You have many ceiling paint options.
While most people put a lot of thought into choosing wall color, ceilings are often left flat white. Not every element of a room has to jump out, but you have other choices, even if you want to keep a traditional look. Think of your ceiling as a "fifth wall," and paint it anything other than flat ceiling white.
Shades of White
While a very crisp white looks great with pale yellow and other pastel colors, deeper colors on your walls are better complemented with a creamy or off-white. This will still give you an airy, traditional look, but is warmer than pure white.
Shades of Wall Color
Consider painting your ceilings a of your wall color. Painting it a lighter shade will keep the ceilings appearing high--even painted the same color as the walls, ceilings tend to look lighter because they reflect light from the windows. Painting the ceiling a darker shade helps a very large room with high ceilings seem more intimate and cozy. For instance, if you have medium taupe walls, paint the ceilings two or three shades darker for a subtle ceiling-lowering effect, or a much darker shade of brown for extra drama.
Whimsical Ceilings
A child's bedroom or hall bathroom is a perfect place to play with whimsy. Paint the ceilings very pale blue or aqua, and sponge-paint wispy clouds across it. If you are artistically inclined, paint birds, balloons or airplanes on the ceiling in a child's room. Transform a small bathroom by using metallic paint on the ceiling. Pick a deep color from your counter tops or a piece of wall art and echo that on the ceiling.
Faux Painted Ceilings
In Victorian-era homes, wallpapered or stamped tin tile ceilings were common. Few people want to wallpaper a ceiling, and stamped tin tiles are expensive and labor intensive, but you can achieve the same effect with faux painting. Most paint and home stores carry applicators and faux painting materials, making many techniques accessible to non-professionals. The range of techniques is only limited by your imagination. Faux paint your ceiling to look like leather, tin tile, silk, wood, metal or aged plaster. Purchase stencils, and sponge patterns around the edge of the ceiling. If your budget allows, hire a professional faux painter. Formal dining rooms, tray and coffered ceilings lend themselves to a dramatic ceiling finish.
Crown Molding and Ceilings
When both the crown molding and the ceiling are painted white, the crown molding disappears. Paint the ceiling a to accentuate the woodwork. Even an off-white ceiling next to bright white woodwork makes a room look special. Painting crown molding a different shade than the walls or an entirely different color makes the molding pop.
Tags: crown molding, darker shade, different color, different shade, faux painting, traditional look, wall color