Varied ceilings give home personality

“Even if you’re working with an existing home, ceilings are one of the things that can dramatically change the effects of a room,” said Bill Millholland, executive vice president of Case Design/Remodeling in Bethesda.

For example, a high ceiling can create the illusion of a larger or grander space, while a low ceiling creates a sense of coziness and intimacy.

“Ceilings are almost overlooked by general builders,” according to Jim Rill of Rill Architects in Bethesda, “but ceiling articulation can be as important as ceiling height.”

He said even if a ceiling cannot be raised during a renovation, you can add drama — even to one as low as 8 feet — with something as simple as an unusual paint color, copper panels or bead board.

To give the illusion of height in a family room or great room, for example, Rill suggested lowering the ceiling in an adjoining anteroom or hallway to make the ceiling in main rooms seem more expansive. Most homes feature 8-, 9- or 10-foot ceilings because those are the lengths of 2-by-4s used to build houses. Rill cautioned against trying to enhance a new room by choosing a 10-foot ceiling during a remodeling project.

“It requires a lot of trim to bring a 10-foot ceiling down to scale,” he said, adding it is far better to have a 9-foot ceiling with a simple crown.

“Most of the time people want to increase height,” Millholland said, but that is not always possible, particularly in a remodel. He advised creating the illusion of height by adding molding or a bulkhead around the perimeter of a room, with the center of the ceiling going all the way up to the joists to create a visual sense of a taller space.

Ceilings easily can get too tall, as well. Rill said a powder room with a 10-foot ceiling could feel like an elevator so it is better to keep it lower to give the room a proper sense of scale.

Ceiling height frequently is an issue when remodeling basements, especially when working around ductwork. Rill said one workaround is covering the ductwork as if it is a coffer or beam and then mimicking it on the other side of the room so it looks like it is part of the design plan.

“It’s always easier to lower a ceiling,” Rill said. “But it’s perfectly OK to have more than one step to a ceiling in a single room to create a pyramid effect.”

Millholland agreed, pointing out that varying ceiling heights in a single room can help define separate spaces within a large area, such as a recreation room.

Varying ceiling heights within a home, or even within one room, is not a problem.

“Variations in heights of ceilings can give a house rhythm,” Rill said. “You can lower ceilings in some rooms to make ceilings in other spaces soar.”