High Ceilings; AIM FOR THE STARS.. LAND ON THE MOON.

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A few years ago, marketing scholars Joan Meyers-Levy and Rui Zhu wanted to see whether the height of a ceiling had any impact on the way a person thinks. So they recruited test participants for a number of different experiments and modified the study rooms so that some had 10-foot ceilings and others had (false) eight-foot ceilings. Meyers-Levy and Zhu also hung up Chinese lanterns so participants would look up and, consciously or not, process the ceiling height.

Working in a high-ceiling environment (left) put participants in a freer, more abstract mindset than did a low-ceiling setting. Via Journal of Consumer Research

Working in a high-ceiling environment (left) put participants in a freer, more abstract mindset than did a low-ceiling setting.
Via Journal of Consumer Research

Across several experiments, the researchers found evidence that high ceilings seemed to put test participants in a mindset of freedom, creativity, and abstraction, whereas the lower ceilings prompting more confined thinking.

High ceilings mean lots of wall space above a height of 8 feet. And many times that space is double the height or more. So how do you address all this empty wall and window space? First of all, do not ignore it; rather, embrace all the drama and beauty you loved about the space when you first saw it.

Approximately 2 years ago, i worked with an amazing interior designer friend on a residential property with really high ceilings. The first thing that came to my mind when i saw the huge windows was WOW… Lami we have a problem. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH THIS?
In this post i will give you 4 key tips I personally and strongly feel will help solve this “interior problem”. (Even though i wouldn’t call it a problem anymore)

  1. FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES

Furniture to an interior space is like clothes to a human being. The furniture you put in your room can make or break the room. When it comes to furnishing, proportion is key! in a small room, you use smaller furnitures to make the room look bigger while in a larger room, who use large furniture to create a vertical balance. Like i said before, its all about proportion. Likewise, in a room with tall ceilings you are going to apply the same logic horizontally. ANYTHING THAT DRAWS THE EYE UPWARD.

Make use of :
Sofas and Chairs with tall backs (wing chairs )
Grandfather clocks
Tall mirrors rather than wide
Four Poster Beds
Torchere lamps (taller than floor lamps, its more of an accent lamp when it comes to room illumination)
Large vases with tall branches in them.
Upright Pianos, open-top Baby and Grand Pianos
Highboys, Secretaries and other tall dresser-desks
Tall Plant stands with plant on top of them
Potted trees (real or artificial)
Vertical striped wallpaper
Tall floor lamps (about 64 inches)

2) WINDOW TREATMENTS

Windows on high walls can range from picturesque ‘window walls’ that can consume the entire wall, or they can be confined to sliding doors and standard height windows. Decide how you’d like to adorn the windows in your space. If you have a killer view and no one can see in, you may prefer to leave your windows bare. If you need the option of privacy then use window treatments that fits your decorative style.

  • Long, simple “floor to ceiling” drapery

This can bring so much height and drama to a high window. It just makes the space soar!

In this illustration, you can easily see how hanging draperies up near the ceiling and out on the walls create a much better look for the windows, and the room as well. You can see how much more, light, air, and view, are revealed. The drapery placement frames the window, makes the window look twice as big, and lifts the room in perceived height. It’s kind of an optical illusion, but it really works wonders.

White curtains will ensure a breezy feel, red will bring in extra energy and darker hues will add an intriguing sense of drama. Black fabric will contribute to shrinking the room and making it more cozy.

  • Wooden blinds and fabric Shades

If you don’t plan on raising or lowering your shades much, you can choose a cellular shade with the opacity that fits your needs and simply leave it down or you can set the slats of a wood blind in an upward position, allowing in light but blocking direct sun and providing privacy.

Technology has made life so much easier that you don’t have to get up to manually open and close your heavy drapes, there are motorised options with remote control to operate the window treatment from anywhere in your property.

3. LIGHTING 

When you’re charged with making a huge space feel full and cozy like a home, things can get real. Suddenly, the room is an ocean, and you are drowning. While you can add furniture and wall hangings to your heart’s content, there’s nothing like quality lighting to fill a room without making it feel cluttered.

You’ve probably heard of the rule of thirds. This rule applied to your room will split the wall into 3 equal, balanced parts – the top, the middle, and the bottom.

By adding lights to each of these layers which serve as focal points, the space will feel less intimidating and more cohesive. Add table lamps, step lights, or uplights to the bottom portion. Floor lamps, wall sconces, or low-hanging pendants in the middle and recessed lights, track lighting, or larger, higher hanging lights or chandeliers or fans at the top.

You now have permission to go wild. You have the space so make a statement with your chandeliers or elegant set of lanterns or giant glass pendant light. Don’t be afraid to light your room with multiple chandeliers of different styles.

I LOVE RECESSED LIGHTS;  Their sleek, modern design allows them to provide great ambient lighting without making the ceiling look too cluttered. You can use them on their own, or to supplement the ambient light provided by a hanging fixture.
Tip: To get rid of those creepy shadows against the walls, install lights closer to the edge of your ceiling. To pull focus on a single point, install the lights in a square or circle around the central fixture.

4) WALL ART 

When decorating a room with a tall ceiling, having an assortment of different sized pictures, mirrors and other kinds of wall art in the room is an ideal. If you can, have that really big picture over the sofa that is 40 inches wide and 60 inches tall. It would definitely be an eye-catching focal point in the room. Also think about adding some smaller pieces to the mix for visual interest. I bet you already have some of those around the house to work with.

When hanging groupings of paintings, prints, photos, dishes, plaques, or any kind of wall sculpture, etc, the rule of thumb is Larger and/or Visually Heavier looking pieces are always hung above smaller lighter looking pieces. The smaller piece(s) act as a pedestal holding the larger piece up in space to draw the eye up into the volume of the space.

You can also hang a beautiful large contemporary or persian rug on the wall. Many contemporary rugs look like modern art. Have a carpet store sew in a sleeve on top so you can insert a heavy rod to hang it. How cool is that?

That said, the most important thing like i always say is bring your own originality to it and make use of what you love so you can enjoy your space. After all, its all yours!

Well, there you have it.

Here are a few pictures to give you inspiration..

Click to see larger images.

Happy decorating!

Ciao!

Lami.

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