Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Painted Ceilings?









White is old reliable for ceilings. It helps a room feel light and airy, and provides a beautiful contrast between the wall color and the ceiling. But not everyone likes a white ceiling. Painting them has become a popular alternative to a flat white ceiling. There are so many other options as well as plain old paint.....hand painted murals, stenciling, even wallpaper.


In our dining room, even though we went with a shade of white for the ceiling, we used a semi-gloss for some sheen. I love how it makes the beadboard stand out.




The following are some examples I found of painted ceilings. I've been debating painting our bedroom ceiling a color that coordinates with the wall color we've chosen. Maybe a lighter shade of the green walls we are planning, or tan, or just the wall color. So many decisions!





http://davidwallart.com/faux_murals_1.htm






http://arttodifor.com/ceiling.htm



So tell me, have you painted your ceilings a color? The wall color or a coordinating color? How do you like it? Or do you prefer to go with classic white? If you have pics to share, I'd love to see them!

39 comments:

Sarah said...

All our ceilings are white! But now you really have me thinking!!

Chris Kauffman said...

I have only painted one ceiling in our house a color , our powder room , it is robin's egg blue with white crown moulding , I love it in there , the walls are soft brown ,oh wait one more room my girls bathroom , is pale blue just like the walls , you can't even tell really .
One thing to remember is colors look darker on ceilings than walls , so make sure you test it first because ceiling painting is neck aching work .

Missy said...

My itty bitty master bath recently was painted blue, almost like the last picture. I was feeling nutty, probably from being in itty bitty room painting and went ahead and painted the cielings too. I love it! The blue actually brightened up this small space. I am not a fan of the dark ceilings, I say get just a little adventurous like your glossy bead board, I love it.

Maisy said...

I always do a ceiling white. I'm trying to figure it all out. I have 21' ceilings in my bedroom. I really want to bring the room down. Not sure what I should do.
BTW, I LOVE YOUR DINING ROOM CEILING.
Girl..you got it goin' on!!!

Anonymous said...

My favorite is a white ceilng. Or another pale color. I don't like a dark ceiling at all. I need light! :)

xinex said...

Beautiful ceilings! I have never repainted my ceilings but our porch ceiling is painted a very faint blue. Our handyman said that the color keeps the bugs away. Have you ever heard of that?...Christine

Wendy said...

All of my ceilings are painted a color. I love it, will never go back to white ceilings. Usually I paint it two shade lighter than the wall color.

Except my living room is red, dining room is yellow and going up the stairs is green. The ceiling has no stopping point between these 3 rooms. I picked out a tan (Latte) to paint the ceiling. The color cooridnates with these 3 rooms.

Darlene said...

I LOVE how your beadboard shows up on the ceiling with the glossy paint. It looks beautiful.

All of our ceilings are white (not very adventurous I guess) but I LOVE that picture with the (mural) blue, clouds and birds. It looks like you are looking up into the sky...LOVE THAT!!

artis1111 said...

I sent you an email with some I have done. You might get an idea from them .Kathy

Unknown said...

I painted the ceiling in the kids' bathroom the same color as the walls. It's a very small bathroom, with black and white floors and black counters, so the soft buttery yellow felt good on the walls and ceiling. I'll try to get a picture of it today.

Unknown said...

Me again - I posted a picture of the bathroom on my tumblr blog - the link is on the right sidebar (on the top) of my regular blog.

Sheryl

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

My grandmother painted her kitchen ceiling red -- and that was in the 60's before ANYBODY painted Red on anything but a barn! I loved it.

Stacey said...

My ceilings are all the same color as the walls. However, my boys bathroom is painted blue. My dad painted the ceiling a very glossy white and it really brightened up the room.

Anonymous said...

It is the kind of thing that I really love in other people's homes, but I would not want it here in Florida. I really love the mural ceiling, perhaps for a little girl's room. Hope your week is going great...

Tootsie said...

great post girl! very inspiring...I hate painting ceilings...but they do look incredible all done up don't they!

Traci @ The Bakery said...

Painted ceilings only work if you have a TALL ceiling...otherwise it will make the room look smaller. I went w/ satin gloss also...country white.

My daughters revamped their old room and went w/ a coffee theme....old paneling painted a poupon mustard color w/ cranbeery ceiling...and a chippy chocolate brown on baseboards....very chic although it sounds disgusting...lol

Melissa Miller said...

Hi Michelle, :)
I LOVE painted ceilings!

It gives a warmth and looks finished somehow.
I've thought about doing a post on the subject as well.

Your dining room looks beautiful with the white beadboard ceiling.
So crisp and fresh!

~Hope your day was blessed.
~Melissa :)

Megan {The Brick Bungalow} said...

I LOVE the last picture! I think some painted ceilings are fine, but others go a little too far. The majority of the ceilings in my house were painted when we moved in. Some of them have since been taken to an off-white or super light tan color. And I like to use a semi-gloss as well just for a nice sheen. But then again, I like semi-gloss for a lot of things. I don't like flat colors in my house. Good luck! :)

Unknown said...

I've painted our master bathroom ceiling a semi-gloss light yellow/creamish color to offset our darker walls. Every day as I am in the shower and look up, I hate it! The problem that I have with it is that I see the sheen and think that it's steam on the ceiling and I've gotta be growing mold in there somewhere (even though the fan is on). I'm seriously thinking that it's time to repaint it and with a flat paint color! :0) - Jules

Chris said...

I just found you (I think through Nester), and I'm so glad I did! Where have you been? :) What a great blog. I LOVE your "everything" room!

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, we have the fugly popcorn ceiling. Removing it would be too much to do so we are stuck with it.

Katy said...

First, thank you for becoming a follower. I love new fans...he he. I love your blog...I'm always up for a new place to enjoy.

Second, I'm in love with that first (kitchen) photo you've shown. Makes me REALLY want to go ahead and paint my cabinets (and ceiling) white.

Neat pics.
Come see my project I've posted, it's not complete, but in progress.

Have a lovely day!

Anonymous said...

The ceiling is the 5th "wall" in your room and shouldn't be ignored. My ceilings are all painted, most often a lighter softer color to complement the walls but also a light blue like the sky....beautiful.

Lulu and Co. said...

All mine are white but my half bathroom... it's tin... i should post a picture of it! I love the beadboard you have... very very much! hmmm i must show hubby!!hee hee
LuLu

Carrie said...

All our ceilings are white. Most are popcorn and I'd hate to draw attention to that.

Anonymous said...

LOL my ceilings are nothing yet. In the process of restoring an 1880 Victorian Stone Farmhouse here in Colorado. Party hopping and participating too so stop in for a visit. I love your blog!

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

Thanks you so much for putting my blog (fern creek cottage)on your list of "places to visit over coffee". I am so thrilled and flattered!
I love your blog, so many great decorating inspirations. Good luck with your bathroom redo. I look forward to seeing it when it's all finished.
I also wanted to let you know, I really like the new egg photo you've put behind your blog title. It looks great!

Sheila said...

We have painted most of our ceilings...we have a deep blue room with light blue ceiling, a sage green room with a linen colored ceiling, a red room with yellow ceiling and a mocha colored room with cream ceiling...so yeah we paint our ceilings...

Martha said...

Our only white ceiling is in our kitchen!

I think of ceilings as the 5th wall!

From wallpaper in our bedroom (coordinating to the wallpaper walls) to a large hand painted circle around our guest room light fixture, the ceilings of Linderhof are not plain!

And some of our ceilings (even in small spaces) are painted a dark green!

SoCal Helene said...

Glad you stopped by.....All our cellings are white and will probably stay like that too, its a pain in you know what to paint them ;o) Love the first kitchen picture, makes me wanna cook!!

English Cottage in Georgia said...

I am a light or white ceiling person! NEED lots of light in my house.
The picts are lovely!

niartist said...

I think all of my ceilings are white, but my masterbedroom has a handpainted double stripe in gold around the ceiling - not a shiny, metallic gold, but a raw umber sorta gold - it's nice. I love the beadboard ceiling in your dining room - very jealous! :) Have a great weekend - thanks for a ponder worthy post!

Jeanne Oliver said...

The beadboard on your ceiling is beautiful. I love tins on the ceiling too.

Anonymous said...

I know Im a day late but I just had to share...I painted mine in the den and just love them. Its a light blue and makes the room pop. try it!

Julia @ Hooked on Houses said...

Loved this post! I personally love seeing beadboard on a ceiling, if the style of the house calls for it. and the sky-blue ceilings are fun, too. I wouldn't paint ceilings in my house, though, just because I'm too lazy to do the extra work! Had to paint the ceilings in our basement when we finished it and it was a huge pain in the neck--literally! :-)

Anonymous said...

That beadboard ceiling looks beautiful.

Most of my ceilings are painted. When you use bold wall colors, a white ceiling looks like someone threw a bleached sheet over the top of your room, and to me, makes the room look quite a bit smaller. Pick the right color and the ceiling recedes, giving the impression of expansion. I dig that.

KGT (aka Cagey) said...

Love the dining room painted beadboard ceiling. I have been thinking of doing that in my kitchen, which has a knotty pine beadboard ceiling. It was nice for the first 8 years, but I am ready for a change...googled "white painted beadboard ceiling" and found your wonderful blog. Glad to see an example... and all of your other neat projects!

CRYSTAL said...

Does anyone know the color on that bathroom picture , The blue on the wall , I've have bought over 10 samples of paint and can not find the blue I like, I'm in LOVE with this blue and would love to paint my bedroom with it .... PLEASE HELP !!!!!

crystal said...

Did I say bedroom or bathroom ??? I meant to say the bathroom picture with the blue walls and gray ceiling , I think the last picture