Paint Brief - Research: Painting the Ceiling

The ceiling in an interior scheme is more often than not forgotten about, however, causes more controversy than any other subject when it comes to decoration. While ceilings are most typically painted in ubiquitous, colourless paint, the is no rule that states they have to be white, as habit may suggest. Ceiling colour can affect a room in different ways dependant on how it is decorated. It should be considered just as much as any other wall in your scheme, and plays a vital role in how your space will look and feel. Give it due consideration and think about its power in changing the perception of your space. 

Making  a  Room  Lighter  or  Darker

While there may be a fixed notion that the most advantageous approach to ceiling colour is to paint it as light and bright as possible, this can in fact make a space seem darker. Although this may sound counter-intuitive, decorating with colour is all about contrast. The darker the colour on the ceiling, the lighter the walls will appear. A bright white can make even the most subtle of colours feel relatively dark. Should you not feel adventurous enough to go bold on the ceiling colour, it is advised you choose a shade of white that is more sympathetic to your wall colour scheme, as this will produce a lighter room with greater visual balance and harmony.

Changing  a Room’s  Perceived  Height

By painting a ceiling bright white with coloured walls, you create a strong tonal contrast which immediately draws the eyes upwards, to read where the wall ends and ceiling begins. The increased awareness of the contrast emphasises the top edge of the walls and thus causes the perceived ceiling height to drop.

Should you instead choose a more sympathetic shade of white for the ceiling, there will be greater harmony between this and the wall colour scheme, creating the illusion of gradation to a lighter tone. As this will decrease the level of contrast, awareness is minimised and therefore the perceived ceiling height is raised. This can be achieved by adding 25 per cent of your wall colour to your ceiling bright white.

If you have an exceptionally high ceiling and wish to bring it down to a more comfortable height, use a darker shade of colour on the ceiling than the walls. This will visually lower the perceived height of a space and create a greater feeling of intimacy. 

The  Same  Colour  for  Ceiling  and  Walls

Using the same colour on the ceiling as those on your walls creates a soothing atmosphere. Due to both planes being the same colour, boundaries of the space are diminished, which results in the perceived ceiling height being raised whilst creating a rich, dramatic feeling that does not overwhelm but instead feels intimate and natural.

This approach is particularly effecting in rooms with no cornicing  where you wish to limit attention given to the point at which the walls and ceiling meet. Creating a continuous field of colour covers a multitude of sins, allowing you to camouflage awkward angles and features.