As is evident at Fox Hollow, I am not afraid of a bit of colour, and trying something new. If it doesn’t work out, it’s just cost me my time and some paint, and ideas often evolve from mistakes. As we become more dramatic and daring in our homes, painting the ceiling is just another form of expression.
I’m going to look at four different ceiling treatments at Fox Hollow, and how we have moved forward with ideas that fit with our overall space.
1.Main Bedroom – Starting slowly
Playing it safe in last year’s main bedroom makeover, I had decided on an overall ‘Hollywood Glamour’ look. On a tiny budget, and tight for time, my ideas for an art deco style ceiling rose were nothing but flights of fancy until I spotted a mirror in Sostrene Grene with the perfect frame; a golden starburst. At under €15 and light as a feather it was practical and in budget. We just popped out the mirror portion, tacked it up, then painted the middle of the ceiling rose in the colour the matched the lower part of the walls.
2.Bringing the ceiling down in the guest room
Our guest room was originally grey with a white ceiling, but it looked cold in the small, north facing room. To create a complete contrast I went with a warm earthy palette. The lower half of the walls is painted a terracotta hue and the upper part of the wall and the ceiling is painted pale pink. For this look, a good rule of thumb is to paint about the top quarter of the wall and ceiling. For us it has worked to create a restful, inviting space for guests.
3.Dusky notes in the living room
All bets were off when I chose this deep and moody pink for the ceiling. The main drive for painting it was I wanted a change in the living room, but I love the wall colour too much to paint over it. So I chose a contrasting colour for the ceiling, in a complementary tone. If, like us, you have uneven, badly finished ceilings, then a good idea is to bring the colour down on to the wall, just by a few inches. For us it has given the room a more finished look and as a result it’s probably my favourite ceiling project to date.
4.Saving the darkest shade for the smallest room
Our bathroom felt like the right space to try a dark ceiling out. The original white ceiling didn’t make it a brighter space, it contrasted too much with the walls. Painting the ceiling the same colour as the walls has blurred the boundaries. Does it make the space look smaller? No, it’s pretty hard to make this teeny room any smaller. What it has done is create a more complete space, and brought a sense of drama. We opted to paint the door in the same shade too, to complete the look.
So is it time you started looking up? How about throwing the rule book out the window at the same time and just having fun with it?
Thanks for reading
B x
I’d love to know how you created the gold line in the second photo! I loved your ideas so have done something similar in my hallway but am a bit stumped by the gold line…. Thank you!!