dressing up low ceilings

adding detail to the ceiling is a great way 

to add character to any space,

but i think that many people think that because they have 

"standard" 8' ceilings, they can't dress them up.

wrong.

take a look at how this ceiling is treated 

with a simple, shallow molding.

it makes a HUGE impact, 

and, unlike a coffered ceiling, 

it would be relatively easy and affordable to install.

the ceilings in house # 5 were 9',

and we installed a coffered ceiling,

but we have looked at a handful of potential houses,

and they ALL have 8' ceilings.

so, the treatment in the above picture would be perfect

if house #6 does indeed have standard height ceilings.

of course, you could STILL do a coffered ceiling on

an 8' ceiling, but you would just have to make it shallow.

oh, and just to refresh your memory...

here is the family room of house #5.

it started off WAY too VANILLA for us,

but with a little bit of trim,

and some hardwood floors, and paint

we transformed it.

 wall color: brandon beige 977

ceiling color decatur buff HC-38

trim swiss coffee OC-45

floor: minwax provincial 211
***
oh, and be sure to check out 
my post about starting your OWN design file
at "or so she says" here.
(image via house beautiful)