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Ceiling Paint Colours: White or Not?
The fifth wall deserves a decision, not a default.
White is the usual choice for a ceiling, but it is not automatically the right one. A bright white ceiling can make walls look darker, because decorating is all about contrast: the lighter the ceiling, the darker the walls appear. A white ceiling can also make a room look taller and highlight cornicing. Here is how to decide, and what to use instead of white.
At a glance
- A bright white ceiling makes the walls beside it look darker.
- Choose a ceiling white that shares the wall colour’s undertone.
- Same colour on walls and ceiling blurs edges and feels calm.
- A deeper ceiling than walls can make a tall room feel cosier.
- Ceilings receive less direct light, so colours read a little darker.
When a white ceiling is right
Height, detail and reflected light in dim rooms.
White ceilings reflect the most light back into a room and keep the eye on walls and furnishings. They make sense in rooms with little daylight, with pale walls, and where you want to show off cornicing. Choose a white that shares the undertone of your walls rather than a brilliant white, so the join is soft.
Painting the ceiling the same colour as the walls
No hard lines, so the room feels calmer.
Painting walls and ceiling one colour creates a soothing atmosphere with no sharp lines, and looks subtler than people expect. It is the heart of colour drenching, and it can stop a low ceiling being defined by a harsh white edge.
A coloured or deeper ceiling
Deeper ceilings feel cosy; paler ones feel lifted.
A ceiling deeper than the walls draws it down visually, which can make a tall room feel more intimate. A pale tint of the wall colour lifts it gently. Remember that a ceiling gets less direct light than the walls, so the same colour will read slightly darker overhead.
Why does my ceiling look grey or dirty?
Shadow, not dirt, is usually the cause.
Ceilings sit in shadow for much of the day, so a white overhead often reads greyer than the same white on a wall. A slightly warmer white, or one that shares the wall colour’s undertone, usually looks cleaner than a brilliant white.
Sample it the way we would
Step 1
Paint your peel-and-sticks
Each £5.99 sample comes with three paintable peel-and-sticks. Give them two coats and let them dry fully.
Step 2
Stick them around the room
Put them on two or three walls, including the wall opposite the window, at eye level and lower down.
Step 3
Live with them for a day or two
Look in the morning, the afternoon and under your evening lamps. Move them around until you are sure.
Your questions, answered
Should a ceiling always be white?
No. White suits dim rooms and pale schemes, but matching or toning the ceiling to the walls often looks calmer.
Does a dark ceiling make a room feel smaller?
It makes the ceiling feel lower, which can make a tall or large room feel cosier.
What finish should a ceiling be?
Matt or Dead Matt, which hide imperfections well. Our Wall & Ceiling Paint comes in both.
Wall & Ceiling Paint