High ceilings. The town palazzos (palaces) of Renaissance Italy were typically three or more stories, with the ground floor devoted to entrance, services, stables and storage. The first floor, the piano nobile, housed the main public rooms and bedrooms if space permitted — all with high ceilings. The ceilings got lower the further up the house you progressed, with the servants at the top. The trend for high ceilings has continued for centuries. Today high ceilings still give the impression of stature and grandeur.