27 Feb Low Ceiling Tricks
Thinking of refinishing your basement or updating a space that has low ceilings? These tips from Houzz, caught the eye of the Kurtz & Co. team!
“White and Bright
One of the best first steps to visually lifting a low ceiling is to paint it bright white, then add as much light as you can. It’s important to remember, though, that can lights alone may not help hoist the ceiling. In fact, if the only light in a room is beaming downward, this may leave the floor and furniture brightly lit but the ceiling in shadow. Adding table or floor lamps that shine upward will keep the lighting more even so that no dark corners develop.
Positioning
Another key strategy to making a room feel taller is to create a floor plan that takes the best advantage of what height there is. Low basement spaces often will have areas with a normal ceiling height, which can be dedicated to circulation space, while the lower areas are used for seating. This way you can stand tall while moving about the room and feel cozy while nestled into a sofa.
Notice how this room places the sofa under the ceiling drop, at a playful diagonal angle no less, to make maximum use of the full-height area.
Bold Furniture
Another way to distract the eye from a low or broken-up ceiling is to use bold furniture pieces that draw the attention. This weighty blue sofa is likely the first thing you notice when you enter the room, and the colorful rug, chair and gleaming side table keep the focus on the ground. Adding this weight draws the eye down, effectively making the ceiling feel higher.
Low Furniture
If you enjoy lounging on the weekends, using low furniture to create a hip casual seating space also will help keep the ceiling feeling high above your head. This sofa with extra pillows (and the trio of poufs) is made for piling onto to watch a movie, or for teens to hang out with friends. Add a big plush rug, and the whole space will beckon you to lie down and forget your worries.
Exposure
Another common strategy for stealing an extra foot or so of space is to remove a dropped ceiling (commonly used to hide messy construction components), and then paint the ceiling and any beams or pipes white. This look works especially well when you play into it with a quirky or eclectic style, such as the use of recovered planks here to dress an accent wall.
Exposed beams can help distract the eye from where the true ceiling begins, making the newly lifted ceiling plane seem even higher. In a home office (which typically means a lot of sitting), you probably won’t notice where the overhead space ends.
For those who don’t like painting all their wood: Exposed beams needn’t be strictly white for this effect to work. Wood or colorful beams also will visually advance, helping the panels of ceiling between them recede, so the effect is cozy but not cramped.”
If you have used one of these techniques, we would love take a peek! Post to the Kurtz & Company Facebook page and share your ideas with our friends and family.
Sincerely,
Kurtz & Co.
No Comments