling in light blue and pale green shades.

Tip: try a fun nursery trick: paint everything sky blue. In this case, the border between them will not be visible, because of this, the top of the room will seem infinitely high.

• Another simple trick to increase the height visually is to paint the walls much brighter.- such contrasts always visually increase the height of the room.

Reflective coatings

Mirror ceiling or - a great way to visually make the walls higher.

If you decide to install such a design, then you should know this:

1. Firstly, a mirror coating over your head is simply unsafe. So that it does not pose a danger, you need to impose mirror panels on metal carcass and they need to be very secure.
2. Secondly, you can use mirrored polystyrene panels instead of real glass - they are cheaper, lighter and easier to maintain.

Of course, the installation of this design will make the surface even lower, but this drawback is most often easily leveled due to the illusion of having a second floor with a transparent surface. Such designs fit perfectly into any interior and are suitable for living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens or halls.

Tip: As an alternative to glass, glossy stretch ceilings are perfect. They are easy to install, make the room higher, but the reflection will be blurry.

Vertical pattern on the walls

Vertical striped wallpaper is the best solution for rooms with low ceilings. It is important that the strip is brightly contrasting. At the same time, the more you want to “distance” the ceiling, the stripes should already be.

In order to achieve the desired effect, adhere to the following rules:

• Do not delimit a ceiling of the same color with striped walls wide plinth. It is better that it be very thin, literally merging with the ceiling itself. If it is wide and catchy, it will cut the walls and emphasize their small height. The whole effect of the stripes will be in vain.

Vertical strip entry

• If you're wallpapering the walls with striped wallpaper, roll it up slightly into the ceiling itself, without using a skirting board at all. This old, in fact, technique will perfectly correct the situation with low ceilings.

• The wallpaper does not have to have exactly a strip, any vertical pattern will do, whether it be floral patterns, geometric patterns, or generally a solid texture with vertical orientation performances.

Increasing the ceiling due to the illusion of volume

To increase the volume of the ceiling, use moldings - special decorative details in the form of a convex patch strip. They should be lighter than all the space around them.

In this case, the ceiling will become darker and colder and, as it were, "deeper". Never use all kinds of modeling for the ceiling, it makes it visually even lower.

Decorative channels

The role of furniture in increasing the volume of the room

Furniture is another important factor in adjusting the height of a room.

So bright and narrow furniture visually raise the surface

If you are thinking about how to increase the height of the ceiling visually, opt for:

• Narrow thin showcases;
• Racks;
• Shelving.

They will increase the height of the walls in the same way as the vertical strip on the wallpaper. However, when choosing furniture, give preference to laconic forms, avoiding bulky and heavy elements in the design of fittings.

The main thing to keep in mind when choosing furniture for a room with low ceilings is that you should not choose bulky and high furniture that will create a feeling of “overhanging” in a small room and make it look even smaller.

The value of decor and curtains

Another option on how to visually increase the height is to choose the right curtains for the room. Best for visual height adjustment fit long curtains with curtains to the floor.

If, due to the small size window frame curtains are narrow - not scary. The main thing is that they emphasize the vertical orientation of the interior of the room.

Tip: You can also visually "lift" your ceilings with a vertical pleat on your curtains. Geometric and sometimes even "sharp" they are able to stretch your walls. You can also use vertical blinds for the kitchen.

Another in a simple way how to visually increase the height of the ceiling is right choice other decorative elements. At the same time, pay attention to patterns with a vertical arrangement.

For example:

• stripes;
• Flower patterns;
• Patterns from tree branches, etc.

You can also use:

• Vertical paintings;

• Elongated mirrors;
• Posters without a baguette;

• Tall vases;

• floor lamps- Most importantly, choose tall and narrow objects.

You can even make entire vertical galleries using mirrors, photos, and mini herbariums. This is not only really unusual and beautiful, but also beneficial for your low walls.

Using the described techniques, you can also answer the question of how to increase the height of the ceiling in wooden house. Try simply placing wall cladding vertically, or placing some of the items described above within the room. In some cases it is possible to physically lower the floor, but that is a topic for another article.

Now that you know how to create the effect high ceilings you can safely get down to business. By correctly implementing the above tips, you will definitely achieve desired effect.

Previously, when building a private house, they first of all thought about the possibility of rapid heating in winter time. It is clear that buildings with a low height of the premises are heated faster and more economically. But over time, the preferences of the owners change and low rooms begin to annoy, so the owners of the house are thinking about how to raise the ceiling in a private house.

There are several ways to expand the space from dramatic changes in the design of the building to the use of design methods to visually increase the height of the room.

Ways to raise the ceiling in a wooden house

There are several ways to raise the ceiling in a wooden house:

1. Lowering the floor level. This method is only suitable for buildings that are built on a solid high foundation. Otherwise, attempts to lower the floor will lead to deformation of the entire structure.
2. If the house has hanging or false ceilings, then change the way of finishing ceiling surface will add 10 to 15 cm to the height of the room. This method is considered the most popular.
3. If a ceiling beams are not load-bearing elements of the roof structure, they can be replaced with less massive products. This will expand the space in the room.
4. Another way to make the ceiling in a wooden house higher is to raise the entire structure. This is done with one-piece monolithic structures.
5. If you raise the roof of the building, the height of the rooms will increase. This method is quite complex in terms of implementation.

Ceiling technology

Before you increase the height of the ceiling in a private house, understand the reasons for lowering it. This will help determine how to solve the problem. Cardinal methods are used in the event that mistakes were made at the design stage of the structure. In the case of improper load distribution and natural shrinkage of the house, you should be very careful not to cause warping and cracking of the walls of the structure.

The easiest way to solve the problem is with the wrong choice finishing materials used inside the house.

Preparatory stage

Before you increase the height of the ceiling in a wooden house, it is worth inspecting the roof and walls of the building. It is important to identify warped and rotted logs that could have caused the ceiling to drop. It is equally important to assess the condition of the foundation, because its subsidence can also cause house shrinkage. In addition, the choice of a method for solving the problem depends on the state of the foundation.

If you decide to make the ceiling higher, then you need to study design features at home and technical documentation. So you can eliminate the risk of skewed door and window openings, as well as choose a way to raise the ceiling. Be sure to inspect the attic space, evaluate the strength of the fixation of the roof and the purpose of the ceiling beams (bearing or not).

Lowering the floor

You can raise the ceiling in an old wooden house to a height of 200-250 mm by lowering the floor level. But this is allowed only if there is a high solid foundation. Before starting work, remove all furniture and appliances from the house.

After that, follow the following sequence of work:

• dismantle the floor covering with a crowbar and a nail puller;
• remove old logs using a saw or hacksaw;

Important! Please note that some logs may extend beyond the same room, so dismantle them carefully.

• holes in the wall that remained after the dismantling of the lag are sealed with mortar;
• new recesses are made in the walls for logs lower than the previous ones by 200-250 mm;
• in the resulting holes we start new logs;
• if necessary, we carry out thermal insulation of a wooden floor by laying a heater between the lags (we use mineral wool for insulation);
• laying the subfloor and finishing flooring.

Changing the ceiling lining

To make a room with a false ceiling higher, it is enough to dismantle the old coating and install a new sheathing without load-bearing frame just above the beams. This simplest way to expand the space is implemented in this order:

1. We dismantle old finish from the ceiling surface. We also disassemble the crate.
2. We examine the ceiling beams. If there are rotten and damaged elements, we replace them with new ones. We treat the bars in good condition with antiseptics.
3. We sew up the space between the beams wooden clapboard or other finishing material. As a result, beam structures will protrude on the surface of the ceiling. They are decorated by painting with paint, opening with varnish, soaking with tinting compounds. Elements are sheathed with clapboard, drywall or decorated with false boxes.

Important! Despite the fact that the beams of the interfloor ceiling remained in the old place, the sheathing of the ceiling surface above the level of the load-bearing elements makes the room visually higher.

Replacing ceiling beams

If, upon inspection of the attic, it turned out that the interfloor beam system is not connected to the roof and is not a carrier, then do it the other way:

• dismantling the ceiling;
• fix the ceiling structures with puffs or supports;
• cut the beams on both sides of the walls;
• then to roof structure we fix the roof puffs at the height we need and hem a new ceiling to them.

Raise the whole house

Before starting work, you need to examine the base of the building and determine to what height the house can be safely raised. For work, you will need jacks with the required load capacity.

Attention! At a time, the house is allowed to be raised no more than 5 cm. Climbing to a greater height is carried out in several approaches. After each such approach, supporting supports are installed under the structure, which are prepared in advance.

Several jacks are located around the perimeter of the house. To fix the position of the structure, it is allowed to use wedges. After lifting the house into the void, a concrete foundation is installed under the walls. After its complete setting, the props and jacks are removed. Inside, the new floor is made a few centimeters lower than the old one.

Raise the roof

To determine to what height the roof of the house can be raised without causing significant damage to the entire structure, calculations are carried out. It is better to entrust them to specialists. Before lifting the roof, the entire structure is reinforced around the perimeter. For this, a connecting frame is made of wooden beam at the base of the roof.

After that, the ceiling is dismantled. Jacks are installed around the perimeter of the house and the roof is raised. The work is carried out in several approaches, because at a time it is allowed to raise the structure only by 50 mm. After that, the resulting space between the walls and the roof is filled with an armored belt or additional crowns are added.

Visual lifting of the ceiling

The answer to the question of how to visually raise the ceiling in a wooden house is needed if none of the above methods is suitable, or the room is located in an apartment building.

The following methods are used visual expansion spaces:

1. If installed around the perimeter ceiling plinths, then they are painted in the color of the walls or dismantled completely. So the ceiling surface seems higher.
2. Glossy light ceiling coverings and mirror surfaces visually expand the space. That is why when choosing a ceiling finish, consider this nuance.
3. Low pieces of furniture visually raise the ceiling, so decorate the interior in an oriental style.
4. If part of the ceiling surface along the perimeter is painted in the color of the walls, then the border between the planes will smooth out and it will seem that the ceiling is higher. To do this, at a short distance from the walls (15-25 cm), masking tape is glued to the ceiling, after which the area from the tape to the wall is painted with the same paint as the walls. After that, the adhesive tape is removed, and the ceiling decor (fillet or baseboard) is glued along the border of the color difference.

Rules for the visual expansion of space

In addition to knowing how to visually enlarge the ceiling in a wooden house, you need to know rules for visual expansion of the space of the room:

• Choose the right one color scheme finishes. Light pastel colors expand the space, while dark and saturated colors narrow it.
• Match the coating to the color of other finishes, textiles and furniture. The more color spots that differ in tone and color, the more squeezed the space seems.
• Do not clutter up the interior with small items, things and decor. Remove from your eyes everything that is rarely used.
• A well-lit room feels more spacious. Do not cover the windows with thick curtains and install additional sources of artificial light in the room.
• The traditional opinion is that they put in a small room small furniture, erroneously. Narrow high furniture up to the ceiling, a large sofa or wardrobe will make the room more spacious.
• Large mirror on wardrobe door mirror table or a wall - all this makes the room taller and wider.

When choosing wall decor, give preference not to one large picture, but to several small framed images. So you will give a visual volume to the room. Tall furniture allows you not to lose its functionality and save additional space.

A low ceiling in a kitchen or room can be a big problem if you don't know some design tricks. In this article, we have collected the best tricks on how to visually increase the height of the ceiling in the apartment.

Optical illusion

1. Glossy shine. Very effective method solve the problem of low ceiling in standard apartment- choose correct option finishes. Glossy surfaces visually increase the volume of the room, and the play of reflections gives the space additional depth.

It is for this reason that it is often advised to choose a shiny PVC film ceiling for a low room. Wherein stretch ceiling does not have to be white. If you choose a dark glossy finish, then due to the reflective properties of the surface, the ceiling will still appear higher.

2. Different levels. Two-level stretch and false ceilings also help to make a room or kitchen visually higher. Installation of a false or stretch ceiling with two or three levels of height in reality, of course, will “steal” a few centimeters. However, the visual effect can be just the opposite. Along the perimeter of the walls, the ceiling is often made a little lower. In this case, the central part is sometimes made of a material with a glossy sheen. If it is decided to make the entire ceiling matte, special lighting will come to the rescue. We will discuss his role below.



3. Perhaps the easiest way to visually add "growth" to the walls and visually increase the height of the ceiling is to use materials of the same shade in their decoration, for example, white, creamy, milky. When the walls and ceiling have the same tone, they seem to merge into one surface, the human eye is not fixed on the border between them, and the space seems higher and larger.



4. The same trick can be used when choosing cabinet furniture. For a kitchen with a low ceiling, you should choose a light one. kitchen set. Do you want to add graphics to the interior? Try this option: order the lower cabinets with bright or dark fronts, and let the upper cabinets have light glossy fronts.

White cabinets against the background of a white wall and a white ceiling will “dissolve” and will seem almost invisible. A great way to make the kitchen look taller than it really is.
5. For the same reason, the border between the walls and the ceiling should not be highlighted with a contrasting border. Reasonable compromise - mirror or white stripe under the ceiling as a border.
6. The traditional solution, which is often recommended by designers, is to use wall coverings with a vertically oriented pattern. Especially popular are wallpapers with a vertical stripe, less often tiles. Sometimes the walls are painted with paint, on top of which you can draw contrasting stripes with masking tape. Important point: Stripes should not be too dense or too bright. Otherwise, there is a risk of achieving the opposite effect, and the ceiling will appear lower.



Play of light

7. Another stylish and functional solution, which allows you to visually raise the ceiling - cornice lighting. LED strips and LED lamps are mounted under the eaves along the perimeter of the room, located just below the main ceiling level. Such lighting not only makes the ceiling taller, but also allows you to change the color of the backlight depending on your desire and mood.



8. False window. The method is not banal, but very effective. It is very good for a kitchen-dining room or a kitchen combined with a living room. ceiling structure in the form of a window, it imitates a source of natural light, creates the illusion of perspective and visually distances the low ceiling. Such a ceiling lamp-window is often a panel of light translucent plastic framed by a plasterboard structure in which electrical wiring is hidden. Another option for such a solution is to make a niche in the false ceiling. In it, for example, you can paste wallpaper with the image of the sky (here you will find it). Sometimes an imitation of a window is made from mirror tiles with overlays made of wood or polyurethane molding.



9. Traditional chandelier or pendant ceiling lamp- a bad choice for low ceilings. Instead, it is better to use recessed or overhead spotlights, local lighting in furniture or niches, as well as lighting built into a stretch or suspended ceiling. If you still want to leave the central lighting, you should give preference to lamps that direct the light up, not down, and in addition “press” against the ceiling. Laconic flat Japanese-style chandeliers and neat plate lamps are perfect.
10. Pay attention to the rich possibilities of local illumination. Additional lighting should be placed above the worktop, kitchen sink and in the dining area. The more light there is in a room or kitchen, the more spacious it will seem. Little trick: spotlights built into upper part wall cabinets and directed to the ceiling, will also make it visually higher.



Windows and doors

11. If you increase the height of the doorway and, accordingly, the door almost to the ceiling, this will also help to visually lift ceilings. A good alternative is to “build up” the door by adding a glazed transom to it from above. In a small kitchen, designers advise to abandon altogether interior door, if possible, or replace it with a high drywall arch.
12. The window should also be pulled up. At least visually. To achieve this effect, a light translucent curtain, gently falling from the ceiling for the floor itself, or a curtain with even vertical folds will help. A vertical pattern on tulle or a thin, barely visible stripe on curtains or roller blinds also help to achieve the desired effect.

Vertical folds on the curtains visually make the walls appear higher.

Diverting attention

13. A low ceiling will draw less attention to itself if you try to draw it to the floor and walls. One of options- combination dark walls and light flooring. Another option is a catchy accent on the wall. It can be a photo wallpaper, a beautiful panel or accent wall, pasted over contrasting wallpaper with a bright pattern.
14. Another good decision- draw contrasting edges on the ceiling. They will draw attention to themselves and help create the effect we want, visually expanding the volume of space and the height of the room.
15. Try to combine two finishes on the walls. For example, you can use panels (wooden or plastic) or tiles on the bottom, and wallpaper, paint or tiles of a different color on top. This solution helps to visually raise the ceiling and at the same time push the walls apart. But this trick will only work in small space, for example, in the kitchen. If the room is large enough, the horizontal division of the walls will visually make the ceiling even lower and squat.

Dissatisfied with the height of their apartments. The ceiling level in such buildings is most often no more than 240 - 250 cm. This is the very minimum at which a clear feeling of a "pressing ceiling" is not yet created.

In modern new buildings, the ceiling height is from 260 to 280 cm, being much more comfortable. But even such dimensions do not satisfy everyone, so people are looking for ways to increase the height of the ceiling, at least visually.

There are many such methods, but in each case this issue has to be decided individually. There is no option that fits every apartment, just like no two apartments are the same.

Ways to visually increase the height of the ceiling

All methods can be divided into the following varieties:

• increasing the height of the room through the use of the "correct" finishing materials;
• achieving the desired effect with the help of certain techniques and structural elements;
• use of color effects;
• creating an effect with ;
• use of furniture and accessories.

Decoration Materials

Using wallpaper with a vertical pattern allows you to visually lengthen the wall, then the ceiling will “rise”. The same effect can be achieved with paint, alternating stripes of different tones or colors.

You just need to remember that in a small room it is better to use wallpaper with thin stripes, and in a large low room fairly wide stripes will look better, while narrow ones will create a feeling of ripples.

If you do not want to trim the entire room with stripes, then you can use this option only for the most noticeable wall.

with perspective drawing are a cheaper version of the "trick". But you should not paste over all the walls with them, it is enough to place them on the most open and noticeable wall of the room.

We use special techniques and finishing elements

Extend wall to ceiling You can by running the top of the wallpaper on the ceiling. You just need to know the measure: the width of the strip on the ceiling should not exceed 30 cm for large rooms, and for small ones, 5 cm is enough. If the room is very small, then this method will not help.

In the same way, in the case painted walls the same paint as the walls.

We glue wallpaper to the ceiling. Do not leave a light section of the wall between the wallpaper and the ceiling - this underestimates the walls. Therefore, the wallpaper must be glued directly to the ceiling. Since curved walls and ceiling height differences are not uncommon in our houses, the upper cut of the wallpaper often turns out to be uneven. If you need to cover up imperfections top line wallpaper, then do not use a wide border, it also hides the height of the walls. Therefore, the thinner the border line, the better.

If possible, you can "raise" using ceiling beams. There are two options here:

• the ceiling is really beamed;
• false beams.

If you live in a house with beam ceiling(beams can be wooden - in old houses or concrete), then you just need to expose the beams by removing the ceiling filing. And if the house is new, then light false beams are attached to the existing ceiling.

Here it is important to paint the structures correctly. The beams need to be painted white, and the sections of the ceiling between them in darkened smoky tones. Then visually the ceiling will be much higher than it really is.

We use, matching the tone of the wall decoration . Traditionally, skirting boards are selected according to the color of the flooring. And usually it is much darker than the walls. At the same time, it seems that the floor “runs over” the walls, and they themselves become shorter.

Many consider a light-colored baseboard impractical, citing the fact that dirt is too clearly visible on it. But dust is even better visible on a dark baseboard.

. Exploiting Opportunities wall panels, you can visually increase the height of the room. The only condition: the panels should not be wide. Narrow vertical panels in terms of creating the effect of "height" are no worse than wallpaper with a vertical stripe.

For decoration you can use. Budget option is a device using moldings. Such a finish will not only visually raise the ceiling, but also greatly decorate the room.

High - up to the ceiling, the door has the same effect as vertical panels. To do this, it is not necessary to cut an opening to the ceiling, you can arrange an additional transom above the existing opening. It can be glazed or painted in the same color as the door, only it must be light.

You can also cut over the opening and decorate it with a light frame.

Big windows . If possible, you can make the room taller by using large windows. Only increase the window you need not in width, but in height. This option is not suitable for high-rise buildings, but it is quite suitable for a private house. A window extended upwards will let in more light and visually raise the ceiling.

If it is not possible to increase the window opening in height, it is worth ordering windows with narrow bindings. It can be wood-aluminum structures. Usage aluminum profile allows you to make frames narrower and make a window of any configuration. The large light transmission capacity of such openings allows you to make the room brighter, and bright rooms always seem more spacious.

reflective ceiling. It can be either a mirror suspension structure.

The second option is not suitable for everyone, many people do not like it when “double vision”. But if this does not bother you, then the option has the right to life. Just keep in mind that the mirror surface must be constantly cleaned of dust, otherwise its reflective ability is reduced.

Glossy flooring. If there is no way to raise the ceiling, then you can simply divert attention from it. A shiny floor that reflects both light and interior items is the best suited for this. At the same time, the floor seems to “deepen”, and the ceiling visually becomes higher.

Using color effects

It is known that with the right colors any room can be radically changed. In this case, it is the coloring of the ceiling in a light cold shade. Moreover, it is not at all necessary that it be white, the main thing is that the color of the walls should be darker.

You can paint the walls and ceiling in one color, but for the ceiling choose a shade a few tones lighter. This allows you to "move away" the ceiling.

Raise the ceiling with lighting

This will help sconces and floor lamps , throwing light from the bottom up. Lighting from a lower point makes the room appear taller. Therefore, the illumination at the floor level will also not be superfluous.

Generally the brighter the lighting the higher the ceiling appears.

Local and , making the room cozier, while at the same time diverting attention from the low ceiling. At the same time, the space in the unlit zone always seems wider.

Better at low ceilings do not use, it is worth placing lighting around the perimeter of the room. But if you can’t do without a chandelier, then use flat lamps located almost under the very ceiling (a lamp is a plate, or a Japanese-style ceiling lamp).

If the room has a suspended or stretch ceiling, then arrange spot lighting perimeter will be even easier.

Furniture and accessories

With furniture you can also visually raise the ceiling. To do this, in a low room you need to use only low furniture. This is especially true for cabinets, cabinets backs upholstered furniture. The lower they are, the higher the ceiling appears.

Vertical layout. This method consists in using high, but narrow cabinet furniture - shelving, bookshelves, cabinets. The main condition is that they should not stand side by side. It is better if they form a rhythmic row across the entire width of the room. Then the same effect is achieved as when using vertical stripes.

It is desirable that such furniture be directly "under the ceiling."

Accessories can also play to raise the level of the ceiling. To do this, you need to use tall narrow vases in which there are the same tall thin flowers or branches.

If you want to decorate the interior with paintings, then choose canvases that are elongated in height and hang them higher than usual. The same goes for mirrors.

High houseplants also play the role of a vertical layout. They are able to visually raise the ceiling. It is better to use tall, non-sprawling ones like palm trees, ficus or lianas for this. So they do not take up too much space, but they will perfectly "do the job."

Curtains are doing an excellent job. Only for this you need to fix the cornice directly to the ceiling and use fabrics with a vertical pattern or narrow stripes. Monophonic thin fabrics will also perfectly cope with the role, if they are beautifully assembled into vertical folds.

Japanese curtains are very good, consisting of separate narrow fabrics of matching or contrasting tones. In appearance, they resemble blinds with vertical slats. But this option is good only for minimalist interiors, in which there is little furniture and no high objects at all.

If you got an apartment with low ceilings or attic room, then you just need to turn this disadvantage into a virtue. There are many ways to do this. And the guests, subsequently, will still admire your imagination and unusual interior.