Vertical blinds give an illusion of adding height in a room with a low ceiling

In a room with a low ceiling, some design tricks can direct the eye up high and create the illusion of height in the space.

"A seemingly higher ceiling adds breathing space, particularly if the walls are also painted a soft, receding color," according to Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Choosing a simple floor-to-ceiling window treatment is the best way to solve this decorating dilemma. Vertical blinds accentuate height by guiding the eye from top to bottom in one clean line. They also offer an easy way to guide light into a room, by angling the blinds for a choice of full sunlight or partial, filtered light.

A large painting that's placed high over a mantelpiece or main piece of furniture also takes the eye upward. "A landscape with a strong illusion of depth acts like a window onto an outdoor space," the magazine suggests. An alternative of using small, related works of art in a vertical formation has a similar effect.

Painting stripes or using a striped wallpaper, however subtle, also guides the eye up and down and gives a feeling of added height in a room.