Laurelwood

The formal living and dining rooms in this Altadena home were meant to make a strong impression, but their soaring ceiling heights created an unusual scale challenge. In the living room, where the ceiling reaches roughly 18 feet, we painted it darker than the walls, added cove lighting, and dropped a long chandelier into the room to make the seating area feel more intimate. Full-height drapery reaches the crown molding, while two curved sofas facing one another create a more comfortable conversation area without diminishing the height of the architecture.

We used a similar approach in the formal dining room, where a darker ceiling treatment and framed wallpaper panel give the upper part of the room more presence. A long chandelier was scaled to the dining table, and tall custom captain's chairs respond to the vertical proportions without making the furniture feel undersized. Together, the lighting, ceiling treatments, drapery, and furniture proportions allow both rooms to retain their dramatic height while feeling more comfortable at eye level.

Location: Altadena, CA

Spaces in This Project

Living Room
Dining Room

Formal living room with crystal chandelier, fireplace, and gray sofas

Living room fireplace framed by gray sofas, tall windows, and drapery

Living room with curved sofa, arched doorway, and dark framed artwork

Arched doorway view into formal living room with gray seating

Formal dining room with long table, blue drapery, and high ceiling

Formal dining room with high-back chairs, long table, and crystal pendant