If you have an older house, you may have low ceilings. Or, if you have a house with a gable roof or different pitches that creates shorter, slopped ceilings in places, you have to deal with the low ceiling issue as well. Low ceilings can be frustrating--they make everything feel off and can quickly throw off the balance of a space. So today we're going to discuss some solutions that you have for these design dilemmas.

The first thing we recommend that you do in a room with low ceilings is edit. Edit, edit, edit. Too much stuff (aka, clutter!) immediately makes a room feel small just because it appears crowded, so if you're already dealing with low ceilings which makes a room feel crowded, you don't want to add it the problem by bringing in tchochkies. If the room is used for sleeping, go for a simple low-profile bed a couple of sleek night stands, and some skinny lamps and call it a day. Basically, just keep the basics and get rid of the rest. If the room feels bare or boring, you can always add a cool area rug or install a bold flooring that doesn't take up space.

Of course, this is always our go-to solution, white walls wills always make a room feel bigger. So if you're dealing with the top closing in on you, go light and bright and paint the walls white! You can also option for all light/white furniture too. Avoiding anything dark and heavy will keep the room feeling open and draw the focus away from the low ceilings.

Lighting is always your friend when it comes to design dilemmas. It can be your enemy too, if you get it wrong, but we're here to help you get it right! For low ceilings, you have the option of masking them with little puck or cove lights. Small recessed lights that are spread out on the ceiling will give off a glow that makes the hard line where the wall and ceiling meet and little less obvious which will mask that low ceiling! It also gives the illusion that the space up there is more open because it's brighter, which also helps avoid the crowded/cramped feeling.

You can also always make your furniture fit your space but using low furniture in spaces with low ceilings. By doing this, you're basically maximizing the space between the furniture and the ceiling instead of shortening it. You have to be careful with this option, though, because you don't want to add to the squatty look of a room by having all squatty furniture. You still need SOME varied height, just not the big pieces.

And finally, anything linear on the wall the draws the eye up, creating the illusion of height is helpful in short spaces. This can be art or even some sort of wall application. Don't go overboard, though. You don't want to add to the crowded-look. You just want to give the eye something to rest on long enough to make it feel tall.

Design Solutions | Make Low Ceiling Feel Taller