big rooms can be beautiful but what if you end up with spaces that lack warmth and character how do you cozy them up well here are the tricks of the trade that US designers use when faced with the same problem you period homes that have high ceilings and open plan living can feel a little too spacious but you can remedy this problem and make the room feel much more intimate in cozy the trick is using color warm advancing colors on the ceiling and the walls will close in the walls and make the room feel so much cozier the easiest way to visually lower a high ceiling is to paint it in a warmer color than the walls use a tonal palette to the walls and ceiling are the same color family and you won't even notice the difference just the effect it has on your room if you go too dark on the ceiling it'll be overwhelming and you'll feel crushed rather than cozy if the room you have is just way too big for you to feel comfortable in then the solution is to put color everywhere walls ceiling and skirting warm colors can be very smart as well as cozy shades of red brown and purples from the very dark to quite pale all work extremely well if the room is really big then you can be adventurous with big bold vibrant patterns don't be shy if you don't fancy using strong colors on the walls or ceiling then turn your attention to the furniture in the room choosing strong deep colors for upholstery will lead the eye towards the seating area and away from the rooms perimeter wood and leather have a lot of amber and ochre in them so work very well draw from the colors and feel of the artwork on your walls and pull those down onto the cushions and accessories to bring the focus inwards into the room the same principle applies when you reduce the visible floor area with a warm colored rug it helps define the area you want to be seen and this works extremely well in large open-plan homes using clever color tricks to bring the walls of a huge room in or a lofty ceiling down can and will make a big difference to your home and I hope these tips have helped you decide on how you want to achieve it you