What’s up and What’s down

Science is clear about how they should be managed, however.

The darkest surface in any room should be underfoot and the lightest overhead, with the walls occupying literally and figuratively, a middle ground—at least if you want people to feel comfortable.  If you want to be on-edge for some reason, go ahead and paint the flooring white.  We evolved on an Earth where darker colours were under our un-shod feet and our sensory apparatus continues to prefer this arrangement.

Dark carpet in this illustration demonstrates the point that we prefer darker colours below our feet.

Ceilings

At a ceiling height of about 10, maybe 11 feet, we feel that a space is spacious and comfortable. Higher ceilings cue us to act in more formal ways, as if we’re in a public space such as a government atrium (that’s the sort of space where we generally find such high ceilings), which makes any mingling under those high ceilings more formal, less buddy-buddy friendly, than under lower ceilings.  Ceilings that hover around 8 feet or so lead us to feel that a space is cramped.

Ceilings are not always parallel to floors.  If a ceiling will have a slope it should rise (or fall, depending on your perspective) 3 to 5 feet for every 12 feet of horizontal run underneath it.

If you have the resources (skills, money, etc.) to change the ceiling heights overhead you can create different zones in your home.  Ceilings can be formally moved, by trained professionals, or things can be hung from ceilings (don’t ignore fire codes here) in ways that make spaces seem more cozy (see the next paragraph for details).  Ceilings can also be painted slightly different colours or textured in minimally different ways to signal different areas.

To a great extent you have the ceiling heights you have.  You can use some design tricks to make ceilings seem slightly lower or higher, however.  To make a ceiling seem higher, paint it a light, bright colour (probably a shade of white or very light blue).  To make a ceiling seem slightly lower suspend something from it, maybe a cloudlike puffy shape (this may sound silly, but it really works and isn’t so comical in use as it sounds) or a canopy (think: canopy bed).  Painting a ceiling a dark colour will make it seem lower, but the effect created can be quite oppressive and undesirable, unless a ceiling has been tremendously high.

Patterns

Patterns on ceilings are tricky.  The only ones that can possibly work are those that are reminiscent, in some way, of tree branches spread overhead with light moving through them on a sunny, pleasant weather day.  On ceiling images of puffy fair-weather cloud-like shapes can also work, relaxing and restoring us psychologically, but they are difficult to execute well, and executed poorly, they’re worse than a monochrome ceiling.

Any patterns on floors should be carefully selected.  Wave-y sorts of patterns, ones made out of curving tiles that flow one into another, for example, are undesirable, really undesirable.  They can be a real challenge for someone with impaired vision or who doesn’t feel well, for example.  Different patterns or materials on floors create zones just as overhead variations do—underfoot zones need to be coordinated with those created on ceilings.

This kind of plaster flower moulding works, as it is gentle and reminiscent of nature. It is also beautifully executed (if you get your brother’s dog to do it, then we suggest you leave it plain!).

Hard woods and surfaces

Hard surfaces such as concrete can increase echoes but can mesh with a planned aesthetic.  It may be important to cover parts of them with rugs for aesthetic reasons.  Remember, curving patterns relax, and rectilinear, geometric ones make us think of efficiency and action.  Use rugs with lots of curves in their patterns in bedrooms or meditation nooks and more geometric ones in kitchens or laundry rooms (if you want to encourage efficient action in either of these spaces).

Hardwoods are good flooring options because they can help with echoing, at least some, and looking at them reduces our stress levels.  Don’t add hardwood floors if you have wood panelling on walls, however.  It’s best if 45% or less of surfaces in a space are covered with wood with visible grain.