The most common ceiling height in condominiums and houses throughout the world is 8 feet. While some consider this a comfortable height, others, especially taller folks, will find this standard too small. There are some design tricks that can help you create the illusion of higher ceilings and help you avoid the feeling that your ceiling is caving in.

Trompe l'oeil: Fool the eye.

Create the feeling of height by decorating your rooms with furniture that measures two-thirds of the height of the ceiling or with furnishings such as shelves that go from floor to ceiling.

Painting the walls in a bright yet neutral tone such as off-white, beige or ivory will contribute a feeling of lightness and spaciousness.

Having your ceiling lacquered with a gloss paint can also do the trick. The light will bounce off the surface and create the idea of more space. Any bright white color will be effective for this technique. The only word of caution is that the surface should be smooth and free of any imperfections, as the gloss paint and the light will highlight the slightest flaw.

Accentuating the height you have can be accomplished by highlighting any vertical elements in the room in a distinct color from that of your walls. Fireplaces, mouldings, millwork and any other architectural feature should be painted to strengthen the vertical lines.

Where there are windows that are too low, the addition of some millwork and mirror to the top of your windows can enhance the height of the room. In the case where no windows exist, you can actually add a virtual window by faking — yes, faking — a window and dressing it the same as any other in the room. A mirror insert will allow light to bounce into the room, and the reflection tricks your eye into thinking a window is there.

Floor-to-ceiling doors and doorways, if structurally possible, also help give the sensation of height. This is very easy to do in condominiums, especially where the interior partitions do not carry any weight, and it renders headers and transoms unnecessary. The only thing to be aware of when designing these doors is any soffits required by your mechanical systems such as air conditioning, plumbing stacks or electrical lines.

Vertical stripes on the walls, either as a decorative paint finish or a wall covering, can help you in this task. The stripes need not be so obvious as a red-and-white circus tent, but they can be a subtle tone-on-tone version.

Another successful technique for making the room appear taller is to select sleek, contemporary furniture lines. Many of these newer lines of furniture have a lower European profile, which by contrast will make the ceiling seem as high as the sky.

Finally, lighting a room from below can draw your eye away from the ceiling. Avoid any ceiling-mounted lighting fixtures. Lighting can come from spotlight canisters placed around the perimeter of the room. If the setting of the room is right, you can even place lights underneath your furniture. Your furniture will seem to float, and your eye will be drawn down to the floor.

Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida. To find out more about Joseph Pubillones, or to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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