For apartments with an old layout, low ceilings are a common phenomenon, which is simply impossible to cope with by technical methods. However, even from such an unpleasant situation, you can find ways out.
The height of the ceilings in such apartments is about 2.4-2.5 m, which can exert some moral pressure on their residents, not to mention the visual component of the issue.
Nonetheless, nothing is impossible in interior design, and even such an apartment can be brought into a proper, stylish look (see). This is done through various techniques that contribute to the visual increase in the height of the ceilings. Actually, how to make a design in an apartment with low ceilings will be discussed in this article.
Increasing the height of the ceilings in the house with competent finishes
The first thing to start with in this case is finishing the low ceiling. They produce it in accordance with some list of rules.
Color and texture of low ceilings
Colors and textures in the finishing of low ceilings should be matched as follows:
- The use of light cold shades makes the surface painted in such colors visually more distant. Thus, low ceilings can be painted in cold - white-gray and light pearl - shades.
- Objects and surfaces of green and blue colors are also visually as if moving away from the viewer, which also allows their active use.
- Blue-gray, light blue, and cool light green are considered priorities if you have low ceilings in your home.
Advice! Walls in rooms with low ceilings should be decorated in brighter colors than the ceiling, which will also have a positive effect on the perception of the height of the premises.
- As for the texture, a gloss or a mirror in this case would be an ideal option, since the lack of a real room height in this case is leveled by the illusion of doubling it.
- An excellent solution for apartments with low ceilings will be stretch ceilings with a glossy surface and in the shades indicated earlier. An alternative option can be mirrored polystyrene panels, as well as a suspended ceiling with a surface assembled from real mirror elements (see).
Giving volume to low ceilings
If the apartment has such a ceiling, so-called volumetric ceilings will help to make it visually higher. These can be, for example, caisson structures. Also, a good way would be to use not very large moldings glued to the ceiling transversely.
The moldings themselves must be chosen lighter in comparison with the space (rhombuses or squares) formed inside them. The formed space will be best painted in a dark cold shade.
Stucco ceilings on low ceilings are best avoided.
Wall decoration in a room with low ceilings
If the apartment has a low ceiling - you can find out what to do to increase it by reading the following recommendations:
- Sticking wallpaper with a vertical narrow strip pattern on the wall is considered a classic of the genre in such cases. In this case, it is desirable that the stripe is not excessively contrasting.
- It is not necessary to separate striped walls and a plain ceiling with a wide skirting board, it is better to choose the narrowest skirting board to match the color of the ceiling surface.
- Not only striped wall wallpaper will fit well into the design of apartments with low ceilings. Wallpaper with any vertical pattern of a geometric or vegetative orientation (see) will be quite acceptable.
Selection of interior elements in a room with low ceilings
We examined how to repair low ceilings, now we will figure out how to fill the room with furniture and decor elements so that the ceiling height seems acceptable.
Organization of lighting
It must be remembered that bulky pendant chandeliers are excluded here. If the ceiling in the room is stretched, it is better to give preference to built-in spotlights, but if it is painted or covered with wallpaper, it is worth installing a plafond lighting element on the ceiling.
Furniture selection
Ceilings in the apartment will help to visually correct correctly selected furniture. Preference should be given to tall and narrow cabinets, shelves and racks, while it is better to abandon bulky elements in favor of more accurate and minimalistic ones.
If you add low coffee tables, small armchairs, etc. to the above large items. furniture accessories, such a play on contrasts will give the impression that the ceilings in the room are of quite decent height.
Filling the room with decor items
Consider how to make the ceilings in the room visually higher using decorative elements of the interior:
- Curtains for low ceilings should be long. The curtain should be hung directly from the ceiling. It is not scary if the curtains reach the floor. The vertical folds on the curtains also contribute to a sense of height.
Advice! If the kitchen is to be decorated, vertical blinds may be preferred.
- The design of the room should consist mainly of vertically elongated objects - floor lamps, mirrors, paintings, vases, etc.
- Installation of wall or wall elements - aquariums, paintings, radiators, etc. - should be carried out slightly above their normal location.
You can use other different moves that can deceive the perception of the real scale of the room.
It doesn't matter if your home has low ceilings - what to do in this case is illustrated in detail in this article. The described techniques and methods of increasing the height of the ceilings can be implemented simultaneously all, or some of them can be selected, which are the easiest to implement for a particular case.
Using even one or two of them will immediately visually transform the room, make it more spacious, and relieve the feeling of crampedness.
Ceiling decoration is of great importance in the interior decoration of the living room. Correctly chosen colors, competent decor, beautiful lighting create a harmonious atmosphere and emphasize the overall style. For this, it is not necessary to invest large funds and hire specialists - there are many interesting and affordable DIY finishing methods. Before decorating the ceiling in the living room, you need to study the main styles, select materials and familiarize yourself with the technology.
The classic style in the living room interior will never become outdated. These are necessarily light colors, regular shapes, exquisite stucco molding and a beautiful chandelier. The ceiling itself can be multi-level or simple, and paint, decorative plaster and wallpaper are suitable for finishing. The main accent is made by baguettes around the perimeter of the surface and additional accessories. To complete the finish correctly, you must first prepare the ceiling.
Preparatory process
The old coating is carefully removed, paint and plaster are removed, and the surface is cleaned of dust. Small cracks and defects are leveled with a putty, and after it dries, these areas are treated with sandpaper.
If you plan to install drywall, additional surface treatment is not needed, but if the finishing involves painting, wallpapering or plastering, more careful alignment will be required. For this, the ceiling is primed, covered with a uniform thin layer of putty, and polished. Each subsequent layer is applied after the previous one is completely dry. At the end, a finishing putty is applied, the ceiling is sanded again and treated with a primer mixture. After this processing, you can start decorating.
The easiest way to paint the ceiling; paint you need to choose a matte light shade. Even if the leveling of the work surface was very high, there could be barely noticeable bumps or indentations that immediately catch the eye under the glossy paint. But matte paint easily hides any defects. It usually takes 2 coats to give the ceiling an even color.
If wallpaper is chosen as a decoration, they should not have a catchy pattern and be too bright or dark. Wallpaper of white, light beige, cream shade with a smooth texture and barely noticeable pattern is ideal. And here decorating the ceiling with plaster in this case is undesirable: Textured surface creates glare and darkening, which is unacceptable for a classic style.
Decorating methods
For finishing the living room ceiling you will need:
- straight and curly fillets;
- marking pencil;
- polymer glue;
- clean dry cloth;
All joints between the ceiling and walls must be closed with straight fillets... They start from the corner: glue is applied to the back of each baguette with a narrow strip and gently pressed to the surface, closing the seam. The protruding glue is carefully wiped off so as not to stain the ceiling. There should be no gaps between the fillets, and if they did form, you need to fill them with sealant. The last baguette should be properly trimmed so that the edges match the pattern.
In the center of the ceiling of curly fillets, you can lay out a circle of the correct shape, as well as fix a decorative rosette around the chandelier. If the living room is large enough, you can create an inner square of baguettes with curly corners on the ceiling, stepping back from the walls 20-30 cm.
The gap between the first and second row of skirting boards is often painted in a different color, darker than the rest of the ceiling, and combined with the interior elements. If you replace ordinary baguettes with stucco molding, the look will be much more impressive; in addition, this decor looks great with gilding, which also gives the interior an atmosphere of luxury.
Multilevel ceilings for a living room in a classic style are decorated according to the same principle: light colors, regular symmetrical shapes, beautiful baguettes around the perimeter, competent lighting. Plasterboard structures allow you to hide the wiring, so you can use several lamps for lighting at once, placing them in the ceiling niches or along the perimeter of each level.
Minimalism and eco-style in the design of the ceiling
Modern living rooms are increasingly designed in a minimalist and eco-style, the basis of which is the simplicity and naturalness of materials. To finish the ceiling yourself, you need very little:
- white or beige paint;
- matte white varnish for wood;
- wooden beams;
- lamps of a simple form.
Multilevel ceilings are not suitable for eco-style, so the surface must be flat and smooth. You should also not use a glossy finish - a matte ceiling looks more natural. The base should be white or beige, although a subtle blue tint is also possible.
When the paint is dry, several parallel wooden beams are fixed to the ceiling, from one wall to the other. It can also be solid wood panels, then there is no need to paint the surface. The distance between the beams is chosen arbitrarily; polishing the wood is not necessary to leave the most natural look. Upon completion of the installation, the beams are covered with a matte white varnish. The final touch is the installation of fixtures.
The Japanese-style living room looks very unusual and sophisticated, and the design of the ceiling plays one of the main roles here. A distinctive feature of this style is the harmonious combination of a white base and dark decor made of wooden slats, as well as the presence of Japanese symbols. The simplest finishing option: the ceiling in the living room is painted white, then a structure of wooden beams is attached, which divide the surface into large squares of equal size.
The beams are painted dark brown or black and varnished. At the intersection of the beams, decorative lamps with hieroglyphs are suspended. If the living room is small, it is recommended to replace the beams with thin slats; they can be mounted not from wall to wall, but only in the central part of the ceiling. One of the squares can be decorated with a stencil with a sakura branch or a composition of several hieroglyphs.
The Art Nouveau interior is interesting for unusual forms of structures, exotic colors and floral prints. There are many options for decorating the ceiling, both simple and quite difficult to perform. For a large living room, a multi-level ceiling is best suited, where each level has a special shape and a different shade. Often, stained glass inserts and original lamps are used for decoration.
To decorate the ceiling with your own hands in this style, it is not necessary to spend money and effort on creating complex structures from drywall. Acrylic paint of different colors, a stencil with floral ornaments and an unusual shape of a chandelier or lamps will be enough. The base must be white; in one of the corners of the ceiling, a drawing is applied with a stencil with bright paint. It is good if part of the picture descends onto the wall, as if connecting two surfaces. You can draw a flower arrangement around the chandelier, but always of a fancy shape and asymmetric.
Also, an excellent result is obtained with the help of thin baguettes: foam baguettes are glued to the ceiling, making up an asymmetrical geometric pattern. These can be parallel lines of different lengths, diverging rays, various squares, triangles or circles and curls. The pattern should be closer to one of the corners and occupy a certain part of the surface. Particular attention should be paid to the selection of lamps: they should have a modern look, non-standard shape and small size.
Other design options
If it is difficult to decide on the style of the living room, you should apply a decor for the ceiling that would be in harmony with the overall interior and at the same time express individuality. You can divide the surface into zones and paint them in different colors with smooth transitions. It is enough to take 3-4 muted shades to make the ceiling attractive, but not catchy and flashy. Bright, saturated colors are best used in other rooms.
The living room looks cute and home-like with ceilings covered with the same wallpaper as the walls. For this, wallpaper must be chosen with a medium-sized pattern, not too bright, two-tone is better. A geometric pattern on a light background is ideal. To prevent the ceiling and walls from merging, beautiful white baguettes must be glued along the perimeter.
The described methods are the simplest. Having shown imagination, you can supplement these options or create your own. When decorating ceilings, it is very important to show a sense of proportion, and it is better to leave empty areas than to fill them with unnecessary elements. A pile of decor will never be able to decorate the interior, but minimalism in details, accuracy and thoughtfulness in the design will create real comfort and harmony!
Video - How to decorate the ceiling in the living room
If earlier it was enough just to whitewash the ceiling or paint it with water-based paint, now people are trying to make the ceiling original and unique.
The decorative ceiling makes the room original and beautiful.
The presence of a large selection of modern materials allows you to decorate the ceiling with your own hands and make it not only attractive, but also exclusive, such as is not found in other houses.
There are various types of ceiling decoration, consider the main and most popular decorative ceiling options.
Decorative plastering
This type of decor is highly durable and durable, and it is also environmentally friendly. A decorative plaster ceiling protects it well from high humidity, the presence of special admixtures gives the plaster high thermal insulation properties, resistance to moisture, it is not covered with mold and fungus.
The specified material is presented in the widest range of colors and can have various textures. The properties and appearance of such a decorative ceiling will completely depend on the fillers and additives that are included in its composition.
The composition of this coating may include the following elements:
Decorative plaster is highly durable and durable.
- acrylic or polymer is used as a bonding element, their disadvantage is low wear resistance;
- the presence of a binder such as epoxy or polyurethane extends the life of the plaster, but in the presence of high temperatures, these elements can emit harmful substances;
- quartz or granite chips are used as a filler, it makes the composition wear-resistant, the texture of such a coating can be smooth or rough;
- the presence of marble chips will help roughen the plaster;
- it contains preparations for imparting a thicker structure, preservatives and antiseptics, due to which such plaster has high thermal insulation and antiseptic properties.
When choosing a plaster for a decorative ceiling, you need to pay attention to its texture, it can be:
- large textured - grain size 3-5 mm;
- medium texture - 1.5-2.5 mm;
- small-textured - 0.5-1 mm;
- fine texture - granule size less than 0.5 mm.
Large-textured decorative plaster - grain size 3-5 mm.
Usually, stores sell a ready-made composition of white color, which can be painted in the shade you need. First, the specified material is applied to the surface, and then special spatulas, combs or rollers are used, with which the relief is made.
If textured plaster is used, then the relief does not need to be done additionally. Thanks to the composition of the mixture, you will immediately get a textured ceiling, which, after drying, will need to be painted in the desired color.
It is quite difficult to apply decorative plaster on the ceiling, and without proper experience, it may not work right away, so it is better to use textured plaster. Subsequent painting is recommended to be done with dispersion paint. Before applying a decorative ceiling using this material, it is necessary to prepare its surface well, since this finish does not hide the existing defects.
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We make a decorative ceiling using stucco
Many people do not want to finish the ceiling using popular modern materials, and then stucco molding can be used. Such a solution will allow you to make a truly individual and unique solution, usually stucco is used when decorating a room in the Rococo or Baroque style. Now you can purchase ready-made elements, and you just need to glue them and paint them in the desired tone.
A decorative ceiling with stucco molding is usually done in the Rococo or Baroque style.
Many people make stucco molding from gypsum on their own, for this they take a dry solution or alabaster, knead it well and mix it with water. You should get a creamy consistency, the mixture is poured into a special mold and tamped with a spatula.
It is necessary to let the finished product dry well, only then it is taken out of the mold and processed with sandpaper. PVA glue is used for gluing parts. During the installation, joints are formed, which are filled with a PVA-based putty, after drying, the joints are treated with sandpaper and the entire surface is painted.
Modern stucco molding is often made of polyurethane and polystyrene, these are elements such as moldings, rosettes, borders, etc. They are easy to install, for this they use special glue. After it dries, everything is painted in the desired color. Any paint is suitable for polyurethane products, and only water-based paint for polystyrene products.
Often, when painting, pearlescent paints are used, which change their color depending on the lighting, they are applied with a spatula, sponge, spray, roller or brush.
The effect of antiquity can be done only on polyurethane or gypsum stucco molding, it is necessary to use paints based on lime. A long bristle brush is required to apply paint.
The effect of antiquity is produced on plaster moldings.
The watercolor effect is achieved by applying two colors. First, the main layer is applied, and when it dries, it is covered with another layer. A special roller must be used to imitate wood.
Depending on the choice of material for finishing the ceiling, you will need;
- long-bristled brush;
- special rollers;
- spray gun;
- sponge;
- putty knife;
- paint, plaster, glue.
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Use to decorate the ceiling wallpaper
The ceiling can be decorated with any wallpaper, but it is better to use dense wallpaper, since, in addition to the decorative function, they allow you to hide minor defects.
Most often, non-woven wallpaper is used, they can be washing and ordinary. Textile wallpapers have good sound and heat insulation, but they absorb odors and dust, so they are not suitable for all rooms. Now you can not only buy high-quality photowall-paper, but also order their drawing at your discretion.
Wallpaper made from natural materials is very popular. They are based on paper, and on top are glued fibers of reed, bamboo, jute, etc. A canvas made of bamboo or palm tree looks good, these are natural lamellas glued to a fabric base.
One of the varieties of ancient wallpaper is a material such as linkrust. Its main advantage is its high strength, therefore it has a long service life, it can be repainted many times.
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Decorative ceiling - wood trim
For finishing the ceiling with wood, beams, boards, panels are used.
For decorative finishing of the ceiling, boards, panels, bars and other wooden products can be used, this material has always been in demand, it is easy to process and well painted.
Ready-made panels are sold, in which the front layer is made of veneer of valuable species, and inexpensive species are used for the manufacture of the remaining layers.
Such ceilings can be made in any room, but in those with constant humidity, it is necessary to make special ventilation gaps, and the surface is covered with a special compound.
The use of wooden lamellas for ceiling decoration is common. They are lightweight, easy to install with glue and have a variety of textures and colors.
The ceilings can be covered with a roll of round logs laid flat, clapboard or hemmed with boards. After installation, these materials are coated with mordants and tinting compounds.