How to: Design Under a Pitched Ceiling

In the kitchen of Floating Farmhouse in Eldred, New York, a custom-built wood-fired oven extends up to the ceiling, accentuating its steep pitch. Photo by Mark Mahaney.

"We didn't want to diminish the openness and height and feeling of a great expanse of space," said the owner of this resurrected 19th-century barn house in Pine Plains, New York. Fortunately, the barn frame's horizontal beams perform a domestic function by creating the illusion of a lower ceiling. An abundance of furnishings in rich materials fills out the space. Photo by Raimund Koch.

Sometimes the best way to deal with a tall, gabled ceiling is to just add windows. A line of windows in the Floating House in Lake Huron, Ontario provides a picturesque water view. Photo by Raimund Koch.

This shade has a levity about it that works well with both muted neutrals and darker colors. Benjamin Moore’s Blue Seafoam (2056-60) is a good example of a relaxing blue paint color that works well for interior and exterior walls.

A guest room in this repurposed barn in the English countryside lets the ceiling do the talking. Photo by Christoffer Rudquist.