Designer Christopher Lowell once said, "Painting the ceiling white is like throwing a sheet over the room." Lowell's advice has influenced every project, new or redesign, which I have attempted since hearing this advice.
Many years since hearing Lowell's recommendations, I find that all the ceilings in my home, as well as most ceilings in our home decor showrooms, are reverently painted shades darker than the wall color.
At
Accents of Salado, I once papered a white showroom ceiling with an embossed
tin-pattern wall paper found at home improvement stores. I painted the paper a dark, russet brown and then lightly dry-brushed the raised pattern with a copper metallic paint.
Considering our
limited budget, the result was
game-changing and our
old tin ceiling made quite an impression with our customers. The curious crowds seemed to inquire more about the ceiling in that room as they did about the merchandise presented there.
Painting the ceiling dark is especially effective when there is abundant natural light in the room and also when the room has exceptionally high ceilings. Rooms washed with light become more intimate and comforting. A dark ceiling finished with crown molding can
lower a high ceiling in an expansive foyer and
raises a high ceiling in a small room like a bathroom.
Recently I met a new friend whose artistic portfolio includes a dark metallic ceiling. Pictured in this blog are images that capture some of the steps used by decorative artist, Pat Strong, to re-invent a client's great room. In shooting these photographs, Pat demonstrates how a room can be taken from ordinary to absolutely stunning.
Pat's photos allow you to see how the project began and how the artist's vision resulted in a magnificent transformation.
Pat Strong is a long time decorative painter living in Austin, Texas, but her projects find her working across the country.
Pat specializes in projects that are transformational.
Pat likes to create relationships between her clients and the architecture of their homes. Her experience and training tell her that personalizing a home with color, custom textures and custom surfaces makes it comfortable and beautiful.
Pat can transform just about any surface in a home. She specializes in murals, fine art, furniture and painted fabric.
Pat Strong works with other artists in the Austin area to produce a finished look in just about any media. No job is too large or too small for Pat if it's interesting.
I love dark ceilings. I feel they can paradoxically, both raise and lower a ceiling depending on the proportions of the room and the lighting.
In this case, the ceilings were lower than the client would like and the upper floors seemed to oppress the space. Because this room was surrounded by rooms with higher ceilings, and adjacent to a deep covered patio, raising the "look" of the ceiling was out of the question. It was just too easy to compare it to the nearby areas.
By creating a warm, rich feeling on the ceiling, with a lot of detail, the room feels warm, cozy and very inviting. One completely forgets the height of the ceiling and just concentrates on a feeling of embracing shelter.
In this case, using a glimmering metallic glaze makes the room glow. In other cases, I use a deep color in an umber matte treatment to erase the awareness of where the ceiling actually occurs. Deep colored ceilings can also look infinite like a night sky.
Pat Strong holds a degree in Art History from the University of Texas and has twenty five years experience in visual arts and commercial visual presentation. Learn more about Pat Strong and see more of her work on her
Facebook page.
Are your walls white? Is your ceiling white? Are you looking for a way to add some color to your neutral surroundings? Since most of us shy away from red leather furniture or that dark purple accent chair, how do we get color in our home?
