4 Tips for Choosing Ceiling Colors

When painting the ceiling is mentioned, what instantly comes to most people’s mind is white. For decades, white has been considered the safest and best choice for ceilings. Yes, there are times when white is a really perfect solution. However, if you’ve never considered anything beyond the conventional white, you’re missing an opportunity to add some drama and excitement into your home.

In interior design, the ceiling is considered the 5th wall, and it’s thought to reflect light more than the other four walls –which is why it’s commonly painted white. Additionally, white ceilings give the illusion of depth, while dark colors tend to have a visual “stop” point. But there is a way you can play around with color to create a beautiful ceiling and keep everything in your room coordinated.

Here are five ceiling color tips to your rescue:

1. Same Color on the Ceiling and Walls

Painting the ceiling and walls with the same color is the easiest way to go about it. But there are different ways to approach this depending on the size of your room and the color used. If it’s a small room, choosing a dark color for the ceiling and walls will make your space rich in color and feel more intimate. But if you want your small room to feel roomier than it is, consider painting your wall and ceiling with a lighter color.

In a larger room, such as the living room, using the same color –dark or light –on your ceiling and walls will unify your space and bring the focus to your décor and furniture. If you’re dealing with angled, vaulted, or asymmetrical ceilings, using the same color on walls and ceilings will simplify the shape of your entire room.

2. Paint Ceiling a Darker Color Than the Walls

If you want a slight contrast between your ceiling and walls, you might want to paint your ceiling darker than your walls. When using this approach for your ceiling, it’s important to choose a hue that’s just two or three shades darker than the walls of the room for a polished, sophisticated look.

Generally, painting your ceiling darker than the walls is best if you want to make your room feel more intimate and cozier. A darker ceiling creates an illusion of a lower ceiling, which can be great for rooms with, particularly tall ceilings. Darker ceilings are also good for making decorative features in the ceilings pop. If your room has white walls, it’s also a good candidate for a darker ceiling.

3. Paint the Ceiling a Lighter Color Than the Walls

Painting your ceiling a lighter color than the walls makes your room feel larger and your walls lighter. This approach is good for opening up small rooms and making rooms with lower ceilings feel roomier.

Painting the ceiling a lighter color than walls might be best for you if:

• The lighter version of your wall color looks perfect on the ceiling.

• You want a low-contrast look.

• Subtle tone changes and simplicity is your “thing.”

4. When to Stick to White

As earlier mentioned, white ceilings are the most popular, easy to work with, and the safest color for most interiors. Other than being a traditional generic trend, white ceilings also do play a functional role when used in certain situations. So you might want to stick to white in the following situations;

• If the room being painted receives scant natural light –a white ceiling will bounce the light around and boost the perceived illumination.

• If you want to offset intense wall colors and open up your room

You don’t necessarily have to stick to plain white as this can look a little clinical or maybe even stark. Thankfully, paint companies now offer a range of warm and cool whites –so you can choose the variation with your desirable cool and warm undertones!

Bottom Line

Choosing your ceiling color is just the beginning –once you’ve made your choice, you want to make sure that your ceiling is painted correctly. And that is where Matthew’s Painting Company comes in! We specialize in ceiling and interior painting, currently serving the areas of Warsaw, Syracuse, Lake Tippecanoe area, Winona lake area, Columbia City, Indiana, and surrounding Indiana cities.

Give us a call today, and we will be more than happy to help!