My Background With Color
Full disclosure, I am not a professional interior designer. I have never taken an interior design class in my life. However, I have seen thousands of rooms, across many style of home, throughout the Milwaukee metro area. And thousands might be understated, it’s probably tens of thousands. So when it comes to choosing if you want white ceilings or colored ceilings, I can offer my opinion on ceiling paint color ideas, backed by extensive experience.
The General Rule is White Always Works
White ceilings have long been the norm. They work! They always will and you can’t go wrong with them. I have never walked into a room and thought, oh my gosh, why is there a white ceiling here? You probably haven’t either. So to that degree, you should be comfortable choosing a white ceiling and never thinking twice about it.
Minor Colo Adds Some Sophistication
As a professional interior painting contractor, I will say that a colored ceiling does add sophistication. How much color? Very little. In the last 10 years my favorite choice has been something with just a touch of gray or greige to it. Gray pallets have often received Shoji White by Sherwin Williams. Earthy palettes have received Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige at a 50% reduction. This subtle touch makes the ceilings less “in your face” white by toning it down a notch. You won’t necessarily detect a color per say, other than “off-white” but it provides some comfort to the room. The only time I wouldn’t go this route is a clean, modern look. I otherwise like it a lot!
Major Color Adds a Strong Design Element
Diving into a solid color value, one that your eye can’t miss, means you’ve made a commitment to color. Ceiling paint color ideas can include blue, green, or any color under the sun. As painters, we typically get this level of color when an interior designer is involved. That designer can marry the ceiling color with the walls and all the décor. The results can be stunning. We often see this dining rooms, living rooms, and family rooms, and occasionally in a bedroom. Tray ceilings and other stepped ceilings create ample opportunity for some show. Even a powder room can appear far more elegant with the wall color wrapping up over the ceiling. This cohesiveness removes the visual break line from wall color to white or off-white ceiling. It can really make a room feel sophisticated and unified.
The Short Ceiling Myth
We’ve been fighting the rumor that a painted ceiling will make the room feel shorter for years. That just hasn’t been our experience. A painted ceiling also doesn’t make a room feel smaller. So if these are concerns of yours, I’d encourage you to rethink it. On the contrary, we’ve found that your eye will always detect and subconsciously size up the wall height for what it is. And your mind will build up a feeling based on the whole room for what it is, and more than anything, the actual color and décor will set the vibe.
What Can Go Wrong?
Not much. It’s just paint! It can be repainted. Isn’t that a wonderful thing!? We think so.
