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Ceiling height: ideas & inspiration

Ceiling height: ideas & inspiration

Ceiling height can make all the difference between a cramped room where you are feel boxed-in and a lofty, airy space.

If you’re planning an extension or refurb this year, don’t forget to look up. Ceiling height can give you extra space to play with. It can affect everything from positioning of glazing to arrangement of furniture,  use of the rooms and general atmosphere of the space. While Victorian houses typically featured tall ceilings of at least 2.7m, modern ‘shoebox’ homes often have ceiling heights of around 2.4m or less, which can feel claustraphobic. The good news is that tall ceilings can make even a small room feel bigger.

Ceiling height inspiration

Pro Vision: renovation and extension to create a contemporary, spacious home

So, what are the rules and regulations?

Perhaps surprisingly, there are no legal requirements for ceiling heights in UK homes, except for stairs. To ensure headroom over staircases, the minimum ceiling height is 2m. However, there are expected standard heights if you want to avoid smashing your head on low ceilings or hope to sell your home in future. A floor to ceiling height of 2.2m is minimum, 2.4m is standard and 2.6m is considered good. “It’s a big mistake to go below 2.4m in domestic construction,”  said architect Chris Fry of Pro Vision, adding: “Ideally, ceiling heights should be 2.6m or more.” Architect Mark Benzie, founder of C3Design, agreed, saying: “Normal ceiling height is 2.4m but if you can add 30cm and go up to 2.7m or higher it feels a lot more spacious. It costs a little more but the impact is massive.”

Sloping ceilings

Your ceiling doesn’t have to be flat and boring. A vaulted ceiling can open up a room and give the impression of infinite wall space, as well as allow more natural light. Many rooms with vaulted ceilings feature a skylight. Architect Mark Benzie, of C3 Design, said: “If you have a pitched roof, you can either have a flat ceiling or follow the line of the roof and have a lovely, vaulted ceiling for very little extra cost. It’s a great way of making more space and impact.” Mark’s projects include a first floor master bedroom where height was added by opening it it up to the roof ridges. Similarly, if side or rear extensions or garage conversions have pitched roofs, it’s possible to add height with a tall, vaulted ceiling, possibly with exposed beams.

Chris said: “Even a 10 degree pitch can make quite a dramatic difference to the sense of space.”  For a loft to be suitable for converting into a room,  it needs to measure 2.2 metres or more from the timbers you are standing on to the tallest part of the roof. If it’s lower, it’s still possible but it will cost a lot more. One option is to lower the ceiling below.  

Sloping Ceilings

Pro Vision: renovation and extension to create a contemporary, spacious home

Double-height spaces

Double-height living rooms can be fabulous and functional. They create a real sense of drama and provide the perfect setting for a grand chandalier or massive chimney breast. Creating a lofty living space can open up endless possibilies. One of the double-height walls can be lined with shelves of books with a rolling ladder to access the top ones, for example.  Large open-plan spaces with high vaulted ceilings can, however, feel like you’re living in a cathedral. Adding a mezzanine level for a TV room, guest bed or study, can bring that voluminous space down to a more human scale. The dramatic ceiling stays but the effect is softened with cosier, more intimate spaces.

Keep it in proportion

Height is great, but it can make a narrow space feel narrower, for example a side return extension. “Once you start going tall, you need to keep the floor plan in proportion or it can feel like you’re in a corridor,” said Chris, adding: “You want to think in terms of cubic area.” The floor area of the room (length multiplied by width) should be in right proportions with the height of the ceiling. That’s why tall ceilings are an absolute must for larger spaces. Big rooms with 2.4m ceilings can feel too confined.  

Different heights

You don’t have to stick with the same ceiling heights throughout your home.  If you have low ceilings in the original property, you can have high ones in your extension and vice versa. “High ceilings create additional volume, but you have to weigh up the pros and cons,” said Chris. While rooms with tall ceilings create a luxurious sense of space, they often cost more to heat. Mark said: “If the extension is going to be the main living area, there is an opportunity to make the house a lot more impressive with high ceilings, but if the extension is just a functional like a utility room, there’s little point.” Remember if you have standard height ceilings,  generous  glazing, such as rooflights and floor-to-ceiling windows, can create the illusion of more space.

It’s becoming increasingly fashionable for house builders to build new homes with fabulously  high  3.6m ceilings on the ground floor, said  estate agent Paul Preen of Lang, Town and Country. He said: “The initial feeling when you walk through the entrance is one of spaciousness – it’s definitely a sales feature. I would not say it adds value but it adds desirability.”