Ceilings- The Often Overlooked 5th Wall

On a recent trip to Cuba I gained a huge perspective on color and was reminded of its’ many uses. Typically when I am designing a new home from top to bottom I recommend an off-white trim color. This is always followed by the client asking “should I do the ceilings in that same color?” As with many design scenarios, the answer to this question is never quite as simple as it may seem.

In the design world the ceiling is commonly referred to as the 5th wall. As you might imagine it can often be quite challenging to convince a client to paint the ceiling in a color other than white. In actual fact white ceilings tend to draw the eye up and deny focus to the rest of the room. Because there’s such an expanse of white and frequently a large contrast between the walls and the white ceiling, white is often not a good choice.

What color should I paint my ceiling you may ask? There’s a multitude of factors that come into play when making this decision such as wall color, accent color and overall feel you are trying to achieve in the room. This is a really good chance to accent your room and add a punch of color.

The room below was designed by Nate Berkus a few years back. Notice how Nate made the room feel very country inspired simply by painting the ceiling in a wonderful shade of green.




My recent experience in a Havana bar also provided an inspirational view point on this topic. Contrasted with deep reds and medium to dark wood tones was an aqua blue ceiling. What better way to cool off the warm color palette than with such a cool and refreshing hue on the ceiling. Although this scheme is very unexpected it works well and blends a conservative colonial style with relaxed Cuban flair.




Another gorgeous blue ceiling caught my attention while in Havana. I found the use of color in this historical building to be visually interesting. Again, we see the reds mixed with a blue ceiling and this time green is thrown into the mix to create yet another work of art. Notice how the rug pulls the blues into the flooring and creates a mirror effect with the ceiling.




I was reminded of a project from 2005, where I redesigned a historical B&B in Carbonear, NFLD. For this design we incorporated ceilings that were neutral and stayed away from whites. What a wow factor that provided! It really allows people to focus on the wall and trim color as well as other fine details of the room.







The rule of thumb for painted ceilings is to choose a color that accents the rest of the rooms' look and feel. Also remember that depending on what height your ceilings are- cool colors recede and warm colors advance. have fun with this and let your personality shine through!


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