Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Inspiration Newsletter

How to Dramatically Change your Ceiling Color

Posted: 23 Jan 2011 04:56 AM PST

When you think of giving your space a new look with color, do you only think of the walls? Remember, your ceiling covers your entire space and with the addition of color, can dramatically transform your room. By coloring your ceiling, an illusion of higher or shorter walls can be perceived. This is perfect for rooms that are too large and feel impersonal, or for small rooms that need to feel enlarged. Here are tips for dramatically changing your interiors with ceiling color.

color ceiling kitchen e1294055271916 How to Dramatically Change your Ceiling Color

Assess your space and the current ceiling: Your room and ceiling can fall into several categories. Whether your space is small, large, or has vaulted/sloped ceilings will dictate how to decide on color. Many fear that changing the ceiling color will have a negative aesthetic. First determine what colors are already in your furniture, décor, and walls. Then move into how you want to feel in the space. For drama, darker colors will draw the eye upwards, and lighter colors will let the eye wander around the space first.

color ceiling dark brown e1294055333293 How to Dramatically Change your Ceiling Color

Define your space with color: For rooms that have varying ceiling heights, or for open space floor plans, defining the ceiling with color can give a visual separation without the walls. Great rooms that have a kitchen, dining and living room space could use color to define the kitchen and leave the dining and living space as one ceiling color. Try using varying shades of the same color with varying height ceilings for visual appeal.
A neutral palette with color: It may sound like an oxymoron, but a neutral palette room can also offer a burst of color! Try using neutral color shades, such as whites, beiges, and mushroom colored grays throughout furniture, walls, and flooring. Choose a strong color that works beautifully in your space and use it for the ceiling color. This burst of color will set the tone for the entire space, without it feeling overwhelming with color. If you'd like to bring the color into your accessories, use throw pillows, accessories and wall art to infuse the ceiling color into the space as well.

color ceiling purple e1294055371569 How to Dramatically Change your Ceiling Color

Be creative: Your ceilings are an opportune location to bring in creativity and uniqueness. From painting murals and abstract images, to kid's rooms that have fluffy cloud skies, your ceiling is a blank canvas, ready to be explored. Choose a theme of colors that naturally flow with the rest of the room décor and sample small sections of the ceiling before painting the entire space. If you need inspiration, consider hiring a muralist or interior painter with experience in painting theme inspired ceilings.

color ceiling sky e1294055416795 How to Dramatically Change your Ceiling Color

Your ceilings are waiting for color and exploration. From dramatic deep hues to playful and whimsical themes, a ceiling color can transform a space without little expense. For additional visual interest consider using architectural details such as soffits, niches, and recessed cove lighting to change a flat ceiling into a three dimensional focal point. Who knew that your room could change by adding color, and focusing your eye upwards? Ceiling color is often forgotten, try it out in your home and see how it feels.

Freshome readers have you painted your ceilings with color? Do you prefer dark, light, or a playful mural? We'd love to hear your comments. Leave them below.

Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below !

Click here to connect with Freshome on or on

Cleverly Built Luxurious Ocean View Residence: The Gull House

Posted: 23 Jan 2011 12:37 AM PST

It’s easy for a talented architect to express your most burning desire through the design of your home. Take for example this next dream house in Laguna Beach, California. Built for a plastic surgeon, the home is a 2,928-square-foot residence designed by Lautner Associates. The brief included the family’s need for practicality while the beauty of the ocean played its part. Constructed high on a cliff overseeing the beach, the Gull House is partly build into the cliff because of a height restriction requiring that the house rise no more than 15 feet above street level. The roof and parts of the north and south facades are covered with marine-grade stainless steel, while the other walls are adorned with stucko and rosewood panels.

Gull House 91 Cleverly Built Luxurious Ocean View Residence: The Gull House

Three storeys allow the space to be compartmented into a space for the family on the lower floor, while the lowest floor is reserved for the entertaining area. At the street level there is a practical garage and an additional bedroom. An acrylic sculpture by Lithuanian sculptor Algis Kuzma welcomes the household and guests at the entrance. Every room in the house shares the same outstanding feature: you can hear the Pacific Ocean from every corner. Glass framed deck surround the residence and a magnificent glass floor on the lower floor plan looks down into the kitchen below. This can be considered a skylight for the kitchen and a creative solution to the lack of light the kitchen would have been exposed to if there was no glass floor. Luxuriously placed and constructed, the Gull Residence also has a strong privacy system that can be switched on and off: the glass windows turn from clear to opaque to protect the private life.

Gull House 41 Cleverly Built Luxurious Ocean View Residence: The Gull House