Ceiling color advice?

10 years ago

Hello. I'm looking for some advice on ceiling paint color. I'm afraid I've always had plain white ceilings up until now. I saw a recent inspiring thread on warming up ceilings - off-white? cream? I can't remember and I cannot find the thread.

My Reading room has a light sage carpet and trim in Valspar Navajo white. The trim is the same throughout the house and I'm loathe to change it. There's a fair amount of trim in the room as there is a painted wood fireplace mantel and surround, a bay window, a door to the deck, and french doors to the LR.

I'm planning to paint the walls BM Bleeker Beige. I think it looks good with the trim and the carpet and fits nicely into a soothing color scheme. The upholstery in the furniture is cream leather, dark brown leather and a cream and tan fabric stripe. Wood in the room (bookcases & furniture) is all warm medium brown. Accent color is brick red provided by the brick in the fireplace surround, throw pillows and an oriental rug near the door. There are lots of bookshelves (and books of course) and the bay window is full of houseplants.

I will repaint the ceiling when I paint the walls, and I could either paint it the same plain ceiling white or I could try another color. I'm not ready for something as bold as Beekeeperswife's black former foyer ceiling but I'm willing to try something that isn't plain ceiling white.

Any advice for me?

Comments (9)

Annie Deighnaugh
10 years ago
Does the ceiling feel either high or low to you? You can change the impact of the ceiling on the room depending on if you go darker or lighter. Or you could pick up on the sage green in the rug and go either darker or lighter than that...
Specific ibex
Original Author
10 years ago
The ceiling feels a bit low. It's an 8' ceiling in a 17'9" x 11'6" room. What would you suggest if I wanted to make the ceiling feel higher?
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tibbrix
10 years ago
I would suggest doing a very light version of whatever the trim paint is.
tibbrix
10 years ago
Does the room have crown moulding? If not, putting it in will make the ceiling seem higher.
Specific ibex
Original Author
10 years ago
No crown molding, and it would be tough to add as one doorway to the room is open to a hall and kitchen where there is a vaulted section. It would be an extensive project to add crown molding.
Bunny
10 years ago
My kitchen, living room, dining room and hall ceilings are the same color as the walls (SW Antique White). Ceilings are 9 ft. and vaulted to about 13 ft. in the living room. I was very nervous about doing this, but I love it. A lot depends on the lighting. Looking out at my living room at night with two table lights on opposite sides of the room, some of the ceiling blends into the walls, actually making it seem higher. In some areas, it looks lighter than the walls.

My bedrooms and bathrooms have white (trim-colored) ceilings. It looks okay, but the ceilings are very defined. If unsure, a lighter version of the walls would also be nice.
Annie Deighnaugh
10 years ago
I would do the ceiling one to two shades lighter than the walls so BM white sand....
Specific ibex
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions!

Linelle, thanks for your post - it's good to hear your initial reservations and your observations of it afterwards.

Annie, I'll try BM white sand. Manchester Tan is the next lightest color on the paint sample strip, but it's very very similar to the trim color (I think the equivalent of Valspar Navajo White is BM Jute, but Manchester Tan is very similar). I wonder if BM white sand is too close too. I'm attempting to look at related colors on BM's site, but the logic of the color gallery main view eludes me.

thanks!
Annie Deighnaugh
10 years ago
If you select a color on the color gallery and then go to detail, you'll see a swatch with colors that are similar and another with shades of the same color...maybe that will help you.

You can also paint the wall and ceiling the same color and just let the trim be a different color.

This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Mon, Feb 10, 14 at 21:41