Bringing Ceiling Heights Down to Earth : Feel adrift with 15 feet of air over your head? Design treatments can mask that spacey feeling and make tall rooms seem cozier.

"People say, 'We bought this house because the living room had cathedral ceilings, but we never go in there because we don't feel grounded.' When we're outdoors, we like to be under a tree or a trellis. When we're in a room where the ceiling is too soaring, we feel we're in the middle of a parking lot."

"The new trend is making your home your haven, a place of nurturing, and lowering the ceilings has something to do with that. People don't want to feel they're in a massive cube. They want a comfort zone. They prefer a small sanctuary."

For decades, builders incorporated high ceilings into homes to create an illusion of space as land prices rose and lot sizes decreased. However, many homeowners discovered that soaring ceilings made them feel uncomfortable and dwarfed rather than spacious. People prefer feeling grounded with a roof overhead, similar to being under a tree outdoors. A shift in design preferences has emerged, with homeowners choosing new constructions and renovations featuring ceilings between 9 and 12 feet, or retrofitting existing tall rooms to feel more intimate. This trend reflects a broader desire to transform homes into nurturing havens and comfortable sanctuaries rather than expansive, impersonal spaces.

Read at Los Angeles Times