The walls above.

Knowing that this is a tough topic for most homeowners, I’ve asked Sarah Bernardy-Broman of Sarah Bernardy Design to help us feel a little more comfortable with addressing our ceilings.  Read below to hear what Sarah is saying about painting your ceilings.

During a color consult for my clients the other day we had made our selections for all the wall colors on the main level, when the wife asked, “now what color for the ceiling? Can we do something other than white?” An instant smile stretched across my face, not only because she was first in suggesting we put color on the ceiling, a controversial topic in most households, but they have the coveted flat ceilings, not popcorn or knock-down! Can you feel my smile? I view the open space immediately looking for the starting and stopping points per room. We select a nice soft yellow called, Cottage Cream from Sherwin Williams that compliments all of our color selection, but is much warmer than the existing primer white.

When did color on the walls above become a subject that’s hard to address? I’m not saying you need Sistine Chapel glory on your ceilings; I’m talking a color other than white. Painting your ceilings the same color or even a shade or two lighter then the walls in your room or home is not rocket science, but it may take a color expert to get you to the right shade suited for your space and level of comfort.

Won’t painting the ceiling a color other than white make the room feel small? No, often times it will feel larger. Especially in rooms with vaulted or angled ceilings as your eye always stop at the stark point. Omit that stark point or white line, and your eye doesn’t stop therefore creating a continuous space which feels larger.

To get over the fear hurdle start small. We are all creatures of habit, and tend to follow what’s commonly seen or available in our market. Rooms that are closed off from the other spaces in your home are a great place to start and will often allow you to put deeper colors on the ceiling depending on your wall color and medium.

The neutral ceiling color in this stairwell compliments the walls of this open space.

A glimpse of a neutral ceiling color used to compliment a moiré faux wall treatment.

The dramatic wall color in this guest bath wraps the room with warmth and energy. Color from Ralph Lauren metallic paint collection.

Designer Tips:

-Soffits; even if the builder has decided to popcorn or texture the soffit or angles in your home consider painting this area your wall color as that keeps your eye from cutting up the room.

-Vaulted ceilings; Rooms with vaulted ceilings tend to be large open spaces that reach other areas of the home, keep the walls a neutral tone and continue this onto the vaulted areas of the ceiling for a seamless look.

-Ask the experts where to start and stop color whether this is on the ceiling or walls. It’s best to have them in your space to determine how the rooms and ceilings come together so they can see natural stopping points.

-When doing a faux finish on the walls, add some color to the ceiling to enhance the technique. This isn’t ideal for every room, but for rooms like a powder room, bedroom, or den that is closed off from other more open areas of your home, this is a great place for added drama. Some of my favorite ceiling finishes are from the Ralph Lauren Metallic paint collection. It looks great on flat or knock-down ceilings and adds a slight reflective shimmer to the room.

Thank you Sarah for the designer tips and a great introduction to addressing the ceilings of our homes.  If you live in the Twin Cities and would like some expert help delving into the world of ceilings, Sarah would be more than happy to help.  Follow the link to Sarah’s website below.

- Sarah Bernardy-Broman of Sarah Bernardy Design

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