Think of the ceiling as a fifth wall instead of ignoring the large space. If the room is small, choose a color such as warm wheat yellow to open the space up, make it feel warmer and draw your eye up, adding to the feeling of height. Choose flat paint that will absorb light and not reflect it, giving you pure color.
If you are concerned about making a permanent change, try vinyl wall decals. Choose designs with botanical subjects such as trees or leaves, planetary designs or traditional Greek or Victorian images. Vinyl decals will not damage paint and are easily removable.
Paint stripes vertically on the walls to add an illusion of height. Use masking tape to achieve straight lines. Then, paint the ceiling in a tone either slightly darker or slighter lighter but in the same hue as one of your stripes to create balance and symmetry.