Ideas for Decorating Angled Ceilings

Paint the Sky

• While you cannot physically flatten out a sloped ceiling, you can use paint to create the illusion of a more open, airy space. Bring the sky indoors with the use of sky blue paint. A ceiling painted in sky blue provides a dramatic contrast to the walls. It separates the ceiling as its own decorative element and the lighter color recedes, making the room appear taller and wider.

Faux Skylight

• Create an opening in the sloped ceiling to bring light into the room and make the reduced height from the ceiling's angle feel less oppressive. A window can be added into an angled ceiling on the top floor. The window will be parallel to the slope of the ceiling and will appear to be a skylight in the room. Such windows are also referred to as attic windows. These type of windows should not be covered with heavy treatments because they help ventilate the upper story. Use a decorative frame or colored window film to add a decorative effect to the angled ceiling area without interrupting the air flow from the window.

Storage Hideaway

• The narrowed wall directly under an angled ceiling does not have to go to waste. Use this space for storage. Place a bank of low shelves, a desk or a short dresser in this area. To separate the storage area from the rest of the room and turn it into a closet, hang curtains from a rod attached to the ceiling just where it starts to slope. This does double duty by hiding the angle of the ceiling and creating a separate, private spot in the room for storage, study or reading.

Decorative Trim

• Make your angled ceiling the star of the room by adding decorative beams to it. Exposed beams across an angled ceiling add interest to a room. Interior decorator Charles Faudree described how this element was used in a dining room that doubled as a display room for a seashell collection. The dark, exposed wooden beams complemented the natural colors of the seashells and gave the space a slightly rustic look and more casual air. But decorative beams can also enhance a more contemporary design with the use of clean, streamlined beams painted in a color contrasting with the walls.