The Ceiling (the most forgotten surface in a room)

For the past seven years I have been convincing clients to paint their ceiling something other than white. In my opinion, unless the walls are white, by leaving the ceiling white it looks forgotten. It particularly looks out of place when putting richer colors on the wall, since it is too stark of a contrast. I have slowly seen more and more Designers including the ceiling as an important part of the over-all room design. In this month’s House Beautiful there is a quote by Jaime Drake: “The ceiling is the most overlooked and underused opportunity in decorating.”

Clients fear that by painting the ceiling the room will feel too closed in. Actually, I have found the opposite to be true. By painting the ceiling a darker color it actually draws your eye up and allows the room to feel more expansive. I especially like to go with a dark ceiling if the ceilings are 11’ or higher.

I opt for painting the ceiling the same color as the walls if there are a lot of angles between the walls and the ceiling. This softens the edges and finishes everything off nicely.

If the budget allows, doing ceilings in wood, adding beams, faux finish stencil designs, ceiling murals or mosaic tile are all beautiful ways to draw attention to the ceiling. Could the focal point of the room be the ceiling? Absolutely!