Low ceilings want low backs and legs you can see under

Block apartments and older city flats often come with a ceiling that is already doing its best. Tall headboards and solid-to-the-floor sofas lower it further.

Choose backs that stop below the shoulder of the wall, and legs that leave a strip of shadow under the seat. The floor continues; the room feels less capped.

In the studio the ceiling is in the photograph. If a piece suddenly makes the wall above it look like a leftover, it is too proud for the height.

Vertical stripes and tall bookcases can stay if they are thin. Mass and height together are what crush a room.