Things Are Looking Up
Those of you who follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter may have tried to solve the mystery of why we slept in the guest bedroom for a few nights last weekend. Well… (drumroll? trumpets? cow bell?)… we painted the ceiling in the master bedroom. Yeeehaw!
One of our favorite things about blogging about our adventures in home improvement is that we’re still totally learning as we go. By no means have we cracked all the decorating codes, and we just love when we make some groundbreaking-to-us discovery along the way that we get to share with you guys. Well, this is one of those times.
After three years of loving Glidden’s Gentle Tide on the walls of our bedroom (it’s the only room we didn’t paint at least twice to get it right) we suddenly realized that our white crown molding paired with our white ceilings were sort of yawn. The entire room felt polished and luxe thanks to billowy floor to ceiling curtains, breezy blue tones, and crisp white trim… but the boring white ceiling made it feel like we had neglected the fifth wall in the space- and it certainly didn’t do anything to accent the crown molding that we introduced a while back for a bit more interest and architecture.
Nope, we were definitely not playing up all of our rooms positives, but that’s nothing that two $7 quarts of paint couldn’t solve. First we taped up some paint chips on the ceiling and studied them at all times of the day to figure out which one we liked best. Taping them to the ceiling is a super important step (as opposed to just holding the swatch up against the wall) because light hits that plane of the room in a totally different way (something that looks super light against the wall might look mega dark on the ceiling or vice versa). Once we had them all in place it was easy to see which swatches were too purple, too gray, too dark, too weird, and juuuust right.
We settled on the swatch at the end because it felt like a lighter version of the color on the wall with a bit of fresh celery worked in. We could have had the paint guys mix up a tint that was exactly the wall color with a bit more white in it (for an almost-guaranteed-victory) but we jumped at the chance to add a bit of soft interest by choosing a swatch with a bit more green in it to layer in more beachy blue-green without hitting anyone over the head. It just felt a bit fresher and subtly exciting (you can’t see much of the green in this shot but it’s more apparent in the next pic).
So fourteen dollars later we got to work with our two quarts of flat paint. What color was it? Glidden’s Cool Cucumber. A gorgeous super soft green just like the inside of a cucumber (the swatch actually doesn’t look blue at all, but taped up in our blue room it picked up some of those soft tones for a gorgeous effect). And why two quarts? We hate to pay $20 to store a huge gallon of paint when we only need about half of it, and it’s only around $14 for two quarts which we knew would cover well enough and leave us with some touch up paint that we could easily store (since it’s about a fourth of the size of a big gallon). Why flat paint? It hides more imperfections than eggshell or semi-gloss options, and for surfaces like a ceiling it’s nice to play those down with something that looks smooth and seamless. Here’s John getting his roll on (he’s the roller in the family while I’m the resident cutter-inner):
The moment we had even a smidge of paint on the ceiling we immediately knew we were doing the right thing. The crown molding went from “I’ll just sit here in the back of the class and act invisible” to “Oooh, I know the answer to that complicated math problem so I’ll shout ‘pick me pick me’ and flail my arm around.”
And these photos really don’t do the serene green color any justice whatsoever. It’s like the softest piece of sea glass that got battered by waves for years and only has a hint of celery green left to show for it. And it goes so perfectly with our greeny-gray-blue walls that we’re still congratulating ourselves for stepping a bit out of our comfort zone (instead of adding 50% more white to the Gentle Tide formula and calling it a day). It by no means shouts “green ceiling” but it adds to a layered look instead of something super matchy-matchy and we love that it’s not so super coordinated and it looks a bit more interesting and dimensional. Plus it really plays up the crown molding since we no longer have the white on white thing going on.
Most of all we love that we lost that blinding white ceiling but the room still feels airy and open. The ceilings actually feel higher since the super white paint made them more apparent (which made them feel closer) while the soft celery tone makes them feel a bit more like they recede into the sky.
And the way that the light of the capiz chandelier bounces around the ceiling really makes the room feel like it’s glowing- like the shiny part of a sea shell or the inside of a limesicle. It really is cool and refreshing yet warm and enveloping. And although this last picture doesn’t do a great job of demonstrating it, the crown molding really does rise to meet us every morning, noon and night (check out the picture above this one for a better demonstration).
So that’s what we did last weekend in under three hours with less than fifteen bucks. And the reason we slept in the guest bedroom? Even though Glidden is naturally pretty low in VOCs, we always try to limit our exposure to paint since we use it so often, so sleeping in the guest bedroom for a few nights while we kept the windows open and a fan going in the master bedroom allowed us to appreciate another bedroom in our house. And tempt us to paint that ceiling as well. In fact I’m now dying to paint the ceilings in both of our guest bedrooms along with our living room and sunroom so stay tuned to see which one we attack next- and what color we choose.
Oh and let us know if you’ve had any decorating-related lightbulb moments lately. We never would have thought to paint our ceilings anything other than crisp clean white a few months ago, and we’re itching to know what sort of fun discoveries you guys are making on the home front. Do tell.
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Comments
I am so nervous about painting my ceiling. I have watched Youtube videos and have even considered buying the “as seen on TV” ‘point and paint’ (it is supposed to allow you to paint any room in an hour; and look, no dripping!)and ceiling paint that goes on pink and dries white. Any tips you can share would be appreciated!
BTW-I am the owner of a townhouse I call “that 70s show” given its many avocado and robin’s egg blue toilets and tiles amongst other things, and have been slowly updating room by room as I can over the last 2.5 years.
I am embarrased at my slow progress seeing how easy things look on this website and really feel I should be tackling at least one project per month now!
Just scroll up a comment to see our response to Margie which is full of tips and tricks. There’s no reason to worry!
xo,
s
Hi, Sherry and John!
I love, love, love your blog! I just bought my first home in November(quite the fixer-upper) and have used SO many of your ideas!
I’ve been working my way through the house and finally came to what will be the guest bedroom – it’s currently the master, but we’re adding a master bed/bath to the attic (but that’s a WHOLE other story!).
I figured that I should paint the ceiling before I painted the walls and refinished the hard woods – makes sense, right? Only problem is, when we were painting the ceiling last night, some of the texture (popcorn – ugh) came off. Now there’s a 5 inch “hole” in the ceiling.
Any advice on how to fix it? If that’s possible?!?
Thanks so much!
Annie
We would just google around for “popcorn ceiling patching tutorials.” Either that or just remove it all (there are lots of those tutorials online as well, just we sure you’re not dealing with asbestos and you’re good to go). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
After installing recessed lighting in our kitchen this weekend I was just about to start painting the ceiling with standard-issue bright white ceiling paint our home’s previous owners left us. (the ceilings are all currently a dirty shade of yellowed ceiling so just patching won’t do) Then I remembered that you guys went non-traditional in your house and suddenly my project came to a halt.
I just taped up the lightest white-ish swatch (BM chantilly lace) on the strip with our wall color (BM iced cube silver) and I’m torn: bright white or slightly grayish bluish? The room’s ceiling is open to the dining & living rooms, up the stairwell and into the upstairs hall, so it’s a big commitment. It’s a small house so I don’t want the space to feel closed-in.
What do you think, youngsters, should I jump in with both feet and say goodbye to bright white?
You already know what we’re about to say, right? We’re loving tinted ceilings waaaay more than white ones these days (which just feel stark and ignored to us, while softly toned ones feel subtle and polished since they look less blindingly bare and unfinished). Now it’s just about finding the perfect tone to complement all those rooms. Remember subtle is still the key… it just doesn’t have to be bright white to “match” all those rooms- in fact softer tints and shades probably match a whole lot better than that blinding white paint does. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thanks for the nudge in the right direction. I have three swatches on the ceiling right now. Actually buying a little paint to slap up there made all the difference; it looks way different from the chip I taped to the ceiling. Thanks for the inspiration – I’m sure I’ll be back for more!
My husband and I recently painted our master bedroom. He wanted plum, I wanted gray, so we settled on a color called “Plum Smoke” by Behr. Depending on what time of day it is the walls look plum or gray, so it was a good compromise I suppose. We are ready to paint the ceiling and I think white looks funny against the dark color of the walls, any suggestions that would look good with a plummy/gray wall color?
A soft gray ceiling would look nice and a lot less stark than white. Just bring home a bunch of swatches and tape them up to see what works with those delicious walls of yours. Good luck!
xo,
s
Thanks so much for the super quick reply! I’ll have to check out some soft gray colors. Any thoughts about good accent colors? I’m thinking white bedding (the pintucked duvet from West Elm) would work best, but not sure about the throw pillows, etc.
Oh yeah, layering in lots of crisp white with gray tones and other softer smoky plum tones would be lovely- sort of like dark lavender with lots of gray and white mixed in. Gorgeous!
xo,
s
I love colored ceilings. In my kitchen I painted my walls a bright yellow, my ceiling a sky blue and have a border of yellow and blue pansies with a deep blue border. My countertop is basic deep blue with lighter shades mixed in. Blinds are deep blue. Cupboards are white. Trim is white. Fridge and stove are white. The whole things looks absolutely beautiful. Still making me smile after three years of living with it. And now with your help I am about to paint an auction-bought table white.
Hey, I love you guys and all your great ideas! Your website is my favorite for DIY inspiration.
A while back I used your wood paneling painting tutorial for painting my lovely paneled living room a light greeny grey, and we are loving how much it’s brightened up the room. Unfortunately, our 5th wall, as you so aptly put it, is still a paneled disaster (who panels their ceiling, I mean really??). I have been putting it off because doing the walls was such a pain and took forever. I had to use a brush for everything because rolling it looked so bad. It took two days to prime and paint.
Can you think of any better method for painting a paneled ceiling other than ladder + brush? Thanks guys, you’re the best!!
We would try a nappy roller (meant for textured surfaces) so it can get into all those cracks and crevices. It’s also a lot more comfortable to use while standing on the floor (not a ladder) with an extender rod attached to the roller handle (so that would also be our suggestion). Of course the primer will look uneven and terrible when it goes on (it always does) but after two coats of paint or so it should look great- and you still might need to use a ladder and brush to get to some of the deeper cracks, but it’ll be much faster than priming and painting the entire ceiling with a brush. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I loooove this room (I’m still figuring out how you decide which colors go so well together) My issue it that I buy anything I love, so my whole apartment pretty much just looks like a mish mash of different colored great objects. I’m slowly working on it though.
So here’s my question: I have an eggplant duvet cover and shams. I want to paint the walls, ceiling and get new curtains. I’m thinking of a greyish theme for the paint and curtains and then putting in some pops of yellow, maybe in a couple of throw pillows? How does that sound?
What I’m most worried about though is painting the ceiling. My friend says that b/c I don’t have crown mouldings the 2 colors won’t look right without the white moulding to divide them. I disagree- what do you youngsters think? We also happen to have insanely high ceilings, like 10.5 or 11 feet, so how will this affect our color choice? Should it be close to the wall color, darker than someone with a lower ceiling. Any advice would be great.
Your color scheme and plan of attack sounds exactly like what we’d recommend. We can already picture it! In short: go for it!
And as for painting ceilings, with or without molding we think it looks great- especially if the colors relate! So make your ceiling a few shades lighter than the walls and you’re good to go (as a rule we’d say keep it down to the first or second swatch on a paint chip- anything higher is too dark/bold). Just explain to your friend that people without crown molding have kept their ceilings stark and white for years so why would painting them a shade that’s closer and more related to the wall color be a bad thing? They’ll blend in and feel more cohesive- not less! Plus the effect is super cozy and enveloping (and much less jarring and disjointed) so it’s perfect for a bedroom. Instead of having this stark “unfinished” looking fifth wall it’ll be integrated and lovely. Good luck!
xo,
s
Okay- So I will totally go for it!
One more question- any good paint recs for greyish colors or advice on how to go about choosing the right shade? I would like something that doesn’t look blue b/c of the eggplant color. But, I don’t want a dusty grey either… and then is it as simple as just choosing a lighter shade in the same family for the ceiling? I don’t tend to have great matching skills and usually choose paint that’s too dark based on what I see off the sample cards. I think this might be a common problem with a lot of people. I want the impact of the color but don’t know how to get it with a light shade…
thanks in advance- you guys are the best!
Since colors change in so many different lighting situations we would just recommend taking home a ton of gray shades and seeing which undertones suit your room and your accent colors best. Anything we suggest could be too dusty or too blue in your light so just see what works! Good luck!
xo,
s
Okay- so we’re mid way through this painting insanity and did I mention I am due to deliver our first baby in 3 weeks??!? Because the guy at Home depot freaked my husband out so much about me not going anywhere near the paint and/or fumes I have been stuck outside the bedroom trying to catch glimpses of what’s going on in there. It isn’t looking good.
He needs help!
How do you go about painting 3 different colors (walls, ceiling, trim?) So far hubby has painted ceiling, but not the edges, all the trim and walls but not the edges. Does this not sound insane? We have the green painters tape, but you can’t exactly put tape on wet paint. So in what order should this all be painted.
FYI- he does not have a steady enough hand to cut in with a brush. and clearly I am not “allowed” to partake in this at all.
Which also gives me another question: have you been painting and/or exposing yourself to any fumes? It’s so hard not to, especially with this nesting this happening!
HELP!
Hey Megan,
Nope, I don’t get near anything other than no-VOC paint or I wear a professional gas mask (not one of those dinky paper cups that go over your mouth and nose, but one of those crazy things that looks like you’re going to war. Safety first!
As for helping out your husband, ideally he would just spend three nights doing the project. One for the ceiling to be taped off and painted. Then the next night he could tape off the ceiling and paint the walls. The following night he could tape off the walls around the trim and paint that. However, here’s the best order that we’ve come up with if you’re trying to do as much as possible in one day:
First paint the ceiling (all of it, tape the edges off). Then remove the tape and paint the walls except for the top of them near the ceiling since he can’t tape that off because it’s still wet. Then paint the trim. People usually don’t need to tape off trim, even without a steady hand. But if your husband thinks that’s a bad call, this brush is a miracle (read the comments to see how many readers agree!). Then the next day (or a few days later) go in and fill in the top edge of the walls where they meet the ceiling once you can tape that part off. Or if you have the brush you don’t need to wait because you can edge everything out the same night.
Again, it would definitely be ideal to spend a few days doing it for the best results (or pick up that short handled brush we linked to, which makes taping completely unnecessary). But we know all about crunch time. Good luck!
xo,
s
I think your ceilings look gorgeous! What would you think about combining Glidden Water Chestnut on the walls and BM Healing Aloe on the ceiling?
Hello,
Thanks writing about ceiling paint. My husband and I are trying to figure out what to do with our ceilings. We have a pretty open floor plan and I am thinking of painting all the walls white (living room, dining room and kitchen). We have dark hardwood floors and I love the all white look. Should I paint the ceilings the same white or just leave them? They are basic ceiling white right now. I was also wondering about trim. Do most people paint their trim with a glossy paint? It is sometimes hard to tell in pictures online. Thank you so much for your advice!
Congrats on Baby Clara! She is absolutely gorgeous!
-Kathryn
Definitely paint them the same white! It’ll look open and airy (and they won’t look dingy or shaded by comparison). And yes, trim is traditionally painted with semi-gloss or high-gloss paint (so it’s durable and easily wipeable). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi, I love your blog. It has totally reinspired me to get back to work on our house after a huge, exhausting push in the fall before we moved in.
My question is this: I love the look of the colored ceilings – we have 9′ ceilings with picture rails about one foot down from the ceiling in most rooms. Would you carry the ceiling color down through the space above the picture rails?
You absolutely could! It’s a great idea for a seamless and airy look. Good luck!
xo,
s
OK- I’m confuzzled. I love your Gentle Tide in the bedroom and kitchen and thought it’d be perfect for my bedroom. Just got back from Home Depot. They looked up Gentle Tide in a big book of swatches after checking for the code in the computer, and I’ll be darned if that shade isn’t in the “green” family. It’s def more green than blue. And when I look at the photo of the wall above your bed, it does look green, but the wall to the right (with the window) looks blue. Picture me scratching my head.
Since it’s a discontinued color, I couldn’t take home a sample to tape to the wall. I told them it was similar to Benjamin Moore’s Quiet Moments, but without a number, they can’t look that one up.
Hmmmm…any feedback on the green/blue issue?
Love all that you do every single day for us!
Every lighting situation is different but in our house (in both rooms) it definitely more blue by far. There’s just a smudge of green in there and more gray than green. It’s also super similar to Restoration Hardware’s Silver Sage so you can grab that swatch and see how it reads in
your house (that one also reads much more blue even though sage is in the name). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Quick question…can’t tell from the various pics I’ve looked at on here…did you have ceiling vents in any of the rooms that you painted a color on the ceiling? What did you do with the metal vent…paint it out the same color?
We actually don’t have metal ceiling vents in our house, but painting them the same color as the ceiling would be the easiest way to blend them in. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey guys! I found your blog a few months ago, and you’ve been so inspiring! My hubby and I are major DIY-ers…runs in our genes. Both sets of parents are just like us, too! I just finished painting our family room a lovely light tan color, and painted the ceiling to match, per YHL-inspiration. We LOVE it! Just got back from Menard’s with a smokey-gray color for the ceiling in our blue-gray kitchen.
I’ve been thinking about sending you some of our recent projects…you’d love the kitchen chandelier we made for FREE. Anyway, thanks for all the great ideas. I’m off to paint!!
thanks you really put my mind at ease about ruining my freshly painted walls! I think ill talk it over with the hubby and let me decide since i cant seem to. It will make him feel like he had a say…lol