Paint your ceiling dark…or darker anyway! I’ll tell you a few reasons why you should!
Hello beautiful friends! I’ve been busy doing those updates I mentioned a while back. Here in this post.
Remember? If not, hop on over and check out that post I linked above to see all the things I have in mind.
Well, I can check two of the things I’m changing up off of my list today!
- Painting the ceiling in the foyer – check!
- Peel and stick wallpaper in the guest bath – check!
Paint Your Ceiling Dark (and reasons why you should!)
In case you don’t know what our foyer looks like, it looks like this:
This is before I painted the ceiling obviously. But I wanted to show you how it looked before I did that.
See the beautiful crown molding? We did that a few years ago. You can read all about how we did it here >>> DIY Crown Molding (wide)
Well, it nearly blends in with the ceiling, doesn’t it??
It is very light, bright, and airy, which I love. However, my entire house is light, bright, and airy.
Which I really do love! But, I wanted to add a little interest and a new design element here and there.
Plus, we have SO much white in our home, I thought a little more color in places would be nice.
It’s fun to change things up every once in a while, isn’t it? I know most people will think I’m crazy to take a perfectly good room and change it like this. But I love change! And simple changes like this are perfect. Plus, I do have a DIY & design blog so I do the changing so I can show and teach others what things look like before they do it in their own homes. Win-win!
Okay, so, this took me all of one morning to do. I love quick makeovers like that!
And I did not take any “during” photos, sorry! I got up at 6am Friday morning and literally just got to work!! haha I was rolling and didn’t stop to even think. Oops!!
So, here is the finished look:
I got tons of paint chip samples before deciding on a color. I was leaning towards a blueish/gray color. But nothing felt right.
Especially with the Sea Salt walls.
Finally, I decided to stay in the same color family as Sea Salt.
I went with Oyster Bay by Sherwin Williams. (which is 2 shades darker than Sea Salt which I have on the walls)
As I started to cut in around the edges, I noticed it looked SOOO much darker than on the island. (it is also Oyster Bay, same finish and everything, Eggshell finish) Do you see the edge of the island there?? Isn’t that crazy how paint plays with light and looks so different because of that?
But just look at how the molding pops now! Not missing the woodwork now!
I absolutely love it.
And I just love the contrast it brings.
As you can see, I didn’t go that dark. Just slightly darker (2 shades) but dark enough to make a difference. Not too dark as to make it overbearing or harsh. Both of which might go well in another home but in my more “spa-like”, coastal style, I don’t think it would’ve.
And on that note, wait till you see the wallpaper I chose for the guest bath!! haha!! I might have to eat those words! 😉
Anyway, I decided to not take the paint up the stairs and just cut it off right there.
I was worried it wouldn’t look right but I think it looks absolutely fine.
And here’s something else that’s new…the light fixture.
Isn’t she purty?! lol I just love it and think it goes with our “coastal glam” home perfectly!
You can find it here.
And just look at how pretty it looks with the light on. I love the design it leaves on the ceiling.
I had considered wallpaper for the ceiling but with that texture, wallpaper was out.
I ended up loving how the texture looks painted! It gives it even more interest and style.
By the way, the paint I used was leftover from painting our kitchen island. It was Eggshell finish which is also what I have on all of our interior walls. Our home is older and has 8 ft ceilings which in and of itself can make rooms appear darker. But we also live in a well-established neighborhood with huge trees in the front and woods in the back. Along with that, we have a front porch and back screened porch…all of which block some of the light coming in!
So, the Eggshell finish is great without being too “shiny”. Just enough to reflect light in a darker home to make things seem brighter. And I have to tell you, it works.
Now, the ceiling looks a bit shiny in that photo above but I think it is because of how the light from the door is hitting it. And the angle I am taking the photo. It doesn’t look that shiny at all in person. Neither do any of our walls.
Here’s a few reasons why you might want a darker ceiling than your walls:
- Adds contrast and depth
- Adds a stylish interest and design elements to your decor
- Can make smaller rooms seem larger (odd, I know)
- Creates a feeling of coziness
- Makes trim work stand out
And a few other thoughts:
- Another reason for adding some “darkness” to your foyer. It is said that a darker foyer creates the illusion the rest of your home is light, bright, and large compared to the “cozy” foyer space. Makes sense, I guess.
- For a more monochromatic and cohesive look, chose a color that is similar, with similar tones like I did here.
- I can see painting a ceiling dark being the perfect design element in a bedroom. Perfect for creating a very inviting and cozy space.
Well, what do you think? Would you paint your ceiling dark?
Let me know in the comments!
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