This painting project is one of my FAVORITE design changes to make to a
room. OK, the
actual painting process is not my favorite (it stinks) but the
end result is one I always love.
Interior designers call ceilings “the fifth wall” — but it’s understandable
that this part of the room is usually ignored. Of course you can add
architecture and interest with wood beams, or even wallpaper (I haven’t
attempted that just yet!).
But there’s a much easier way to add character and depth to a space…with
just paint.
Contrary to what you’d think, painting your ceiling doesn’t necessarily make
it the focal point of the room. In fact, when it’s painted the wall color,
it can sometimes disappear more than a bright white ceiling. I’ll
share examples below!
My favorite color for a ceiling is blue — think of a blue sky and you’ll
understand my love for it! I’m currently working on our entryway (check out
the huge mural project here) and my latest update was painting a deeper tone on the ceiling.
I painted it a very light blue years ago, but with the addition of the
watercolor mural, I wanted to go with a darker blue that tied into the
shades throughout the art. This paint color called Lakeside was my pick from
Sherwin-Williams:
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It’s been years since I’ve painted a ceiling and I’m getting
way too old for it. 😂
roller. I recommend a thicker nap — I used
a 1/2 inch nap roller
for our slightly textured ceiling:
I painted one good coat cutting in with a brush, and two coats with the
roller everywhere else.
extending painting pole
is a must if you’re painting a ceiling. Otherwise you’ll climb a ladder
about 150 times. 🙂 But if you already have a metal pole for an outdoor rake
or broom, usually a paint roller handle will screw right on.
I love it! It was so worth the sore neck!
One more tip — this is especially important if you have any kind of texture
on your ceiling. I highly recommend using a flat sheen (or just get
your paint mixed in a ceiling paint). Any other sheen will have a bit of
shine to it and you’ll see every little bump and crevice.
Even a super smooth ceiling will have some minor imperfections that will
become noticeable with a shiny paint.
If you’re hesitant, a small powder room is a GREAT spot to try out a painted
ceiling. It’s not as laborious and small spaces lend themselves to a bit
more drama anyway:
I’ve also gone darker moody hues, like in our basement
bar/kitchenette:
Years back I used that color (called Westchester Gray) on our bedroom
ceiling, but that will undergo a makeover sometime this year:
In our first house, I painted our son’s bathroom and nursery ceiling and
then kept it that color for his
airplane themed room
(and carried the color down to the backs of the built ins):
I’m pretty sure that light blue color was called Upward (by
Sherwin-Williams).
The blue ceiling treatment continued in my old office as well:
A light blue ceiling with white molding is chef’s kiss!
Just a very slight color can make a room feel different! When I transformed
our old dining room into a
library with bookcases, I painted that ceiling a very light gray:
Are you a painted ceiling fan? I have plenty of crisp white ceilings in our
home, but a pop of color is a little touch I love to add to a space. It’s
one of those things that people notice, but can’t necessarily put their
finger on when they walk into a room.
You can
tour our first home here
and
current home as well!
