Ceilings: The Number One Most Neglected Plane In Your Space
As a past interior design student I was constantly reminded by my professors to not forgot to design the ceilings in our spaces.
It was drilled into me that most people did in fact forget to design the ceilings and that as a future interior designer it was my job to be better than that. Now that I've been focusing on being the interior designer of my own home for the past year (yes, I've been doing this for almost a year now- what in the!?) I have tried to pull from my past interior design knowledge as much as I can. And sometimes I've failed in the ceiling department. Like in our primary bedroom...
The ceiling in here is a real eyesore. Plain white with not one, but two ceiling fans. In fact, I usually even just photoshop them out because they hurt my eyes so much, haha!
We do use the ceiling fans almost every night, but I can't help but picture how our room would look if I gave some attention to the ceiling. Painted it the same color as the walls and added a chandelier? Or maybe even adding some wallpaper up there for the ultimate grandmillenial feel?
Our bedroom was the first space I designed in our home so I do like to give myself a pass... even though I'm sure I will address it someday. The next space in our home I designed was Lincoln's room and I love the 3/4 paint treatment I carried up onto the ceiling in his room. It feels very thoughtful and brings some interest to the walls that don't have the mural.
The next space where I really put some time and attention to the ceiling was the dining room. Ya'll probably know about how I waffled around on the design of the ceiling in this space quite a bit- we almost did a coffered ceiling and at the last minute I decided to add some decadent molding.
I love how it turned out! Then there's the room that actually got me started on this whole ceiling conversation in the first place. My niece Harley's room.
I didn't hesitate while painting her room, I knew I wanted to incorporate the ceiling and paint it in the same color as the walls. But when I shared a video about painting her room one of the comments read- "Not the ceiling!! Ahh! I just spent months painting the ceilings white in my home that we bought." And it did make me wonder... I mean most ceilings in spaces are painted white, no one really blinks an eye when you walk into a room with a white ceiling- it's expected.
So I reached out to you guys on Instagram to get your opinion and found out that many people do prefer a white ceiling. And to be honest I kind of get it, it's one less decision to make and it does feel nice and calming. But... there were also lots of you that love painting your ceiling the same color as your walls, many of you who do put wallpaper up there, and those of you that love beams or planking (no, not that kind of planking). I don't think there is one right and one wrong way to go about this. It's absolutely a preference thing. In some spaces I can't imagine adding more detail to the ceiling, it would ruin the vibe of the space.
But then I see photos like the ones below and I'm like- wow! These spaces just wouldn't be the same if the designer hadn't considered the ceiling.
And that makes me realize that design is just that, doing what you want in your own home because you live there. I'll design the ceilings in some of my spaces and not others (like my kitchen). Because that's what feels right.
And you should do the same! Maybe it is time to stop forgetting about ceilings, but a white ceiling can also be a choice and a deliberate design decision. Right? Now, I'm dying to know what your thoughts on ceilings are so please let me know in the comments!
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