Paint Your Ceilings. Here’s Why.

Ceilings are the most overlooked architectural feature when it comes to interior painting. When you forget the ceiling, it looks like you forgot the ceiling. A painted ceiling imparts a sense of polish and completion. 

A lot of people are afraid a painted ceiling will make a room look smaller, but this isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, usually the opposite is true. 

Light colors appear to advance toward us. Blues, grays and cool neutrals appear to recede. A bright white ceiling has the effect of a putting a cap on the room. Depending on the rest of the colors in the space, this effect can be harsh. 

So … what color should you paint the ceiling? Here are some basic rules of thumb: 

If you don’t have crown molding: 

Paint the ceiling the same color as the room. Even if the room is a dark or saturated color. This will not make the room feel smaller. Instead, it will have an expansive effect like the sky and make the room feel more spacious. 

Tip: If you’re worried about light, add more lamps at different levels and incorporate mirrors to bounce the light around. 

Image credit: Benjamin Moore

Look at this sunny bedroom, can’t you just feel the yellow lifting you out of bed, energized and ready to start the day? A white ceiling would take attention away from the intended accent: the headboard. Instead, the yellow ceiling allows the white headboard and trim elements to pop. The echoed hue in the bedspread gives the room a calming effect, even with such an energizing color. 

If you have crown molding: 

You can paint the ceiling the same color as the room or a coordinating color. Consider repeating a paint color from an adjoining room. Another option is to paint the ceiling a shade darker or tint lighter than the wall color. This adds layers of variety while still feeling cohesive. 

Image credit: Lauren Ann Photography

The pink hue in this nursery adds interest to the room without being sugary sweet. This is a nice design choice that will age along with the child. Subtle pink accents repeated throughout the room help make the ceiling feel intentional. While the white crown moulding gives the playful hue a touch of sophistication.

If the ceiling is your accent wall:

Have fun with it, but don’t be random. I like this bathroom example below. The ceiling is a shimmering gold. The warm, yellow hues are repeated horizontally in the metallic light fixture and the yellowy-wood shelves. And you know that brown rug was deliberate. Accent walls or ceilings require good styling to support them. 

Image credit: Clare Paint

If you insist on a “naked” white ceiling: 

The white should relate to your wall color. All whites are not created equally. Whites are the most complex and perplexing paint color out there. But I digress, that’s another blog post.