How to increase the ceiling height in an apartment
Living in an apartment with standard ceilings and the desire to create the most comfortable conditions at the same time often force residents to use all their ingenuity to change the parameters of the rooms. Of course, sometimes it is extremely difficult to get any physical results, but to achieve visually perceived changes is quite possible. To do this, you will need to correctly select finishing materials for walls, floors and ceilings, think over the option of the room environment, and use appropriate textiles in the interior.
Content
- How to visually increase the ceiling height - different options for transforming the ceiling surface video video
- How to increase the height of the ceiling using wall decor
- How to visually increase the distance from the ceiling to the floor by changing furniture
- A very important point - the shape of the windows and their design
- How to green a room with a low ceiling
How to visually increase the ceiling height - different options for transforming the ceiling surface
Most often, owners of standard apartments blame for low ceilings. With a minimum ceiling height of 2.5 m (according to SNiP), even small rooms seem uncomfortable and squat. A higher ceiling creates the effect of expanded space and the saturation of rooms with light.
What ceiling height should be unequivocally impossible to say - it all depends on the size of the rooms, the smaller the room, the more natural the standard ceiling looks in it. But in large areas, there is almost always a desire to raise the ceiling - if not in the literal sense of the word, then at least visually. For this, some improvements will be required during the repair, while the cost of the repair will not increase significantly.
There are several ways to change the height of the ceiling. The first of them is not often used; it may be suitable for lovers of design extreme sports, industrial style or loft style. Designers offer to remove from the ceiling all the finishing materials applied to it:
- suspended or suspended ceilings,
- wallpaper or paint
- plaster
- putty.
This will really increase the distance from floor to ceiling by several centimeters. Of course, not every homeowner will decide on such an act. However, modern fashion trends in interior design increasingly suggest using concrete not only as a building material, but also as a finishing material.
The second, more familiar and popular way to visually increase the height of the ceiling is to create a mirror or glossy surface. It is implemented by installing stretch ceilings. Their cost is not small, but as a result of installation several problems are immediately solved - the room takes on a stylish look, the ceilings become higher.
Experts consider this method the most effective and most affordable. To get the desired result, it is not necessary to choose white color, for example, dark blue gloss will help give the room space extra depth and will perfectly reflect the interior of the room.
The second condition for obtaining a visual effect is the installation of spot lighting. Traditionally used hanging chandeliers, especially bulky, with numerous pendants, significantly reduce the sub-ceiling space. As for the lighting fixtures, which are located on the floor and on the walls, their design should allow casting light not only down but also up.
You can also apply the method of lengthening the figure, a favorite of photographers - to install lamps so that the light is directed from the bottom up.
The installation of a plasterboard suspended multilevel ceiling can also contribute to achieving this goal. At the same time, it is recommended to paint deeper areas in shades several shades darker than the entire ceiling.
How to increase the height of the ceiling using wall decor
Equally important in creating the illusion of a high ceiling is the decoration of the walls. A favorite technique for designers is painting walls with stripes or using wallpaper with a vertical pattern. The effect is enhanced by the use of bright colors, creating contrasting longitudinal patterns. In small rooms it will be more appropriate to use a pattern with narrow stripes, in large areas - with a wider one. To get the result, it is not necessary to paint all the walls in stripes - it is enough to make one the most viewed in the room striped.
The predominance of vertical lines can be not only on the walls, but also on paintings that serve to decorate it.
You can create the same effect by drawing a diagonal on the wall - from the top corner to the floor. Even creating a bright diagonal line reaching the middle of the wall will be sufficient - the eyes of those entering the room will involuntarily stretch in its direction.
The combination of a colored wall with a white ceiling looks good, so that the ceiling seems to be higher, the transition line should be painted in the same shade as the ceiling. The ceiling color should be painted ceiling skirting. To enhance the effect under the ceiling, leave a strip up to 20 cm wide and paint it in the color of the ceiling.
For a very incomprehensible reason, it is accepted that the color of the skirting board should match the color of the floor - this negatively affects the visual perception of the height of the wall. If the ceilings in the room are not high enough, then the skirting board is better to choose the color of the walls. In addition, this color scheme will look fresh, attractive and original.
Visually, the optimum ceiling height can be achieved by decorating the walls with wood panels. Since the structure of the wood material has a longitudinal texture, such panels will create the effect of a higher wall, of course, the height of the ceiling will become greater. If the room is very small, then it will be enough to cover the lower half of the walls. In a room with a large area, this option is not recommended - the ceiling visually drops below.
In an extreme case, you can apply wood paneling to at least one wall from top to bottom.
An option to increase the height of the walls will be an option involving the transition of the picture from the wall to the ceiling. The method will be effective in any premises. For example, wallpaper glued to the wall can be wrapped about 5 cm on the ceiling. You can do the same with paint - just extend the lines on the surface of the ceiling. With care, it should be used in very small rooms, such as a kitchen.
When decorating the walls, horizontal stripes should be avoided - cutting the room into parts they significantly shorten its height. You can also use a fairly simple, but tricky move - to divert attention from the ceiling with a bright color spot on the wall or floor.
If the problem with a low ceiling is solved in an attic, then gluing part of the surface of the ceiling with the same wallpaper that glues the walls may be a sufficient measure. The extension of vertical lines applied to the wall will be effective.
How to visually increase the distance from the ceiling to the floor by changing the situation in the room
Furniture can play a role in the process of changing a person’s ceiling height. To create the illusion of a high ceiling, you should choose low upholstered furniture (height 40-50 cm), the absence of legs in it, a squat look will help change the proportions of the room.
You can also give preference to frameless furniture, if you buy beds, then their headboard must be low. A chest of drawers should have a small height - a maximum of 3 drawers.
With cabinet furniture - on the contrary, if the cabinets are narrow and high, to the ceiling, they will successfully play the role of vertical stripes on the walls. Shelves and shelves for books should be the same narrow and high. If a wardrobe is used, then it should occupy the entire height of the wall, up to the ceiling. The elongated shape should have paintings located on the walls, mirrors, and other interior items.
The modern design also involves the use of LED lighting for furniture, of course, such lamps should be at the bottom, to give a soft, diffused light.
A very important point - the shape of the windows and their design
Windows and doors of an elongated shape, with a height of up to the ceiling, look extremely impressive, allow a large amount of light to enter the room, which makes it more spacious. It is best that the windows are not wide; it is not necessary to occupy most of the width of the wall with a window. Cornices over such windows should be placed as high as possible, you can even fasten them to the ceiling. You can go for a little trick and decorate the cornice with a strip of drywall painted in the color of the ceiling.
Often, in order to give the interior a more luxurious appearance, the upper part of the window or doorway is shaped like an arch. Arches with a ceiling height can have a significant impact on the visual perception of the height of the ceiling, and wide and narrow arched openings will be equally effective. The same effect will be created by ordinary rectangular, but ceiling-mounted window openings.
Textiles used for window decoration should have a longitudinal pattern, striped or floral. An interesting effect can give Japanese and Roman curtains, they are also fixed to the ceiling. Fabric for curtains is better to choose light, light shades, it should gently fall from the ceiling to the floor.
The use of shiny flooring - glossy tiles or varnished wood - can help increase the height of the room. A brilliant floor of light shades will look more effective. The illusion of a high ceiling will come from the reflection of light on the shiny surface of the floor.
How to green a room with a low ceiling
An inexpensive and affordable option to increase the height of the ceiling is the proper landscaping of the room. For this case, you need to choose indoor flowers that have long branches, stretching up.
It can be trees or palm trees, creepers with long lashes are also suitable.
If desired, you can decorate the room with large elongated vases with fresh flowers.
