What Color Should I Paint My Ceiling?

Last Updated: July 11, 2011

Dining room with dark brown walls, white trim, and a large chandelier over a wooden table.

Since most people paint their ceilings either a plain white or an off-white, this answer to this question may seem obvious. But in actuality, ceilings can be painted in almost any color. Granted, not all colors will look good, but applying a light color to the ceiling can create a charming and pleasant atmosphere.

There are a myriad of things you can do with colors for your ceiling. Here are a few ideas:

A picture is worth a thousand words, Here is one of my favorites from our portfolio page:

1. The most common thing to do would be to paint your ceiling with a nice complementary color to the wall finish. One problem people can run into with selecting a random color for the room is that it can create a disjointed feeling throughout the house if every room is different. There are few ways to avoid this:

  • Paint the ceiling a lighter shade of the wall color. This technique is great, but it works best when you use it throughout each room on the same level of the house.

  • Pick the same ceiling color for every room in the house. If you do this: be sure it is a very light color so that it doesn’t give an oppressive feel throughout the house.

2. If your ceiling has mouldings or other architectural features (such as: coffered ceilings, tray ceilings, or ogee moulding around the ceiling) you can always apply a nice accent color on parts of the ceiling rather than the whole ceiling.

3. If your walls have some type of moulding higher on the wall, you can bring the ceiling color down onto the wall to the horizontal moulding.

One thing to consider is that painting your ceilings white makes them appear highest. When you apply a color it can make the ceiling seem lower, so keep in mind if your ceilings are low that painting them a color other than white can crop the feel of the room. But if you have high ceilings and don’t mind them appearing lower, then use this fact to your advantage.

Using the ceiling to accent a room a great and simple way to create dynamic for the room. If you would like a free color consultation, Chism Brothers would be happy to help you. Contact us online or give us a call at 858-434-3850.

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Est 1982