Decorating Your Ceiling

1 January, 2022 Heloise Garrity

For most homeowners redecorating a space, the fifth wall, i.e. your ceiling, is more often than not overlooked to remain a blank drywall surface with just a coat of white paint applied at best. While an untouched neutral canvas for a ceiling has its uses aesthetically, in supporting certain design decisions such as an all-white aesthetic, to leave this canvas unutilised is a missed opportunity to inject some additional colour, dimension and texture to help pull a room together harmoniously.

If you are wanting a room with a little extra finesse, be sure to include your ceiling as the fifth wall in your design considerations with one of these creative ceiling ideas…

Wallpapered Ceiling

Wallpapering isn’t just for the vertical walls. A vibrant wallpaper treatment applied to your ceiling is the picture-perfect way to complete a room that you wish to keep plain white or carry soft hues overall. If you’re thinking of something attention-grabbing, try a bold stand-out pattern along with saturated colours that will really command the room and draw the eye immediately upwards. Should you be looking to paint your space with dark shades, consider complementing this with an extension of dark patterned wallpaper overhead to match, such as florals or botanicals.

Conversely, if your space is all about lightness and calm, such as a bedroom, consider wallpaper depicting lofty, whimsical scenes such as clouds or other nature-inspired patterns to help set the tone. If you’re not quite ready to take the plunge with bold statement-making prints overhead, consider a wallpaper that plays instead to texture such as a natural grasscloth or more subtle tonal patterns that will still add interest but also allow your decor and furnishings to do most of the talking.

Painted Ceiling

For those who don’t fancy negotiating a bucket of wallpaper paste on a ladder, consider adding a pop of colour to your fifth wall with a fresh lick of paint. The ceiling is also the perfect place to get bold with your colour scheme, especially if you are hesitant about applying a vibrant hue to your vertical walls.

If you prefer to apply a simple neutral tone to your four walls, consider drawing a matching colour from your soft furnishings or favourite artwork for the ceiling, and extend this colour down past the trim on all four walls about a foot or two. The presence of a picture railing is also a great way to reinforce this eye-catching two-tone approach, which feels modern and eclectic.

Dark, inky tones on a ceiling encourage a space to feel cosy and intimate, giving the impression of the ceiling descending, which works particularly well with higher ceilings. These tones are also ideal for rooms that take in a lot of natural light. Conversely, the use of lighter, more uplifting colours on your walls will help to open up a room and give the impression it is larger than it actually is. If you wish to wallpaper your walls, be sure to choose the wallpaper design first and then draw a suitable shade from the wallpaper with which to paint the ceiling. This will ensure a truly cohesive look from top to bottom.

Small spaces can also benefit from continuing the shade you have applied to your walls through to the ceiling as well, as it can help give the impression of a taller ceiling and in turn, the illusion of more space.

Wood

Whether you’re into modern or rustic or something in between, the incorporation of wood into a ceiling is a timeless way to add some warmth and natural contrasting texture to a space, be it a full timber affair or some accenting or panelling. If you’d rather not go the whole way with a fully clad ceiling, you might consider leaving the ceiling joists exposed, which is a great way to add some texture, height and character to your space. Highlighting evenly-spaced ceiling beams will also introduce some architectural interest while creating a cosy rustic look, especially if the natural grain and colour of the wood is left exposed. A timber ceiling can also make a room look and feel much bigger, as well as the natural shade giving a space a soft and relaxing ambience.

Pressed Metal

If you wish to set your ceiling apart as the main show-stopper in a room that will immediately draw the eyes up, you might like to try pressed metal tiles or panels. This is a surefire way to apply some unique texture to a ceiling, adding richness and depth to a defined area, as well as the accompanying light and reflection making the space feel a lot larger than it is. Metallic hues will make for a striking patina on your fifth wall, which will bounce light around your room and produce some beautiful reflections. In making a bold statement of your ceiling, bear in mind to keep the rest of the room relatively neutral, leaving the pressed metal to draw the eye straight up.