10 Tricks To Make Your Ceiling Look Higher

When you're considering major home improvements such as a roofing installation or roof repair, you might be considering making additional changes to the design of your home, including exterior remodeling or adding a floor to ceiling window installation.

A common change made when having a roofing installation or roof repair made it making your ceilings appear higher. Here are some tips on how to achieve this in your home:

1. Avoid breaking the vertical line. This means avoiding chair rails or painting the wall in a fashion that puts a horizontal line across the wall, preventing the eye from being drawn towards the ceiling.
   
   
2. Consider a floor to ceiling window installation. By creating a wall of glass on an exterior wall, the eye is drawn to the spaciousness of the outdoors, making the ceilings appear higher. A floor to ceiling window installation also provides an awesome modern look for your home.
   
   
3. Make it reflective. If your ceiling is in good repair and doesn't have any surface defects, paint it with a semi-gloss paint in soft hues so that it reflects the room's light, making it appear larger. If your ceiling has flaws, you'll want to avoid this approach, as the reflective paint makes those flaws obvious.
   
   
4. Actually make it higher. If you're incorporating an extensive roofing installation or roof repair, find out what it would take to put cathedral ceilings or a vaulted ceiling in the room, actually raising the ceiling height.
   
   
5. Add vertical lines. Whether it's trim going from the floor to ceiling, vertical lines of slightly or strongly contrasting paint or striped wallpaper, adding vertical lines draws the eye up, making the ceiling appear higher.
   
   
6. Direct light towards the ceiling. This can be achieved using light fixtures that direct light upward such as floor lamps, wall sconces placed at about six feet from the floor, adding a chandelier, or by using natural lighting by adding an awesome skylight to help bring the outdoors inside. The lighter ceiling draws the eye upward.
   
   
7. Paint it. If your walls are a light color, use the same color on the ceiling, creating continuity and blending the lines together. If they're a darker color, paint your ceiling a shade or two lighter, to prevent the dark color from making the ceiling appear closer.
   
   
8. Hang window treatments higher. If you have high windows already, this can be a simple task, but if your windows are also shorter, you may want to consider a long valance or scarf to cover the gap or have replacement windows installed that are slightly larger so that they come closer to the ceiling while lowering your energy costs. Avoid tiebacks as they break up the line of the window treatments.
   
   
9. Add design elements that draw the eye up. These can include tall mirrors that add additional light to the room by reflecting it, tall chairs or tall, skinny art pieces that pull the eye towards the ceiling. Avoid furniture that is too bulky as it makes the room seem smaller.
   
   
10. Avoid contrasting colors in wall and ceiling paint. These create a marked border between the two areas, dividing the area and making the ceiling appear shorter. At the same time, you'll also want to avoid borders or trim that also divide the area and make the ceiling appear lower.
    
    

Now that you've had a chance to consider different options to make your ceilings appear higher, why not get a free estimate to see how much it would cost? We're a fully licensed and insured contractor in Virginia and Maryland, and we promise our customers 100% satisfaction with our work.