High ceilings can be incredibly dramatic in your interior living space. They give a sense of roominess and if you have windows, can be filled with light. High ceilings give you the option to have grand lighting fixtures and tall plants. One of the challenges with high ceilings is not letting your interior furnishings look dwarfed by the grand space. It's important to pick decor that works with the additional height rather than against it.
We have fifteen beautiful looks for living rooms with high ceilings. Please enjoy the inspiration.
1. Minimalist Design With Amazing Details
We may include affiliate links and curated AI content to highlight top design styles.
If you want your space to shine, go for minimalism. In this living room, floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the beautiful land outside. The scenic view of pastures and trees becomes the only painting this room needs. A large sectional provides a comfortable place to sit. Black metal minimalist coffee tables work with the large-scale black metal chandelier that descends into the space from above.
This minimalist nesting coffee table in blackened bronze has the same feel as the set in the photo above.
Click here for this on Amazon.
2. A Massive Mirror Above The Fireplace And A Grand Piano
This home has a massive vaulted ceiling. Large scale windows with upper clerestory arched windows allow in a phenomenal amount of natural light. Though this room is big, the large furniture pieces don't look oversized because they are the correct scale for the room. To help things from looking too tiny, a very large mirror has been installed above the fireplace. The scale matches the rest of the room. In addition, the room is large enough to house a beautiful grand piano.
3. Timber Frame Cross Beams And A Large Chandelier
One way to minimize a large ceiling height is the addition of cross beams. These give the room a homey feeling without losing the incredible height. Here, the peaked ceiling of the living room has been framed out in a timber frame style. A large brass chandelier hangs above the seating arrangement for both visual interest and function. Walls sconces provide further ambient lighting, and a large potted tree looks perfectly to scale against the far wall.
4. Paint Or Wallpaper Your Ceiling In A Dark Color Or Pattern
One trick of the eye for high ceilings is to make your ceiling darker. The effect is one of shortening or closing in. Of course, you wouldn't want to do this in a low-ceiling room, but it's perfect for this application. Here we see a tray ceiling in a spacious living room that has been wallpapered. The rich brown and gold color of the paper works perfectly with the room's furnishings.
5. Use A Chandelier With Multiple Hanging Heights
A fun approach to a loft-style space such as this one is a great light fixture. Here a contemporary and industrial chandelier hangs above the brilliant blue sectional sofa. Light bright white walls correspond with the other furniture pieces. The black caged lightbulbs are an updated version of the types of lights once seen in factories.
Here is a very similar style spider chandelier to the one above.
Click here for this on Amazon.
6. Choose Larger Furniture Pieces And Tall Accessories
The nice thing about a tall ceiling is it allows you to size up your furniture pieces. Of course, you don't want things so crowded you can't walk around them, but a bit of bulk won't hurt your style. Here some overstuffed armchairs are nestled next to a large square coffee table. Note the tall plant on the coffee table, and the tall greenery on the mantel. The height of the room allows for such height in your accessories.
7. Extend Your Fireplace Facing To The Top Of The Wall
Another idea when designing for a room with a tall ceiling is to extend your fireplace facing all the way up. Rather than have a mantel that cuts off half of the wall, use that space. It makes your fireplace look even grander and gives you something to center your furniture on that takes the focus off of the space above you.
8. Use A Darker Color Draping Curtain
When you have tall ceilings you want to dress your windows for optimal impact. These tall windows have been clothed in beautiful draping dark grey curtains. The fullness of the curtain and the height help draw the eye up, emphasizing the loftiness of the ceilings. Eclectic colorful furnishings make the room comfortable. Extra tall candelabras on the mantel work because of the height of the room.
These luxurious velvet black-out curtains are available in 120" long units for extra tall windows.
Click here for these on Amazon.
9. A Stone Wall and A Standout Chandelier
This is an interesting design idea for a room with a very tall ceiling. Why not consider running stone or some other material as a floor-to-ceiling accent wall? It breaks up the massive amount of sheetrock yet is still sleek and interesting. It looks beautiful behind the sectional and the calm colors are super harmonious. An oversized traditional chandelier fills the middle space above.
10. Grow A Real Tree
If you have the vision and the ceiling height, why not grow a full-sized tree indoors? We imagine there's some type of skylight bubble where the crown of the tree breaks through the ceiling. Whatever it is, it's certainly unique and unforgettable.
A comfortable seating area of poufs is near its root base. In the adjoining area of the living room, a more traditional seating area awaits. This is really fantastic, even if not necessarily realistic for most of us.
11. Create A Floor To Ceiling Room Dividing Bookcase
If you have an open concept living room with a high ceiling, here's an option for dividing your space and providing storage. Why not build a floor-to-ceiling open shelved bookcase. It can house books, dishes, objects of art, framed photos, and your favorite collectibles. It's striking and stunning and will make an impact when people come into your home.
12. Run Beams On Your Ceiling
If you want to create coziness, consider running rustic beams on your ceiling. We discussed timber framing above, but here the beams are at ceiling height and don't drop into the room's space at all. The advantage to this is you keep every bit of airiness and openness but still create a rustic feeling. The high headboard on the bed runs well up the wall which also helps with the scale of furniture to ceiling height.
13. Construct Tall Built-Ins On Either Side Of The Fireplace
Any part of your room that you can run from floor to ceiling, whether it be your fireplace facade, curtains, or an accent wall, helps emphasize the height while still grounding the space to the floor. Here two gorgeous bookcases with a combination of open shelves and cabinets, flank the fireplace and mantel. The result is a focal point for the seating arrangement that helps fill the lofty room.
14. Use Large Framed Paintings As Wall Decor
When you have a high ceiling, think about using larger framed paintings. Here, two framed pieces hang evenly over the back of the main sofa. The frames are a rich dark wood to pick up the tones on the floor and the sofa's legs. If you were to hang two smaller pieces they might look a bit like postage stamps stuck on the wall. The ceiling height demands more impact with your artwork.
15. Consider Skylights Or Custom Stained Glass Pieces
If you have super tall ceilings but need to let in more light, this is a unique approach. Though they could have gone with traditional skylights, these designers created special custom-made stained glass pieces that fit into the ceiling. They provide light, color, and creativity.
Tall Ceilings Don't Have To Be Daunting
As you've gathered after reading this post, there are many ways to work with your tall ceilings. Whether you're going to paint or dark or plant a tree, tall ceilings can work for you.
If you enjoyed this post, please check out a few of our others here on HomeDecorBliss.com:
