Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Hit the Ceiling...with paint!

Domino Mag. Soot paint from Benjamin Moore

Picking a paint color for your wall can be challenging, making sure the color is coordinating with the furnishings, and is harmonious with the look of the room. What you don't usually think to do is to paint the ceiling! I've been seeing a lot of that lately and it looks quite fun. It can either make the room look very cozy and warm or it if you do it with enough drama, it can raise the ceiling as well!

This Sills Huniford sitting room has a light lime green painted ceiling. It really draws attention to the beams above and draws your eye up. I really love that ladder off to the left with the newspapers on it--like a library.

Sara Story, who is always quite fun, used a magenta paint in this long kitchen area. I think it works well because there is so much light flooding in from the window and she used little purple and grey accents around the room.

You are, of course, never limited to just paint on a ceiling. Using ceramic tiles reminds me of an old villa or estate somewhere in Europe--perhaps Italy! Robin Bell used this Moroccan tile design in an outdoor space. I think it makes the space look very exotic, yes?

This is a child's room from Domino. Using wall paper on the ceiling is also a fun idea. The walls are a plain light green color, while the ceiling is the element of interest. This is a sweet and whimsical idea for a child; they can lie in bed and look at the stars! This is Osborne and Little Firibata Star pattern.

From House Beautiful: the walls are nearly the color as the ceiling and is only separated by a nice thick moulding. Quite pretty and classic in this small kitchen.

Exposed wood beams such as these add to the "lofty" feeling. These look like they are stained and even have brackets. Interior by Fern Santini of Abode.

This little den by Eric Cohler is one of the most creative ones I've seen. The colors in the room are gorgeous and you can find each one of them on the ceiling in the cross word puzzle! I wonder if it was customized for the client, and what it says. I love how the lines of it flow right into the lines of the windows and the curtains. SO amazing.

This living room has light chocolate colored walls, but is mainly covered with wall to wall bookcases. The top part of the wall then moves right into the ceiling so you're not sure where the wall ends and the ceiling begins. The blue color is agua vert by Philip's Perfect Colors. I love how they kept the mouldings white, even on the fireplace. They're such a beautiful architectural element.

Another ceiling treatment that I've seen is tin ceilings! Apparently they are quite affordable and definitely adds a vintage look to this room. Usually they are used in kitchens, but in a bedroom can be interesting as well. By Kathy Andrews Interiors from Point Click Home.


You can read more about ceiling treatments in Point Click Home HERE. I super wish I could paint the ceilings in my apartment. Usually they are painted the plain white and I'd love to add something fun like a painted ceiling someday. Do any of you have painted or wall papered ceilings? Thoughts? Feelings?


Alicia B.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

i'm drolling over that kitchen with the plum colored ceiling, stenciled floors and gray cabinets.

Kathysue said...

I have two rooms in my home with painted ceiling.Living room has french vanilla walls with white crown and a celadon green ceiling that I added a picture frame moulding about a foot from the wall to add architecture.In my guest room I used the vanilla colored walls,white crown and the palest,palest robins egg blue,all the bedding in this room is cream and white with the same blue as the ceiling in the sheets,it is very soothing.kathysue,Micasastyle.com

Jean Martha said...

Great round up!!!

We ripped the "lovely" drop ceilings out of our c1839 grek revival and found awesome old beams. We decided to fill inbetween the beams with beadboard and then frame & stain the ceiling like a picture. It's of the renovations of my house I'm MOST happy with.

Raina Cox said...

This is one of your best roundups!

Also, if you're not familiar with the Sills Huniford scandal almost a decade ago, here's a juicy article:

http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/crimelaw/features/3503/

Alicia B. Designs said...

Michelle-I know, I love those floors too. SO subtle glam.

RT-So jealous! I can't wait till i have a historical house to live in. SOMEDAY!

Raina, Thanks for that article. Its like US Weekly for design nerds! That antiques store in London has caused a lot of issues for designers though and I can sorta see both sides. SORTA.

Kathysue--Sounds gorgeous. Can't wait to see pics--on your website?

anusha said...

I love the first and the fourth pic a lot. I wouldn't have thought about painting the ceiling dark grey. The soot paint from benjamin Moore looks so good in this small Kitchen & has changed my viewpoint. As far as the fourth pic, how can i not like anything to do with Moroccan design. Amazing tile work.

Lauren said...

I have panelled pine ceilings in my bedroom at our family's lakehouse... I'm deabating about what do do with them... I'm thinking a limewash???

Anonymous said...

LOVE the magenta ceiling! That's a color I would never think to use. The first photo really demonstrates how a colorful ceiling makes light fixtures pop.

Anonymous said...

I love the star wallpaper so much. Thanks for the great ideas!

Unknown said...

These rooms are so great! Fab post!

Styrofoam Moldings said...

I agree with Michelle - that purple ceiling looks amazing, I couldn't imagine pulling that off.

What everyone seems to have missed is painting the cornice/crown molding a different color to have it stand out. Using a styrofoam molding coated with a layer of plaster, you can create elegant room corners and paint them to draw attention to them, the whole way around the perimeter of the room.