The ceiling is the fifth wall and many decorators and designers feel that keeping the ceiling white is like “throwing a sheet over the room” (Christopher Lowell said that years ago). But there are a few conditions to consider before painting the ceiling anything other than white:
1) Is your ceiling heavily textured? In many old houses, the ceiling is patterned (and God forbid, “popcorned”) and therefore very difficult to paint well. Also, painting it anything other than white will call attention to it and maybe that’s not what you want. One solution is to have your ceilings replastered to match your walls and painted, but if that’s out of the question, I would stick with white.
2) Is your ceiling a smooth plaster? If so, you should definitely paint it. How lucky you are! See below for what color.
2A) Is your ceiling really high? If so, you can paint it virtually any color that goes with the rest of the room. If you’d like to bring the ceiling down visually, consider a color darker than your wall color or a warm color (both will advance and appear to bring the ceiling down to a level that’s more in scale with your room). Also consider adding crown moulding if it’s not already there. The moulding will also bring the ceiling down by calling your eye’s attention to it. And it really finishes the room.
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2B) Is your ceiling low or average height? Consider painting it a tint of the wall color. If your walls are a medium blue, then your ceiling would be the very lightest blue on the color swatch or even lighter (white with a dash of blue). This will help to round out the room and make the ceiling part of the overall decor — not just that white sheet over the top.
3) Does your room have enough light? Bright white ceilings do help bounce light back into the room so if your room is already dark, pay special attention to the ceiling color. White can be used effectively, but light tints on the ceiling will also reflect light. Just avoid a ceiling color that is going to absorb all the light and leave the room dark.
4) Are you painting a guest bath? I like to paint the wall color right up over the ceiling in a guest bathroom. Doing that makes the room feel larger by blending the walls and ceiling together and avoiding sharp lines and corners. Or do something kind of exotic on the ceiling, like the Moroccan tent (see photo above).
5) Are you painting a bedroom? In what other room do we lie around and stare at the ceiling? Why not paint it something interesting. In a bedroom, the sky’s the limit (literally) — from puffy blue clouds on a backdrop of sky blue to a quilt of squares in different colors (Candice Olson did a fabuolous multi-colored geometric ceiling in a master bedroom). And in kids’ rooms, the ceiling is just one more space to use your creativity.
Hope this helps the “Do I paint the ceiling? dilemma.
What color, other than white, can be used to paint a ceiling
in a room that has “Winter Sky” (white with subtle blue/silver tint) walls? We love the wall color and don’t
want to change it. It goes very well with our carpet and
other decor. Should we just paint the ceiling the same
color? One other thing – the walls are patterened-textured
and the ceiling isn’t.
Thanks
Hi Dana,
It kind of depends on your room. If the ceiling is really high, you could paint it a darker shade on the paint swatch to bring the height down a bit. Or if you want to pick up another color in the room, you could paint the ceiling another hue but the same light value (in other words, the ceiling would be as light as the walls but just another color).
But if you end up with white but don’t want ultra white, you could try atrium white. It’s got just a touch of pink in it, and it looks super on the ceiling. You also didn’t mention if you have any crown moulding. If you paint the ceiling a different color, the moulding will really set it off and make people notice the color up there.
Good for you for painting the ceiling, the 5th wall in the room.
Hope I helped a little.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks.
I like the idea of a hint of pink. Unfortunately our ceilings are
not high. But I think pink or purple might pick up something
from the carpet.
Thanks, again.
I’m painting my daughter ceiling ‘cranberry punch’ at her request and I’m concerned about how many coats I will need. I read somewhere that just because it’s a dark color does not mean the underlying color will fad through.
I remember reading that you should have the Paint retailer mix in some of your color with a Primer. Is this true?
Thanks
Hi Robin,
If you plan to prime the ceiling first, have the paint retailer mix in some cranberry punch with the primer. This will really help with paint coverage. If you don’t need to prime the ceiling, just go ahead and paint. Your neck will be sore after you’re done painting two coats but hopefully that will be enough.
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Dana,
In own a beautiful historic three story victorian home, I gutted most of the interior and had it redone in the same period, with beautiful crown and dental moulding, shadow boxes and chair railings, I have done all the rooms in diff colors, with diff ceiling colors in most of the rooms, the foyer is the last area being worked on, the chosen color is a rich medium red leading up to the 2nd floor, the stair spindels are white and the railing is black gloss lacquer, I have a medallion painted pewter silver and black and a black crystal chandelier for the foyer, (the chandelier is subject to change ) the color I have in mind for the ceiling in the foyer is a warm mdeium metalic silver, what do you think of this combo, or do you have any suggestions?
All The Best,
Rosemarie
I’ve painted my bedroom wall a blue color, Martha’s Vinayard blue, now the ceiling is becoming a challange. My ceiling is high and slanted and so I’m indesive about using the same blue color or a light cream color
Hi Rosemarie,
Sounds like you’re doing a terrific job with paint colors. I love the idea of a metalic silver ceiling in the foyer. My suggestion is to paint the silver on a cardboard sample first to make sure that the red walls don’t turn the silver a pinkish color. That wouldn’t be so great. If the silver seems to stay true to its color, then go right ahead with it. What a dramatic foyer!
Good luck.
-Barbara.
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Eli,
Thanks for your question.
The answer to your ceiling dilemma is: it all depends. You’ve already painted the walls blue. Is there a lot of light coming in the windows or is the room a bit darker now?
If you have a lot of light through big bedroom windows, then you can consider painting the ceiling something other than white. But if the room feels dark and you want to add some more light, I would go for a white ceiling. It really does look smashing next to the blue and gives your room kind of a beachy feel.
The cream ceiling idea would be okay, but blue and yellow make green, so there’s a possibility that the yellowish cream on the ceiling could have kind of a greenish tint to it. Not what you’re looking for. I would stick with either white (bright) or a blue tint (add white to your wall color).
Good luck!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi, I am in the process of painting the living room ceiling which are 10ft and flow or ajoins into the breakfast area of the kitchen. I plan on painting this textured ceiling a bright flat white and have crown moulding added as well which will be gloss white. I plan on painting the walls a cloudless blue since this living room is facing the south and feel it will bring an inviting mood to the room.
I will have Brazilian Cherry Hardwood flooring as well in this living room area.
Now my question is this, since this living area ajoins into the breakfast area where I will have Terra Cotta tile flooring which color would blend well in the kitchen with this plan or does it need changed to another color?
Thanks for you time and for any ideas or suggestion,
Billy
Hi Billy,
It sounds like the ceiling carries over from living room to kitchen. But the walls can be different from one area to the next. Without seeing your house, it’s hard to suggest a color, but as long as there is some architectural element separating the two areas (it’s not just one big wall), you can paint the kitchen something different.
Hope that helps. You can always send a photo.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks Barbara, once one enters into the kitchen area the ceiling goes into what I belleve is called a tray ceiling or it slopes in one area which defines the area I suppose and gives what I believe you are speaking architectural element.
I was wondering what colors would go well with Terra Cotta is what I would paint the kitchen area and make it pop so to speak to match well with the Terra Cotta tile I’m going to have installed?
Billy
Hi Billy,
You could go with a rich cream (that looks great with the terra cotta) or a peach or even a turquoise, which is opposite the orangey terra cotta on the color wheel so both the floor and walls pop. Not everyone wants to have turquoise on their kitchen walls so you could use the rich cream and use the blue as accents in the kitchen. It’s very much a traditional southwest look, but it’s classic.
Hope that gives you an idea.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Sounds great Barbara.
I have a vision of what it will look like. Very helpful indeed and look forward to it getting finished.
Thanks,
Billy
Barbara,
My wife and I are about to paint our living room, which has a very high angled ceiling. The room is a lofted space that has a small landing at the top of the staircase. The room is open to the kitchen as well that has recently been painted a warm pumpkin color. Our question is about the ceiling, should we paint it the color we choose to paint the walls since it is such a big open space? It oftens seems that the furniture seems small even though it fills the space. is this because the walls are so large? Does it usually look better to paint the walls one color and the ceiling another, or all the same? any suggestions are greatly appreciated
Jim
Hi Jim,
You can go several ways depending on the amount of light you have in the room and your desired effect. The pumpkin is a rich wall color but I’m not sure what color you have in mind for the LR.
A light colored ceiling (whether it’s white, cream, or a lighter version of your wall color) will open up the space. A dark color (you’ve seen dark wood ceilings?) will bring the ceiling down creating more of a cozy space. It all depends on what you want.
To fill the wall space and make it seem a bit more in scale with your furniture, you can consider large art pieces, wall hangings, rugs, etc. that will take up some of that vacuous area between the furniture and the ceiling. Also consider a chandelier (or other large light fixture) hanging from the ceiling. That will brint the ceiling down a bit as well.
Sounds like a beautiful house. Hope I helped a little.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara it’s me again.
I decided to not paint the living room walls a cloudless blue and went instead with Olympic paints Bermuda Sand with white trim and followed with Tabu into the dining room also with white trim and it looks excellent!
These colors are neutrals as you properly know.
Now knowing I have view of the kitchen do I need to stay in the neutral zone when painting the kitchen and do I have to paint it semi gloss?
Thanks again for you help.
Billy
Hi Billy,
Wow, great! Sounds really nice. No, you don’t have to stay neutral in the kitchen. But you need to tie the two rooms together somehow. The best way is to take a color that’s in your living room and bring it into the kitchen via the wall color. You might decide to use a color from a pillow or artwork — just something already there.
And no, you don’t have to use semigloss on the walls in the kitchen. Eggshell washes up quite nicely without so much shine. I use semigloss for the trim.
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
hi
i am painting my living room
what colour should i use
i have done pop on the ceiling with a oval design on the ceilingwhich divides the ceiling in two parts the down side oval shape and the ceiling wall down the shape that comes down
as its divived intwo parts which pop designs circles in between with plaster of paris designs circle sin between that are 3
and he walls that are 4
one is covered by mica tiles of grey color
another one is covered by pebbles on tiles kind of tiles of light orange color
so i want an advice what colors shoud i use on other two walls and on the ceiling
kindly advice
Hi Sonali,
I’m not sure I have a really clear picture of your room, but from what I can gather, you might try a really light warm gray on your other two walls. That way the pebbles and the tiles will stand out.
As for the ceiling, you’ll need to use two different colors to bring out the design. I would use white on the plaster of paris. And either a light orange or a very light blue for the remaining ceiling. Depending on your light, either one could look sharp.
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We just put up new crown molding, and I’m so excited to show it off. This is in our huge family room/kitchen flow room. I have chosen a light neutral for the walls – Benjamin Moore’s Coastal Fog, and I’m afraid it just won’t highlight the white trim if the ceiling is also white. The Family room also has a huge white built-in entertainment center, and the kitchen has white cabinets. Higher than 8′ ceilings (but not much – maybe 9?).
My problem is in a year or two we’re going to be redoing the kitchen, and I have no idea what color countertops, etc. I’ll be choosing. I’m putting the Coastal Fog in there also (right now) because it’s the path of least resistance, and it’s so neutral it “goes” with the current countertops. I just took down old wallpaper so I have to paint “something” in there.
Will I regret having the Coastal Fog ceiling? Should I just stick with white – will white show off my crown molding? I can’t do a darker/different wall color because believe me, I’ve tried, and I just have so many things I can’t change and the Coastal Fog really looks good with EVERYTHING.
Hi Jean,
If you want to show off the new crown molding, then go ahead and paint the ceiling. Coastal fog is light enough that it will be fine for the ceiling and will help to accentuate that molding. White really will not do it. You have to tint the ceiling in order to really see the molding.
Sounds great
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I can’t decide whether to paint the tray part of my ceiling black. The bottom moulding is white and the walls are a folkstone (dark brown/grayish) color. Our DR table is cherry but our accent pieces are black. The center chandelier is brushed nickle. We have 2 windows in the room with white plantation shutters. Lots of white. Also if we paint the tray part, could we leave the bottom part of the ceiling white? Not sure of the rules there. Thanks!
Also, the adjoining rooms are cabin red, and a tobacco color…all open to the DR. Our kitchen countertops (also visible from DR) are the black granite. Thanks!
Wow, Shannon, that would be dramatic. The chandelier would appear as if it’s hanging in mid-air (at night). And the effect would also be that you have a giant observation porthole in your ceiling and it’s open to the night sky. That’s one way to wow your guests!
Honestly, I have never seen a black tray, but in your room, it might very well work. I have seen dark blue and certainly use of metallic paint in the tray.
As for the rest of the ceiling, it’s always good to add at least a tint to the ceiling paint to show off the white moulding. Even if it’s just a touch of light gray.
If you’re really in doubt (and can reach the ceiling by ladder), just stick up some black construction paper around the base of the chandelier, stand back, make a little peep hole with your fingers, and squint a little. You’ll be able to see what your black ceiling will look like.
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I have a large 12×24 bedroom painted in dark forest green with matching carpeting, lots of dark 6″ woodwork and dark British colonial rosewood furniture. Accents are white [Ceiling and bed covers] and blue and white antique decorative items.
Currently dark walnut wood blinds, but changing to white floor length sheers. Love the dark, cool mood. Want to improve on the elegance. What would you suggest??
Hi Darla Jean,
Make sure your lighting is adequate in the room and that anything overhead is on a dimmer. Then you need to add some texture and sheen. You might want to get an ultra-soft mohair throw for your bed or side chair. And some pillows with fringe or nice trims for the bed.
Then add some sheen with metals — maybe sconces for either side of the bed, or reading lamps. You can go with brushed nickel if you like cool or antique brass if you want to warm up the room a bit.
If your carpet matches the wall color, consider a large area rug for the bed area. Yes, you can put an area rug right on top of the carpet. It will break up the dark green a little and add some more color and pattern.
How’s that? Sound like a beautiful bedroom.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello Barbara,
Our family room adjoins the kitchen and for the most part the two appear like one big room with a bar counter separating the two. I have cherry cabinets in the kitchen and on the other end I have a fireplace that has a maple/oak mantel (one big blunder we made) so I am constantly at angst deciding what kind of furniture to place in the family room. Now we are installing hardwood floors and will go with Butterscotch oak. It probably wont go with my fireplace, but I assume that I will be able to stain that a little darker shade. I would like some suggestion from you as to what colors on the walls would go with this such a setup, given that the room has plenty of sunshine (huge windows), 9 ft ceiling. Should I paint the ceiling also, should the kitchen and family room be different colors given that there is no clear demarkation between the two. I prefer a look of big and open. Any suggestions?? Thanks for your help.
Hi Sharon,
Try green. It’s such a life-giving color and it goes with all wood tones. Salisbury green (Benj Moore HC-139) is a soft green with blue undertones and Guilford green (HC-116) is a little yellower. Both are beautiful on the walls. Feel free to go richer if you like depending on the size of your room. With all that light, you can afford to do that.
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi! My question is about ceiling color vs. trim color…I plan to paint my walls a medium to light taupe with lighter trim. The ceilings are only 8 feet so I don’t want the room to seem smaller. I do have crown moulding so which should be lighter the ceiling or the moulding? Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks,
Misty
Hi Misty,
You can either put a tint (white with a little hint of color) on the ceiling which will make the ceiling blend more with the walls and make the lighter moulding (white?) stand out. Or if you don’t want white moulding, you can do a bright white ceiling which will maximize the amount of light in the room and do the moulding in a lighter shade of taupe. The key thing is to have some contrast between the ceiling and the moulding so the moulding isn’t just lost up there.
What you won’t want to do is paint a darker shade on the ceiling. But you know that.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I don’t want a true white moulding. Do you think that if I used an off white flat for the ceiling and then the same off white for the moulding but in semi-gloss that would show the moulding enough?
Thanks again
Hi Misty,
There are tons of “whites.” And certainly having the different paint finishes will help distinguish the moulding from the ceiling. But in addition, if you would just add a hint of color to the ceiling, even within the “white” family, you will be really happy with the end result.
See what you think. Either way, you will have a very pretty room.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I have a rather large master bath. I am in the process of painting the walls light blue/ touch of gray. It has beige ceramic tile with streaks of chocolate brown, java brown cabinetry and white marble vanities/surround. It’s trimmed in white and it has crown moulding (white) and nine foot ceilings. I will be painting the master bedroom and ceiling a light chocolate brown and could not decide whether to continue the blue on the bathroom’s ceiling or a lighter version of the bedroom color, more like a classic beige, which matches the ceramic tile. What’s your suggestion?
Thanks,
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
I think I would continue the blue up onto the ceiling. That way your ceramic tile and other beige and brown items will stand out more. And blue is particularly nice on ceilings — However, if you’re concerned that your bathroom feels too big or the ceiling is too high, then use the beige on the ceiling. That will bring the ceiling down a bit and make the room cozier. But you will lose that “outdoors” feeling of the continuous blue.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
my daughter wants to paint her bedroom dark red and black with gold accents. there is no crown moulding, the floor is light oak and the trim is light oak. her dresser is black. what color do I paint the ceiling (standard height)? The room is not big but those are the colors she wants. Any help would be great
Hi Kris,
I would paint the ceiling a golden color to tie in with the floor and the trim. It will bring down the ceiling a little (as opposed to painting it white), but she’s going to live in a very cozy room with the red and black anyway. Make sure she has lots of shiny metals (gold accents) to reflect what little light will be in the room and make sure she has adequate lighting, especially if she wants to read in there.
Sounds very dramatic. I say Go for it!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We are in the process of finishing our basement into a room with a home theatre and bar area. My husband wants to install the plastic designed ceiling tiles in black. We are in a discussion about trim, etc. I think you would need to have black crown moulding to match, but I don’t really know the rules. Also, if your crown moulding is black, would the rest of your trim, i.e. door trim, baseboards, etc be black also. I have seen pictures on the website of the black ceiling and it looks great, but when I start the actual planning details, I don’t know how to work with a black ceiling. The cabinets in the bar area and around the tv screen will be cherry. We haven’t decided on wall colors, etc. Any advice?
Angie
Hi Barbara,
My small, formal living room is painted black with a hints of bronze metallic fauxed on it. The crown moulding is cream. What color should I paint the 9ft ceiling? This room does not get much light. The foyer, adjacent to the living room, is a light brown. I was thinking of the bronze metallic on the ceiling, but I wasn’t sure how to do that. Can one paint an entire ceiling in pure metallic? Would that be too wild and youthful?
Thanks!
Karla
Hi Angie,
I would suggest a dark gray trim with medium gray walls, kind of a gray flannel look. That combination should be just right for maintaining a dark room for screen viewing. And the cherry cabinets against the gray flannel walls will be quite striking.
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Karla,
I love the idea of metallic on the ceiling but since your room is dark already, you might want to consider a gold or even champagne metallic on the ceiling. You paint a gold or tan base coat first and then the metallic layer over it. Very dramatic! Great for the dining room!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We just painted our interior a color named Sesame Tahini. It is a light beige color. We had to be careful because we don’t have much light in our home. It left the house feeling warm and cozy, without making it look smaller. We just moved in, so we haven’t taken the popcorn ceiling down yet. However, since we don’t have time this time of year to take it down, we painted the ceiling the same light beige color. Since the color is light, it actually made the ceiling look better and less noticeable than the white ceiling.
Hi Stacy,
Thanks for sharing your color success story with us. I’m glad bringing the color up over the ceiling worked out so well for you. I love that!
Good luck with the rest of your house.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We have decided on a color for our newly remodled master bath. The wall color is called true penny, and as the color suggests is an orangy copper color (very tuscan). The problem is selecting a ceiling color. We have a tray ceiling which will have crown molding with alot of ambient light coming into the room. We have tried a lighter color on the same color palette but it seems to be very peachy, and my wife doesn’t want peach. We will have travertine tile throughout the bathroom and our wall mounted vanity is a dark espresso color. Any suggestions for painting the tray??
Bobby
Hi Bobby,
Two suggestions: you can certainly go with a light beige from your travertine that will pull the look together. Not peach, but beige. The effect will be soft and blending and will show off the moulding. OR you can go with an icy blue that will make you feel like you’re outside whenever you’re in the room. Honestly, light sky blue makes a great ceiling color as it pulls the ceiling up and away and gives a very spacious feeling to the room.
Either will work.
Good luck.
-Barbara.
Your Home & Color Coach
Ok, my turn my turn! I need help
. I’m redoing my bedroom. We have light wood furniture, and dark wood floors. I’ve painted the walls with wide (16 inch) horizontal stripes with metalic paint. The paint is duchess blue, and iron gate silver- they are both ralph lauren metallic paints. I’m accenting the room with a spice color. What color to do the ceiling? I was thinking maybe an icy icy light blue- but would that look right?
Hi Riceinmay,
An icy light blue sounds perfect to coordinate with your striped walls. Sounds spectacular.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Our house is a 1927 bungalow in Portland, Oregon. We have just had old 1970’s acoustic tiles removed from our ceiling and are having a smooth coat finish applied in our living and dining room ceilings and would like some color advice. We tend to be bold in wall color, but this is the first time we have considered color on the ceiling. The walls in the living room are a medium grey/slate color and the dining room is mustard/gold. We have oak light hardwoods and dark wood furniture with all white painted wood trim. The ceilings are about 8 feet? with nice crown and picture molding which we would like to make stand out with some sort of color on the ceilings. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Jill
Help, I have a Older home with Cherry Wood Colored Trim & Window Casings Throughout the Entire home. We are In The Process of Re-painting Every Room, & We are Stuck. We don’t know what Color Moulding To Put Up. We like White Moulding but we don’t know if it will match the Cherry Trim at the bottom (The cherry trim is also around the doors & on the doors & around the Windows) So as you can see we have alot of it in our home. The Cherry Wood looks 80’s & we do want to update it but what color? Should we paint the trim & casings White or Chocolate Brown (very popular right now) What sells a home more? I just want it all to coordinate. We are using Neutral Colors Throughout the home on the walls. Thank You
Hi Jill,
Well, you can go in a couple different directions. You can either use a tint of the wall color on the ceiling in each room which will highlight your moulding without calling too much attention to the ceilings. Or you could “cross-polinate” your living and dining room colors by putting a tint of the dining room wall color on the living room ceiling and vice versa. This would tie the rooms together color-wise and allow you to bring more grey (pewter perhaps or nickel/silver) into the dining room and more gold into the living room (pillows, artwork, lamps, etc.).
See what you think about that…
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Pamm,
Since you’re not replacing the cherry wood doors and all your trim is the dark wood, I suggest either painting the door trim and windows a couple shades darker on your neutral wall color paint strip (which will blend the trim into the wall color) OR keeping the dark wood trim and simply camouflaging it a bit with some updated window treatments (panels with a decorative rod). If you go with white doors, you can paint all the trim white, but that’s a ton of work. And for an older home, the dark wood trim can be quite charming. Just bring a lot of color into your rooms, and you’ll be fine.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I recently bought a piece of property with an old farmhouse that has been converted into a loft. I will live in the house for a few years before building a new one. One bedroom will be used as an office/den. The room is knotty pine with an 8 ft. ceiling that is lightly textured. The small room has 3 large windows and is very bright. What do you suggest for the ceiling color?
Hi mdt,
You might consider a very light sky blue. Paired with the knotty pine, you’ll think you’re living in a treehouse. It will also raise the ceiling a bit — cool colors recede.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I have a galley type kitchen with the dining area at the end. I have light wood cabinets & white appliances and the dining has maple hardwood floors (kitchen part has ceramic tile which will eventually be changed).
There is lots of light in the kitchen (2 big windows plus garden doors), and my new dining set is a dark reddish-brown wood with black leather seats. I also have a painting that goes well with the table it has taupes, gold & blues/teal in it.
I was thinking about going with a gold? Or maybe a warm tan? What do you suggest? And the big question is – should I paint the ceiling the same colour?
Thanks!
Hi Lynn,
Either the gold or the tan will work fine in there. It will look spectacular with the dark dining set and black leather seats. You can try painting the ceiling a 1/2 value of the wall color. That way, it unifies the space but is not too dark up there. Should be fine.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We just bought a new home. The living room has 7- 39″ wide windows, a french door, and a front door in the living area. The kitchen is open to the living area, as is the office (no walls between) and a long hallway. My furniture is a mix of brown and mustard. I also have a burgundy recliner. I would like to match up with the kitchen colors I have. Red, black, mustard, and moss. I love dark colors and want it to have a cozy feeling. I am planning on putting 2 inch wooden blinds with valances on the window. Any suggestions for paint color with so many window?
Thanks
Denise
Hi Denise,
You might want to take that mustard color and pull the areas together with that. Take a look at the Ben Moore historical golds (like dorset gold and bryant gold) and see if something like that would work in your space. Concord ivory might work as well. You have an autumn palette of colors so the gold base should work great.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We are currently selecting paint colours for our new home. Sesame Tahini was one that was suggested. Could you please help me with the manufacturer of this colour as we are yet to be able to find it anywhere.
Thank you
Hi Barbara,
I have painted a living / dining room ( also the entry way and going down the hallway)in a Ralph Laurens Goldfinch with a dark (blued) rasberry red color on an accent wall. the ceilings are 8ft cathedral.Its very sunny color. But our ceiling is a almost an oyster beige- still very light and very neutral. Its Not a dark room but not alot of direct sun either. We want to capture a fresh floral feeling in there. We are considering fresh green carpet and cannot decide on the trim color. Should it be crisp white or a tint of the walls or match the ceiling except in semi gloss?
And do you think the green carpet will be okay, or is that just too much color? Thank you
Heidi
Hi Heidi,
I love your wall color choices! You are not afraid of color! Okay, I suggest a crisp white semi-gloss for your trim only because it will really bring out the color without blending too much. You might also consider a bright white for the ceiling color as it will reflect light the best and optimize both the light in the room and the wall colors.
As for the carpet color, wow, that might be just a little too much permanent color. I suggest doing a neutral carpet and adding the green with your florals and other accessories in the room. Also best for resale when you get around to it. Green carpeting might not appeal to as many people. Also, if you decide to change the wall color down the road you would be stuck with the green carpeting.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Trish,
I haven’t found that color, Sesame Tahini, in any of my paint fan decks and googling it didn’t come up with the color either. At first I thought I recognized it as a Pratt & Lambert, but no luck. Maybe another paint color enthusiast will read your request and let us both know where to find the color.
Sorry I couldn’t help you with that.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Thank you for your input. I really appreciate it! When we painted the ceiling (just did it) i was originally going to do a tint of the walls, but got some up there and it went green. Ya know, Yellow and blue (the grey blue of shadows) make green. Duh! Just wasn’t right on the ceiling so we went with the one that is up there. We had already bought the paint and didnt want to waste 5 gallons of paint, so we are going with the flow. At that time, we also didnt know we would be painting all the trim, currently a 70″s brown. I agree, my instinct is to go with the crisp white trim. But i dont want to repaint the ceiling! Too many difficult places to get to. Would you still suggest the white?
Also, there is currently a 70″s gold carpet that I honestly am having trouble looking past, as it influences the walls so much.
I dont know if you are familiar with Kathy Irelands Carpet brand, but the green is Galagapos. somewhat shaded, but not too greyed, but definitlely a sagey green. I would call it a brighter sagey green or a fresh sage.
The look, in a little bit more detail, is what I would call a cottage look( without being country)with a bit of elegance. We have also chosen a ebony background floral fabric for the window toppers or valances. The floral is large scale and not too busy. the flowers in in have the golden yellows of the walls as well as the sagey green, corals, and rasberry. It pops against the walls so amazingly! so, she loves the green carpet, but I am obviously a little scared of the green with such a strong yellow. But it truly is hard see another color in there. It would be hard to backpedal with her into another carpet choice, but would rather do that than, an expensive mistake.
For your info, we also refinished the kitchen cabinets in an antiqued red with a paler yellow walls and she loves it! Not bright, but warm, rich and inviting!
Any further thoughts on this would be appreciated!
I just found your site and love it!
Thanks,
Heidi
hello barbara
i have a flat of 80 meters,middle high cieling,
kitchen and bath are done,and the flour white with light brown colour, i was thinking of colouring the cieling white and the walls rich cream but still confused about to colour the whole flat one colour or each room different colours i have 2bed rooms and children room plus the rreception, hope you can help me to pichk the right and the nice colours
thanks for ur help
Hi Heidi,
Okay, what did you end up doing with the 5 gal of tinted paint? Or did that go up on the ceiling? Either way, it’s okay to leave whatever’s up there. I think there will be enough to look at — the only big thing to be affected by the ceiling is the light in the room and/or the spaciousness of the room. The white ceiling brings in more light, but the tinted ceiling brings the walls up onto the ceiling and makes the room feel a little bigger. It’s a trade-off. I’m sure you already know all that –
As for trim… even though the ceiling is (still?) oyster beige, I think the white (or slightly off-white) trim will crispen up the colors in the room and make them look fresh. You can certainly go with a white dove instead of a super white, but I wouldn’t go with the oyster beige. I think that would dull the color too much.
As for the carpet, the sage is quite neutral and you’ve covered all your bases with the black window treatments with all the colorful florals. But before launching ahead with the carpet order, I suggest gathering a bunch of green towels or a few green sheets and covering over the old gold carpet with as much green as possible. Even though the green may be more intense in terms of color, you will see if there’s any effect at all on the yellow walls (do you get any green reflected up on the yellow or is it still clear and sunny). And how about the green? With the black fabric swatch tacked to the window frame, how does the room look? Lots of testing will make you feel more comfortable with the decision. Makes it easier to visualize. And for us decorators and designers, the ability to visualize is everything.
You’ve got a bold design. Sounds magazine-worthy. Good luck with it! Send photos when you’re done!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi adel,
I like rich cream for the walls in your main living and reception area and white for the ceiling. But I would choose different colors for each of the bedrooms. Give the children a choice of three colors (that you like) so they can feel like they’ve decorated their own rooms. Then pick an accent color from your artwork or furniture and paint the other bedrooms. As long as you stay at the same hue value (the same level down each of the paint chips), you can mix all kinds of colors and have your flat look very nice.
Best of luck. Let me know if I can help further.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I’m contemplating painting our ceilings in our living room. We have tons of light coming in as we face the South. The ceiling is angled. It gets really high on the one side where it meets the upstairs balcony. Our walls are natural gray by RL. We have white trim. We have a full wall entertainment center in red birch. I want to make the room seem cozier and smaller. What color would you recommend? Or what fun things can I do to the walls. We have a ton of dead space where the ceiling gets really tall. I appreciate any help you are able to offer.
Thank you so much for your time!
Shanna
Hi Shanna,
You might want to consider painting the ceiling a chocolate brown, maybe not dark chocolate but milk. Painting it a rich color will bring the ceiling down so the room doesn’t feel so vacuous, and as long as you get good light in the room, you should be fine. If that’s too bold, you can always paint the ceiling another color in the room just not so dark. Light blue and golden yellow always work for ceilings but if you want cozy, go with the rich warm color.
As for the walls, think BIG. Any artwork or tapestries should be big enough to be seen not just from the balcony but also the floor level. You can also get wall sculpture now, which seems to be quite popular. The biggest challenge is to consider the scale of the room before you hang anything up. If the art or other item is too small, it will get gobbled up by the room. Think BIG.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara! I am thinking of painting my VERY small hall bath. Any ideas of a good color? I was thinking a light gray. I also wanted to paint the ceiling (a different color other than white) to have a different look. There is a window in the room, so there is tons of natural light. Any suggestions as to what ceiling color? There is small crown molding. Paint it white? The cabinet and vanity are white. The floor is light brown with gray hues and gray grout. The fixtures and door pulls are brushed nickel. The shower curtain, rug and towels are plum with silver embroidery. Thanks!
Hi Shelley,
I like the light gray idea for the walls. How about putting the plum color up on the ceiling? If your ceiling is high enough, you can go dark with the shade. If the ceiling is low, just do a lighter version. Purple is quite the hot color these days.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks for the advice. I had thought about plum on the ceiling, but needed a second opinion. I will let you know how it turns out!
Hello Barbara,
We are repainting our small guest bath. It is now blackened pine (dark green) with a white ceiling. There are no windows and very little light. We are painting a medium-light tan (hemp) and are wondering if we could paint the ceiling the same color? Would the monochromatic effect fool the eye into thinking the room is bigger?
Thanks in advance!
Beth
Hi Barbara, We’re re-doing our family/entertainment room, and are undecided about the ceiling color. The walls will be similar to Behr Mermaid Net (a little darker than a sage green), and molding will be cream. We’re are going to have a light neutral carpet and chocolate brown couches. The ceilings are only 8ft, and there is not a lot of natural light. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Vicki
Hi Vicki,
With a short wall height, I would stick with either a light cream (like your molding color) or a tint of your wall color (usually a 10% formulation). The tinted ceiling makes the room look bigger as the wall color continues up onto the ceiling. But because it’s just a tint of the wall color, it’s not too dark. Using a tint is particularly nice if you plan to put in (or already have) crown molding. The tint really makes the molding look spectacular.
See what you think.
-Barbara.
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Beth,
Yes, indeed. Go right up over the ceiling with your new paint color, and the room will feel larger.
Great changes for your bath!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara! My boyfriend and I recently moved into our new home. All of the walls and baseboards and doors were painted a cream color. We want to paint our bathroom a medium brown color. The bathroom is very open to our bedroom which we are painting a different color. Should I paint the ceiling the brown color or just leave it because the baseboards will still be that color? Also, with a glossy paint on the walls right now, do we have to put any kind of deglosser before we begin our project.
Thanks for all your help
Hi Carrie,
You can certainly paint your ceiling brown if it’s high enough to support the dark color. But don’t worry about the color of the baseboards.
You’ll need to sand the walls to de-gloss the paint. Otherwise the new paint won’t stick. You might even want to put a primer on for good measure.
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I have a large living room that I just painted green (I would say it has blue undertones – it’s a deep color). I have two windows, one on each side of my fireplace. These windows face east. That’s the only natural light.
I have camel colored couches and dark wood accent furniture. My accent color is touches of red (not too much).
I have crown molding and standard height ceilings.
Question: what color should I paint the ceiling? It’s currently white. I’ve considered a much lighter version of my green, or how about a lighter color camel (as in the couches). This is the first time I’ve ever considered anything but a white ceiling.
Thanks for your help!!! –Angela
Hi Angela,
Since the green is such a deep color, there may be some reflection up onto the ceiling making it look a little green no matter what color you paint it.
White is still the best for reflecting light down into the room if you are concerned at all about your ceiling height. But if you’d like to try a color (I’m all for that), then you can go with either a light tint of your camel couch color (this will warm up the ceiling and make that white crown molding really pop) or a tint of your wall color if you would prefer a more continuous all-over color throughout the room. The green on the ceiling will raise the ceiling more than the light camel will. Either one will work as long as it’s very light — just a tint. They’ll know how to do that at the paint store.
Hope that helps you with the decision process.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara
I have a small bedroom and w/2 closets on the same wall. I want to do my bedding mocha brown and light blue. It is calming colors. I need some paint ideas for the wall and ceiling to make it look the room feel larger. Any ideas?
Also I am think of painting my master bath (also very small) maybe a sage green with white baseboards. Any suggestions on accessories? Should I go with green or white?
Hi Jonnie (#82),
I would paint your bedroom a light gray blue (like Ben Moore’s gentle gray (1626) or silver mist (1619) or a very light grayed-down version of the blue in your bedding. Then go right up onto the ceiling with it (unless you have a popcorn ceiling in which case I would leave it white — you would have to spray paint it and that would be a mess).
Then for your master bath, I would bring in some mocha brown towels and accessories along with white to create that spa feel.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi!
I am decorating a retail space in a modern and fresh way. The space will be used for part boutique/part classroom for young children. I have an extensive color palette i am using but only as accent colors… most of the walls will be white because of all the product that will be in the store. We are having an amazing artist make a bubble pattern on the walls to give is a modern, urban feel that wil work for the boutique as well as where the kids will be! This bubble pattern will only be in select spaces… some colors we are using are: navy, white, mossy/limy green, pink, redish-orange, golden yellow, and an aqua/seafoam color. I pick out amazing aqua-seafoam colored round tiles for the store… we are using it in various places… i am also having clear maple flooring put down… our lighting will be “bubble” like fixtures and pendant lights in the windows that are shapped like bubbles… so my question is… Do I paint the ceiling a strong color from the palette i chose? Or do I stay white? Or should I do the aqua-seafoam color? Also, should i paint one wall or all the walls a color other then white? I just figures a strong color may make the clothing look funny? the store has 12′6″ ceilings… with exposed pipes… that i believe i am painting the same color as the ceiling. Any thoughts or suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
one last thing… if you go to
http://www.anthropologie.com and see their bedding section under for the home… page 4 has a bed spread called “bella hothouse” … those are the colors I am thinking of using for the painting/decorating details… here is a link:
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/
productdetail.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dyn
SessConf=805921206676509611&id=79200&parentid=
SLEEP_BEDDING_QUILTS&pushId=SLEEP_BEDDING_QUILTS&
popId=SLEEPING&sortProperties=&navCount=4&navAction=
jump&fromCategoryPage=true&selectedProductSize=&selected
ProductSize1=&color=yel
IF you acn picture a swarm of bees flying like in a cartoon… I want that sort of shape on the wall in certain spots… but that shape would be made out of different size bubbles in the coors of that bed spead…
if you hate the whole idea please tell me! Again, we are going for a fresh, modern clean look like you may see in a boutique/childrens center in NYC. Thanks so much for your time! I think I spoke enough!!
Hi jbdja (#84/85),
What an exciting project! The ceiling color depends on how much light you need reflected down from the ceiling. If your artificial and natural light are sufficient, then I would paint the ceiling and pipes a color like the navy blue. Often painting the ceiling a dark color makes it recede and feel like you’re outside in a night sky.
If that doesn’t appeal, then you could certainly go with the seafoam, which will also recede but will call a little more attention to itself. Another option if you want to bring the ceiling down a little is to use the golden yellow. That ceiling will appear lower and cozier. But definitely paint the pipes the same color as the ceiling, even if you end up with white. That way the pipes will disappear.
Since you have tons of color in the store already with the merchandise and other accent colors, I think I would keep the walls white and paint the ceiling one of the colors in your palette (as discussed above). Another idea for adding color to the walls without affecting the merchandise is to either bring the ceiling color down on the walls about 10 inches or paint a wide stripe about a foot down from the ceiling.
That way you get some color on the walls but it doesn’t interfere with your merchandise and other decor.
Hope these ideas help.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I am not sure what color to paint our pan ceiling in the familyroom/kitchen. The room is 28′ x 16′ and the ceiling is 12′ tall. There are two 78″ x 60″ windows west facing. I painted the walls Benjamin Moore umbria red, and my furniture is old world style in golds, burgandy, and a small amount of navy, with dark walnut tables. The kitchen cabinets are a golden oak. The adjacent diningroom is painted Sherwin-Williams restrained gold. What color would you suggest to create a warm inviting wow?
Thanks,
Tina
Hi Tina (#87),
Since you have such a high ceiling and tons of light (at least in the afternoon), why not paint the ceiling the restrained gold from the dining room. That will tie the two rooms together and bring the ceiling down a little bit.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi! I love your insight!
I have been strugling for years on what to do with my interior color. We finally made a leap and painted my teen daughters rooms watermelon pink and chocolate sprinkle brown! Wow! Now I’m ready to move on.
We have a manufactured house and the kitchen and living room ceiling tie into each other. The carpet in the house is only a year old and it’s a high quality cut berber, that is brown, beige with a hint of forest green.
I’d like to paint the living room/dining room a brown with green tone, and the kitchen a darker pumpking orange. The living room/dining room gets a lot of light. But the kitchen stays a little dark.
The problem is what to do with the ceiling that ties it all together. We have an entry into the kitchen from the living room, that doesn’t go all the way to the ceiling, it has open shelves.
Help!
Hi Carrie (#89),
Wonderfully rich colors! To keep them fresh and maintain the light in the room, I suggest painting the ceiling a bright white. I know it sounds boring, and in some cases we like to paint the ceiling a coordinating color, but with your dark shades, you’re going to need some light on the walls. Bright white will keep those colors looking fresh and not dulled by a drab ceiling color.
Exception: If your ceilings are 9 feet or above, then feel free to paint them a coordinating color. The height of the room will bring in enough light to support a color on the ceiling — no need for bright white to bounce the light back down. But if your ceilings are average height or you have an architectural issue up there, then stick with white.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi, I am painting the living room in Glidden Bailey Beige paint and the living room leads to upstairs. I am not sure if I should paint the upstair stairway and hallway the same color as one of the upstair room which will be Ralph Lauren’s Dover Cliff, not sure if the Glidden Baily Beige and Ralph Lauren’s Dover Cliff will not transaction well. Do you have any opinion or suggestion? And what ceiling color would work well with it?
Hi Becky (#91),
The Glidden site doesn’t have the Bailey Beige on their paint viewer so I’m not sure exactly what color that is (no fan deck). But if it’s a medium beige, you can go a shade or two lighter for the inner hallway and up the stairs. That way, there should be a transition between the Dover Cliff and the beige. I would stick with a white ceiling for maximum light and clarity of the beige.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I have an old Craftsman and want to maintain authenticity in the main living areas as far as practical. In the living/dining area the walls are Kelly-Moore cornhusk (lighter ochre) below the picture rail and Kelly-Moore Firefly flicker above and on the ceiling. I used a creamy white here because in spite of the windows very little light gets into these rooms. The wood work is original and a medium gunstock shade. The flooring in these rooms is strip birds eye maple. The floor will need refinishing but will always be lighter and more golden than the wood trim. We just discovered the ghost of geometric molding on the ceiling which we intend to replace. The question is what color should that ceiling molding be stained? Should I match the wood trim of the house or its floor? My instinct is to match the trim but I don’t want the rooms to feel top heavy, nor do I want to obscure the birds eye pattern in the flooring by a dark stain. What do you think??!! Thanks
Hi Barbara,
You being backlogged gives me the opportunity to add additional information. Our ceilings are 9 feet high and the ghosts of geometric molding on the ceiling are not extensive or large, 1 1/4 inches wide and only around the perimeter of the ceiling ( 5 7/8 inches in) , making a knot in each of the 4 corners. Again, thank you.
Hi Sharon,
I would match the trim. With the molding going around the perimeter of the room, the dark color should not be overwhelming. Just having the molding on the ceiling is going to attract some attention and bring the ceiling down a bit no matter what color you use. At least your ceiling is nice and high. But I would keep the trim consistent. It’s fine to have a floor in a different shade. If the floor seems too light when you’re all done, you can add some darker area rugs to ground the room.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I need help! I’m stuck. I have been in the process of ‘doing’ my bedroom & bath for 5 years. I have changed my mind so many times but now I have a picture in my brain that I (and hubby) am happy with but need some advice.
We have antique furniture (stored at our neighbors for past 5 years – Thanks Fred!). It is Charles Eastlake, American Spoon Carved and English Linen Fold pieces in med dark oak. The bedding is mocha and french blue, accent pillows in metallics. Towels are shades of brown and french blue. Sheers are linen under bronze shimmery silk drapes (ceiling hgt). Hardware in bath is Delta Victorian in oil rubbed bronze. Mirrors are frost/etched. Light in bath is bronze and 2 matching wall sconces for either side of bed. Also, bronze w/ frosted glass shades boudoir lamps for dressers. (We do not read or watch tv in this room. We do, however, suffer from migraines and the west wall has a huge window, thus all the dark color.)
I have chosen Valspar Dewdrop (25% color/75% white) from all the big blue spots on the walls. I want to paint the doors and baseboards Sher-Wils 6091 Reliable White (lt beige) w/ 6093 Familiar Beige accent. What do I paint the ceiling? I am leaning to the Dewdrop same as the walls. All paint in satin finish.
For carpet I am looking for a dk brown w/w. My husband hand hooked a wool area rug to put in the open area (it has a pattern).
I also would like an opinion for bath counter/cab. It is currently a light oak.
Any ideas are welcome. Did I miss anything?
Save me from myself, please! Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Althea,
Wow, you’ve done a great job pulling all those colors together. Yes, I would put the Dewdrop right up over the ceiling — there’s nothing like “sky” in a bedroom for a feeling of serenity. Everything else looks great. I would stain or paint your bathroom cabinet to “match” the dark woods in the bedroom. The light oak is just too yellow to go with your scheme. I’m not sure if you’re planning to replace the countertop, but remnants of marble and granite are a good economical way to go if you have the budget for the upgrade. It sounds like you’ve got everything else under control. Enjoy your new suite.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I am painting my daughter’s room an aqua/turquoise color called Blue bayou by Pittsburgh Paints. She wants her ceiling pink, spring bloom by Benjamin Moore. I don’t have any crown molding in her room. So, the colors would butt right up against each other. Do you think the blue and pink will look good together or do you think these colors are too bold for one another. Do you think a light lime green, like Key Lime by Benjamin Moore would look better on the ceiling? I want to give her pink, b/c she wants it so bad, but not if it will look tacky. Please help me!
Thanks so much!
Becca
Hi Becca,
Sorry for the long delay. As for the pink on the ceiling, here’s what might happen with that. a) it might look purple due to the reflection of the blue up onto the ceiling (not sure if your daughter wants that); and b) you’re right, there will be focus on the edges of the ceiling where the blue meets the pink. I do love the idea of using an “analogous” color to blue (something on either side of blue on the color wheel) for the ceiling color. Key lime would blend with the blue at the edges and also make the ceiling rise a bit since it’s a cool color (pink will bring the ceiling down). Then she could really go to town with the pink accessories in the room. I think that would look terrific.
If you’ve already painted the ceiling pink, then that will be fine too. It’s just paint, afterall. And a girl’s room is definitely her domain.
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I would like to paint my living room so that it looks a bit like an extension into the dining room. The DR is Laura Ashley maroon, with cream trim. How would it look if I painted just one wall the same maroon, and the other walls perhaps more of a creamy yellow? Nothing too bright, but warm. It is a southern facing room with a fireplace. I actually thought about the maroon on the wall with the fireplace to make it ‘pop’! What do you think? Any other suggestions? The LR has light oak trim, as does the fireplace.
Thanks so much for any suggestions.
Hi Tammy,
Great idea. I would go ahead with the maroon on the fireplace wall. But instead of a creamy yellow, which might make the southern-exposed room a little too warm, I suggest just a more neutral cream, a Ben Moore Berber White 955 or Bone White. With more neutral walls, you can add warmth with your fabrics and accessories.
Paint the accent wall first and see how that looks with in the room before settling on the neutral wall color for the other walls. (If you already have a neutral in an adjoining hallway, you could run that color into the living room for maximum flow.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
HELLO BARBARA,
I AM FINALLY GETTING AROUND TO REMOVING THE POPCORN FROM MY KITCHEN CEILING. BOY, WHAT I JOB THAT IS GOING TO BE. LOL
I’M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT COLOR I SHOULD PAINT AFTER I HAVE PRIMED IT .
MY WALLS ARE NOW PAINTED WITH A VENETIAN PLASTER “ANTICO”, IT HARD TO EXPLAIN THE COLOR ,BASICLY IT IS A LIGHT YELLOW WITH A TOUCH OF LIGHT BROWN OR GOLDISH HIGHLIGHT , MY CABINETS ARE A EGGSHELL COLOR. I HAVE CROWN MOLDING AT THIS TIME JUST ON THE CABINETS BUT I PLAN TO ADD MORE TO THE WALLS . MY CIELINGS ARE 8 FT.AND I HAVE PLENTY OF LIGHT COMING IN THRU THE WINDOWS.
I HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME FIND A COLOR ,,,,,
Hi Joe,
Sorry for the delay. If you haven’t already painted the ceiling by now, here are a couple of ideas. You didn’t mention what color your trim is in the room — I see that your cabinets are antique white. If you have white-white trim around baseboards and doors and if your crown moulding is going to be true white (and not antique white), then you might consider painting the ceiling either antique white (flat). That way the ceiling is tied in with the cabinets and the crown moulding pops. It’s a great look.
If your trim color in the room is all antique white, to go with the cabinet color, and the crown moulding on top of cabinets and around the room is (or will be) antique white, then you can either paint the ceiling true white (flat) for a traditional look and maximum light reflection OR you can paint the ceiling a light gold (darker than the cabinets — a color right out of your granite) that will tie the ceiling in with the room and again make the crown moulding stand out more. Essentially you’re taking the wall color and putting it up on the ceiling to make the mouldings more prominent. Again, a great look.
Hope that helps. Send a photo if I can be more specific.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
OH FORGOT TO INFORM YOU OF THE COLOR OF OUR GRANITE COUNTER TOPS. THEY ARE A AFRICAN RANGE-JUPARANA TIER W/RED. THANKS
BARBARA,,,
SORRY, SORRY, SORRY,
MY CABINETS ARE A SEMI-GLOSS ANTIQUE WHITE,,
hi barbara,
i sent you a e-mail with pictures . i hope you get it .
thanks joe
Hi Joe,
I received your photos and will look at them in the morning. Back to you soon.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara! I just have a question about painting my ceiling. I have a ranch-style home with the living room, kitchen and hallway to the bedrooms all joining. I am painting the kitchen a deep red, the living room a mustard yellow and the hallway burnt orange. The hallway comes straight into the living room. I want all rooms to blend. Should I paint the ceiling all the same color or should I do different colors for the living room/hallway and the kitchen? What color on the ceiling for the living room/hallway? I am lost! Thanks!
What is the formula for tinting the ceiling paint? I heard 5%,
10%, 25% of the wall color. I want it to look like a reflection
of the wall color. Do you recommed doing this? We will have
crown moulding. Thank you.
Hi Vicki,
Just tell them at the paint store that you want a tint of your wall color for the ceiling and they should know the best formula. At least 10%. Maybe up to 50% depending on how dark your wall color is. If it’s light, then go with 50% for maximum impact. Yes, with crown moulding, painting the ceiling is a great idea!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I am remodeling my home and will have a great room with 22′ vaulted ceilings open to the dining area and kitchen.
I have hired an interior designer who is suggesting I paint my great room ceiling in Benjamin Moore Branchport Brown and the body of the room Montgomery White. The hallways will also be painted in Montgomery White with Mascapone on the ceilings. I will have walnut hardwood flooring throughout the house and 6″ white baseboards. He is also suggesting one 8′ x 10′ wall in the dining area be painted some shade of red. My kitchen cabinets will be off white with a chocolate glaze and my kitchen island will be a dark brown or espresso type color with typhoon bordeaux granite counters. My questions are: what do you think about the brown ceiling in the great room contrasted with the light colored walls? What color red would you suggest for the dining area (or would red even look good?) and lastly, what color would you suggest for the kitchen as it is open to the great room? I’m just not sure I trust my designer. Thank you for your help!
Hi Stacy,
Yes, your designer is suggesting ideas that may seem uncomfortable to you, but I agree that a 22-ft ceiling needs to come down and the dark color up there should do just that. As for the dining room, red is traditional, but you have to love it. If you’d rather have a richer, more neutral color, just tell him. What he should do for you, though, before you paint, is draw you a sketch of what it will look like. That will help you visualize his ideas and actually make him feel more confident that you’re both on the same page. It will be an expensive paint job to get up to that ceiling so you’ll want to love the end result. Just ask for a sketch along with the color swatches.
As for specific colors, they should come right out of your granite counters. The red should be on the maroon side (with the bordeaux) or a different neutral (dark taupe?) from the granite. Same with your kitchen. Pick a color right out of the countertop and you’ll be fine coordinating the three spaces.
Other thought: If the brown he selected is too dark for you, he can bring it down to a medium brown and still have the same effect. But all colors should come out of the granite to work.
Hope I’ve helped a little.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi,
I am planning on painting my home office with black and pink stripes that have a candlelight shimmer(all Ralph Lauren Paints). First, what color would you recommend for the ceiling, it is now Elephant Tusk from Benjamin Moore and what is your opinon if there is a chair rail, what color either black or pink should go from the floor to the chair rail. The stripes will be above the chair rail.
Thanks
Hi Angela,
You can try a color like Ben Moore’s vanilla milkshake (OC-59) which should intensify your pink stripes a bit as it appears to have a touch of green in it (pink’s opposite color on the color wheel). White opulence (OC-69) and whitewater bay (OC-70) both have a subtle pink tint and would appear as if the pink stripe is reflecting off the ceiling. Warmer than the other option. Just avoid gray on the ceiling.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
i painted my ceiling black and i hated it!!!!! i had to re paint it back white and it was a horrid mess and took forever, if you want it a different color make it a light shade of something you like nothing dark it makes it feel way too small and made just wasnt cute
Hi me,
Yes, black is a very serious color when it comes to repainting over it. Not fun at all. Black on a ceiling works with REALLY high ceilings (you see it in large restaurants) and in home theaters where you really do want the room to be dark. Otherwise, reserve black for a cave-like feeling in the room. And if you’re unsure, paint a light color on the ceiling first and proceed cautiously from that point on.
Primer will cover everything so hang in there…
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I stumbled on your site too late! I’m having two bedrooms and my bathroom painted tomorrow and I’m struggling with what colors to paint the ceiling and the doors. The Master bedroom will be painted B14-2 Belgian Waffle (Olympic Paints), the second bedroom will be 420c-1 Water Sprout (Behr), and the bathroom will be D51-1 Elusive Blue (Olympic Paints). The trim in all rooms will be 45YY 83/094 Shell White (Glidden).
Sooooo, I’ve been searching pictures trying to figure out what color to paint the ceilings and the doors. The ceilings are only about 7 to 8 feet high. In both bedrooms, the ceilings slope down on one side. Both rooms get a fair amount of light. I want them to both be ‘cozy/comfy’ but roomy and inviting but I am also a LIGHT fanatic and want the appearance of as much natural light as I can have.
Oh, also, they share a small common hallway that’s not going to be painted. It has textured white wallpaper and I’m thinking of painting the trim in the hallway to match the rooms to help tie them in together.
So, should the ceilings be painted bright white or should they be painted the same colors as the walls or trim. Should the doors be painted the same color as the trim?
By the time you answer back, I will probably already have had the bedrooms painted but not the bathroom. Either way, I would love to hear your ideas. I’ve been reading your responses above and would like to know what you think! This is the first paint job in a series that I have planned. It’s an exciting time for me!
Thanks,
Mira
Hi Mira,
As much as I LOVE to paint ceilings different colors other than white, there’s nothing like the fresh look of a bright white ceiling especially in rooms that have pastel walls. The bright white reflects the maximum amount of light coming in from the windows and really sets off the colors, even medium tones. The only time it’s really tough to have a bright white ceiling is when the walls are dark. Then you just call attention to the edge where wall meets ceiling and if the ceiling is already low, you have a problem.
Go ahead with bright white. You’ll love the result. Exception: if you have a white crown moulding around all the edges, then you can paint the ceiling a tint of the wall color or something else. But if you need light in the room, bright white will give you the optimal result.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I just stumbled across your website and I found your responses very helpful so I thought I’d ask a question.
We are in the process of painting our living room/kitchen which is pretty much an open space seperated by a half wall. The kitchen is all white, with bright white ceramic tile, oak cupboards and a burgandy flecked counter top. The living room has olive/khacki green furniture with light oak hardwood floors. I picked out a nice light(ish) green with a khacki green tones (3 up on the paint swatch) and I want to do walls and ceilings throught the space? Do you think that will be too much. I did a test patch in the living room and the color looks very light (but the walls are gold right now), a test patch in the kitchen (where everything is white) looks crazy dark. We love color and cozy just worried that it will be too much.
Hi Shauna,
You’re on the right track. Just make sure you love the color. Anything is going to look bold next to the white in the kitchen, but once the paint is all up on the walls, things should really come together. You might want to prime the living room if the green is light so you’ll get true color on the wall.
Also unless you have a really high ceiling, keep the ceiling color to a tint so you don’t cut down on the light too much. If you have one wall in the living room that you could use as an accent wall, you could bring the burgundy in from the kitchen. Just an idea.
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara
I’m painting my Mom’s cape cod which has very dark wooden beams on the ceiling. What’s a good shade of white to use inbetween the beams? The room is very dim most of the day – alot of trees around the house.
Hi Kathy,
If you’re looking for maximum light in the room (and it sounds like you are), then go with a bright white ceiling paint (not just white, but bright white or super white). That will give you maximum contrast with the dark beams and reflect as much light back into the room as possible.
Good luck. And how nice of you to paint your mom’s home.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I recently had the entire second floor of my home resurfaced. The walls and ceilings were all textured and the molding had been painted a hundred times. I had the wood taken back to bare and everything else patched and smoothed. The wood isnt clean enough to stain, so it will be repainted but it will at least look clean. My issue is that I want to paint each of the three bedrooms a different color. I dont want my house to look like a carnival, but I do want the rooms to have separate identities. Should I be concerned with each room having a different color ceiling? If a room in question is already going to be painted a very very light green, what would acceptable ceiling colors be to match it?
Hi Brian,
Unless you plan to sell the house anytime soon (in which case, I would paint all ceilings white), you can certainly paint each bedroom and ceiling a different color to reflect the taste of each inhabitant (kids, spouse, etc.). Not a problem at all. As for the light green room, you can paint the ceiling light green (to enlarge the room), very light blue (a nice combo), or white. I would not paint the ceiling a warm color as it will bring the ceiling down visually. But really, bedrooms are meant to be individualized, unless you’re sprucing up to sell. Different story there.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi, Please settle a dispute between my father and my husband. We are in the midst of painting our house and my father has installed thick crown molding throughout the house:carolina room, open dining room and livingroom. He wants to paint the crownmolding and the ceiling the same color and the walls a darker shade of that same color. The color is a sortof reddish tuape brown, that looks different in all lights. My husband thinks the ceiling should be white and that painting the crown molding and ceiling the same color looks dumb! Please help!
Hi Amy,
Uh oh… I’m not sure I want to get in the middle of this entanglement, but here it goes. I would do neither. I suggest painting the newly installed luscious crown molding the same color as the rest of the trim in the room. Semi-gloss white, cream, whatever that is. Then paint the ceiling a light warm neutral like Ben Moore’s lambskin (OC-3) or Brandy cream (OC-4) or even a light warm gray like Edgecomb gray (HC-173). What that will do is tint the ceiling and draw your eye to the highlighted crown molding. Painting the ceiling white is a missed opportunity to highlight the crown, and painting the ceiling and crown molding the same color is another missed opportunity. Also with the reddish taupe that you’ve chosen for the walls, the ceiling might end up pink. Not sure if you’d like that. See what YOU think. I hope I’ve helped and not opened another can of worms, so to speak. Good luck!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I am painting my daughter’s room a medium to light purple on 3 walls and a lime green on the wall with the least amount of wall to paint (window wall) The trim is all white along with all of her bedroom furniture. What color should I paint the ceiling that does have a slight texture to it? (not a popcorn ceiling & 8ft. high)
Thanks
Stacey
Hi,
I have very high tray ceilings in my bedroom, with no moldings. We can’t afford to install molding, but would like to paint the walls a light color, possibly with a rose tint. Where the walls and ceiling meets it is a curved edge – very hard to paint a straight line. Would it be alright to paint the walls and ceiling the same color, with an eggshell finish?
Thanks!
The house I’m planning to buy has a 9ft ceiling in the family room. Although the room is facing North without any obstruction, it seems dark to me. I wonder if new coat of paint would help brighten the room and make the ceiling higher. I currently live in a 10ft ceiling home with tripple crown moulding. The family room at the new house has a simple crown moulding. Should I paint the moulding the same color as the wall or the ceiling? Thanks.
Hi Ken,
Not to worry. A 9ft ceiling is quite adequate — it’s just that you’re not used to it yet. I would still paint the moulding the same color as the trim in the rest of the room. But consider painting the walls a warm neutral, something like Powell Buff (Ben Moore HC-35) or Papaya (Ben Moore 957) and paint the ceiling a tint of either color (10% to 30% value). That way the ceiling will blend a little more with the rest of the room and make the whole room seem bigger. If you had a lot of light in the room, I would suggest going with a soft gray blue for walls and ceiling as cool colors recede making everything feel bigger, but since you face North, that would be too cold. I’d go with the light warm tones.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I ahve an open concept livingroom, eating area and kitchen. My furniture, cupboards & floors are chocolate brown. My accent color is a pinkish-red/burgundy. We chose a deep taupe for the walls and for our ceilings went two shades lighter on the color swatch. We find the ceiling a little darker than we desired, but are going to live with it. But now I am not sure what color to paint the trim and the doors. Should I use the same color as on the celing or go a tone or two lighter?
Also, any ideas on how we can fix the ceiling without re-doing everything?
Thanks
Hi Kimberly,
Not to worry. Everything will blend soon. For the trim and doors, I suggest going to the lightest shade on your ceiling color swatch to blend the trim with the walls and ceiling. However, if you feel that you want to highlight the trim to provide contrast in the room, then paint them white (something like china white, not too yellowy a white).
Then, you need a shiny metal in the room and lots of it. Chrome or nickel. And make sure your lighting is adequate since you have a lot of dark color soaking up the light. After you’re done painting, if it still feels dark, now is the time to add your white accessories, things you really want to feature. The contrast will highlight them and make the walls fade into the background. Final trick: A really modern rug on the living room floor that pulls in white brown and, yes, pink. You’ll fnd one. The palette is out there.
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I’ve read many of your suggestions about painting the ceiling, and think I have a better understanding about what works, but I want to run it by you first. We are redoing most of the interior of our 100+ year old home. We have pulled out all the carpeting and vinyl on the first floor and will have the hardwood refinished. The color hasn’t been chosen yet, but it won’t be a light bleached color. We already have new LR furniture which is larger and darker than we previously have had (we love the new look). But the room which faces west is definitely darker, so we need to make sure the wall color doesn’t darken the room any more. Our new stair runner has a nice warm wheat color that I was thinking of for the walls and a cream for the ceiling (we have dark beams in the LR). Then in the adjoining DR (this is a separate room with pocket doors) I thought of using a darker value of the wheat I use in the LR to unify the 2 spaces but still define it as something different and separate and dramatic. Should I use the same cream from the LR ceiling in the DR? We have an antique brushed brass chandelier with frosted glass globes, it’s a focal point in the room, it is classic looking not fussy with prisms. What are your thoughts?
Thanks
Hi Karen,
That will definitely work and will look classic in your antique home. Yes, paint the ceilings the same color unless there is some architectural feature dividing them. But in a house that old, the ceilings are quite low so keep the ceiling light in any case.
At some point, you might consider a new chandelier to replace the classic version that’s there currently. It’s perfectly fine to have a more updated light fixture even in an antique home. And they’re relatively inexpensive to switch out. You’ll love the more contemporary feel to your dining room.
Just a thought.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
We are in the process of adding a 20×30 family room with 3 sets of french doors and can lights throughout the room. My contractor has suggested a white textured paint to keep the room from bouncing too much light. However, I don’t like the textured paint, and it doesn’t match the rest of the house. Will flat white ceiling paint create too much light bouncing around the room? The walls are a light taupe.
Thank you,
Kristine
Hi Kristine,
If you have crown moulding, have you considered putting the wall color on the ceiling? In a room that size, coloring the ceiling will not only soak up some of that light, but also make the room feel cozier. You can put a coordinating color on the ceiling if you’d prefer or a tint of the wall color. Either way. Flat white is okay but only if your ceilings are really low.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
My bathroom remodel has the walls paint montpelier moss (green). I am in the process of doing all the base boards and doors in in our 68 year old house a color called bleached blonde (yellowish whitish) Should we paint the ceilings the same color as well as the crown molding we are adding? Or should the ceiling paint be more of a white. The trim paint is a satin finish. thanks!
Dana
Hi Dana,
I would paint the crown moulding the same cream as the baseboards and doors and tint the ceiling with 1/10th to 1/4 of the wall color. You’ll have a really nice finished look!
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
My bedroom ceiling is 9′ and is somewhat cathedral in structure. The room has plenty of light, hence is very bright in the morning. The room’s accent wall is painted in Windsor Haze by Behr. Naturally, all the colors in the room follow: plenty of shimmering gold and silver decorative art pieces, arm chairs in cream, bedspread in blue with taupe and throw pillows in spicy orange.
Please advise if you would recommend to paint the room in light taupe and the ceiling a few shades darker.
I currently zeroed down on Benjamin Moore paint HOT SPRING STONES (AC31) for the walls and SHENANDOAH TAUPE (AC36) for the ceiling.
Thank you for your advice in advance.
Hi Mila,
The taupes you picked out are fine as long as you have the cream and orange accents in the room — the taupe and blue combo is very sophisticated — a tad masculine — and a little cold, but the warm colored accents will really pop.
Another option might be to go with a warm gray for the walls (something like Ben Moore’s Collingwood 859), then use a lighter blue for the ceiling (Russian Blue — two shades down from Windsor Haze). Not sure from your description whether the taupe in the bedspread is on the brown side or the gray side but see what you think.
Sounds like you have all the elements for a fantastic bedroom.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I am looking for some professional advice. I am thinking of painting my living room ceiling dark brown. I’ve seen it in several local restaurants and really like the effect. I have a 1000 sq ft condo w standard (10 ft?) ceilings, built in the mid 80s. The walls are Powell Buff & Wilmington Tan (Ben Moore HC), which compliment the leather sofa and chair.
I’m worried about it feeling like a cave. I’ve asked friends and most ppl have advised against it but they’ve never done it or seen it. I’m also worried about the 10 coats it could take to cover it if I don’t like it. I will take some earlier advice and paint a piece of posterboard or cardboard and see how it looks. Just wanted your opinion. Thanks ! Amie
I am turning a VERY well-lit office into a school room for my children. They have chosed a wonderful green apple color for the walls. I decided to paint the ceiling the same color. Now, I am considering changing them into a crisp white. I have 10 foot ceilings and 2 large windows and french doors in the room. I am putting in royal purple carpet.
Hi Shannon,
I love the carpet color but you’re right, green apple on all four walls and ceiling might be a bit over the top. Even though your ceilings are high, a light ceiling will optimize light (best for studying). You could paint one accent wall the green apple color and use the same color for furniture and accents in the room. That would look terrific. But keeping the other three walls neutral will allow you to feature your children’s art projects on the walls. And there will be a lot of color in the room anyway with all the children’s markers and papers and stuff.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
hello,
i am going to have a new bedroom in a couple of weeks and it is already painted with a light boring beige all the four walls and the ceiling. The floor is ( i dnt know how to explain it) sort of little broken pieces of rocks (different red and shades) all gathered in a mixture to make it smooth and plain (i’m sorry for the complicated explanation but i dnt have any technical words..).
i have a very high ceiling, (about 3 metres) and a huge closet fixed all over one of the walls, made of cherry wood.
on the facing wall and its perpendicular one i have 2 huge windows (1 on each) that bring light in (maybe too much light).
on the remaining wall is the entering door right in the angle..
I need help to make my new room less boring, i don’t know what’s in nowadays in colors and techniques, but all this with minimum change since i can’t afford much anymore..
Thank you in advance
Hi dee,
I suggest you paint the wall behind your bed an accent color that you pick out of the different shades in the floor. How about one of the shades of brownish red? That will create some interest in your beige bedroom and pull the whole look together. Then you can find some bedding that you like — it doesn’t have to be expensive — with a little bit of that red in it. Add some black metal (lights, picture frames, accent pieces) and you have a great-looking bedroom!
See what you think and good luck!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I am opening a gift shop (approx 18 x 27) and thinking of pale aqua for the walls and a darker shade for the back wall. The crown moulding and trim will be white, I think.
I have been advised by more than one person that the ceiling should be painted either navy blue or black because it will appear that the ceiling goes on forever and make the room seem larger.
I just can’t imagine that color but I’m not thrilled with white either.. What do you think? The floor is a medium maple and most of the displays will be on antique walnut furniture.
Please help! I didn’t think selecting colors would be so difficult.
Hi Kate,
Congratulations on your new business! I like your color scheme so far. A dark ceiling can recede as long as it’s high enough. Otherwise it may close in on you. If your ceiling is over 10′ high and you have really good lighting (I assume you do), then you can go ahead with a navy blue ceiling. Otherwise, I would just pick a medium tone a few shades darker than your wall color to blend ceiling with walls and make the room feel bigger.
Good luck with your gift shop!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello,
I just ran across this website and loved reading through the questions and suggestions. (I could have used some of those when we painted our house after moving in 5 years ago…)
But my dilemma today is our garage. We recently decided to convert 1/2 of the garage into a spare room (I have longed to do this for years!) Here is some info on the room:
The carpet is a medium-to-deeper green with a slight sage tint.
* Purpose of the room is home office, “library” space for our many books, spare sleeping space, and storage.
* The finished room will be 350 square feet (about 15′ x 23′).
* One section will be used for storage (shelves concealed behind “wall decor” curtains), but mainly the room will have large bookshelves around the walls and an office area in one corner. The center area will be mostly open except for a day bed and a couple of simple Swedish chairs facing a picture window.
* All of the furniture is either light wood or painted creamy white, and the windows and trim are white vinyl.
* The room will have medium light overall (it has a large south facing picture window on one end, glass sliders on the north end, and two smaller windows in the corner by the desk area).
* There will be four ceiling fixtures (evenly placed), with 3 track lights in each fixture.
* Ceiling is lower — about 7 1/2 feet.
* We are leaving floor concrete, but will cover it with an indoor/outdoor carpet (this is a low budget project
The room is nearing completion and I would love your advice about walls and ceiling paint!
* I know that much of the walls will have furniture in front of it so you will only see the top half or less of the walls. But I was thinking of a light sage color, that goes OK with the carpet. (we have a similar shade in our house bathrooms and I really like it) I thought the shade seemed to go well with the furniture – cream or light wood. What do you think?
* If I used that shade, should I use it also on the ceiling? Would it make the room seem bigger or ceiling higher? Or, should I use a lighter shade (e.g., mix a little of the wall paint into the white ceiling paint, to create a lighter tint for the ceiling)?
I would be very grateful for your thoughts on this.
Thanks so much.
Best regards,
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
All your ideas are just perfect. Yes, go with a monochromatic color scheme to make the ceiling taller and the room feel bigger. Tint the ceiling as you suggested so your eye doesn’t go immediately to the corner where wall meets white ceiling. Green recedes as a color so walls and ceiling should move away from you making the room feel bigger anyway. Just make sure the carpet is deeper than the wall color so it grounds the room.
Sounds good!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks so very much for your generous time in letting me have your input on my garage / spare room paint color question.
I just wanted to clarify what you were suggesting for the ceiling – paint it the same color as the walls (a light sage)?
Or, should I paint the ceiling a little lighter tint than the walls (by mixing wall paint in to white ceiling paint)?
Ceiling is just under 7 1/2 feet high. There is no trim between walls and ceiling.
(Furniture is cream and light wood, with medium to deeper green/sagey carpet).
Thanks again so much. (We will be ready to paint next Monday).
- Elizabeth
Hi Barbara,
Help! I’m painting a high vaulted wood ceiling in the living room/dining room in a ranch home. The large room is painted with two walls a light camel, one wall a soft white and one wall a brownish, orangish rock with a large fireplace. The room adjoins the kitchen and shares the same ceiling but has a partition wall divider between the living area and the kitchen/breakfast area. The kitchen cabinets and walls are presently white. All areas have a saltillo terra cotta tile floor. My question is what color ceiling would work? I’m presently painting with an antique white but this seems to blend into the camel with little contrast. The antique white on the door facings and woodwork looks much lighter that it appears on the ceiling (this is puzzling to me)! Thanks!
Hi Donna,
The ceiling color depends on the lighting in the room and whether you want the ceiling to come down to make the rooms feel more cozy or disappear to make the rooms feel more airy. Dark/warm ceilings will make the room cozy (consider two shades darker than the camel or even a rusty terra cotta from your floor –Ben Moore’s Audubon Russet HC-51?). For an airy feel, paint the ceiling the same camel color as the walls. That will work in the living room and will carry over into the kitchen where it will contrast with all the white and complement the floor.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Elizabeth,
Since your ceiling is low, a light tint (sage added to the white ceiling paint) will help to obscure the area where wall meets ceilng and make the ceiling feel a little bit taller. Sounds good.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach