The Curtain Trick That Instantly Elevates A Low Ceiling Living Room

Whether you rent or own your home, the height of your ceilings is almost always something that you don't want to mess with. Even if it's within your jurisdiction to change, it can be a serious pain in the neck, or, depending on the construction of your home, it might even be impossible. But many of us find low ceilings — especially in the living room — to put a serious damper on the potential of the room. Luckily, there is an easy (and much cheaper) way to make your ceilings feel taller and room feel larger without dragging out the demo team. All you need is a window and some long curtains.

The key to making this hack successfully trick the eye is in the details. First of all, you want to make your curtains as long as possible. This means you want to hang them just inches from the ceiling, and allow them to flow fully down to the floor. The color of your curtains is also integral to making this work. You want to choose a light shade that will add softness to the space without weighing it down. While creating a focal point can sometimes be a benefit, the goal in this case is actually to allow the eye to flow unhalted across the room. A light neutral is a great option, especially if you have a neutral-color room to begin with, as it will make not only the ceilings feel higher, but the room feel larger, creating a cohesive look with your living room curtains.

Although a neutral shade is a failsafe, that doesn't mean you necessarily have to stick to that — or even a solid color for that matter. Though patterns can sometimes make a space feel smaller, certain ones can actually help to elongate the space. Vertical stripes are a great way to employ this trompe l'oeil, and sticking to a subtle shade difference between the colors of the stripes can be the perfect match to enhance the height of the ceilings without drawing too much attention to the pattern itself.

The other thing you want to consider is your material. If you want a space to feel light, airy, and open, your fabrics are going to have to reflect that. Opt for materials that are not completely opaque — something like a gauze or linen gives a natural and organic feel while remaining light and breezy. Should you want the option of fully shutting out the natural light on occasion, you can go for a double curtain option. This uses a more transparent fabric on the inside, and your light blocking fabric on the outside. Not only does this give more dimension to your room visually, but it also makes the light you allow in to be easily customizable. Getting these layered fabrics to sit just right can be tricky, but luckily there are a lot of simple tips to help you successfully layer your curtains.