High ceilings might evoke the grandeur of castles, but vast spaces can also feel cold and intimidating. Not so with rooms with ceilings lower than the standard eight feet. If designed strategically, these spots can embody coziness, inviting rest and intimate conversations. As an added plus, they’re more energy efficient. Here’s how to enhance and embrace smaller-scale areas in your primary residence, vacation home, or investment property.
Use these spaces as dens, offices, or lounges
“A more tightly enclosed space lends a sense of intimacy,” says Ksenya Malina, founder of New York City-based interior design studio Time & Place Interiors. So designate these rooms for functions where coziness would be an asset. “They’re great spaces to use for dens and studies where you want to feel cocooned in concentration or to indulge in ‘me’ time,” Malina adds. “Think 1970s sunken rooms, framed by built-in seating, where the vibe is cool and relaxed.” Or enlist them as closets, offices, playrooms, or areas for meditation, yoga, or crafting.
Highlight low ceilings
Consider enhancing the intimate feel by making the ceiling stand out. Choose a ceiling paint color that contrasts with the walls or a dark hue to provide “a sense of intimate enclosure,” counsels Malina. Recently, in a client’s living room, Colleen Simonds, owner of Pittsburgh-based interior design studio Colleen Simonds Design, installed wooden beams on the ceiling, which—combined with “soft” paint on the walls and trim—”totally transformed the room into something cozy and beautiful.”
Or play them down
Alternatively, camouflage low ceilings by applying this principle in reverse: “Blur the horizontal line” between the wall and ceiling by choosing the same paint color for both, suggests Simonds. To enhance this effect, also include the doors and moldings, advises Malina. Then, consider adding vertical lines in the decor, such as with striped wallpaper, tall slender lamps, and floor-to-ceiling shelving, says Dallas-based Brad Smith, CEO and interior designer of Omni Home Ideas. “Vertical patterns that draw your eye up always help with lower ceilings,” agrees Simonds, who recently used this type of wallpaper in a client’s low-ceilinged living room.
Choose the right lighting
Forget dramatic, large-scale chandeliers or pendant lights, which could crowd a lower ceiling. Instead, go with flush mounts, wall sconces, or floor lamps, recommends Malina. For a 1960s West Village apartment with low ceilings that she’s currently designing, Malina struggled to find sufficient space for a pendant light above the dining table. Then she realized the best approach was to skip the ceiling light altogether and opt for a wall sconce instead. “The focal point of the dining table will be a beautiful bowl as a centerpiece. We embraced the original space, just as it was meant to be,” she says.
Finish with furniture and accents
Choose low-profile furniture, which can increase the perception of vertical wall space, says Malina. For the most options, seek out purveyors with a focus on midcentury modern or 70s-era styles. Then, layer on the coziness with soft, textured accents, like a sheepskin throw and shag area rug.