Do you need to address a room with vaulted ceilings? Some people just ignore the upper area and design only the bottom eight feet or so. You can connect that high ceiling with the rest of the room with a few careful design decisions.

This room uses color as a strong unifying element. The warm creams and gold of the flooring connects with the light walls, while the darker small diagonal squares are echoed in the dark taupe wall and the richer tones evident in the two stairways.

The large art piece has a more minor presence because of the soft tones and limited contrast with the wall. However, its height and placement allows it to play a key role in connecting the various levels of the space. Its size and shape as well as a design that uses three verticals connected by one image support the long lean windows on either side.

It’s interesting to see crown molding used in a room where the ceiling boundary is so high. The designer chose an unusually large molding but the height reduces the impact. Once again, this additional decision brings the eye all the way to the top of the room and provides something to help integrate the space.

You can capture the best of vaulted ceiling decorating by remembering to focus on bringing the upper area into harmony with the rest of the space and then supporting your ceiling with every other design decision in the room.