Painting your ceilings and looking for the best ceiling paint colors to use? You may have just moved into a new home and want to freshen up your interior paint colors or change ceiling colors altogether.
Let’s say you’re a new homeowner who just moved into your new house or apartment. You’ve decided on wall colors, but did you consider ceiling paint colors? No question, choosing the right paint color for your ceiling can instantly refresh the look of your home.
To prove our point, we’re sharing our 10 best ceiling paint colors to simplify the process for you. By and large, we want to make it easy for you to match walls and ceilings like a professional interior designer.
Ceiling paint is something that most new homeowners don’t think about when picking out their interior design.
From your classic white ceiling paints to more adventurous blue ceiling paints, we provide you with the perfect list of ceiling paint shades and ceiling paint design ideas to choose from. In the end, making your life just a tad easier when it comes to choosing your home’s decor.
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Trendy Ceiling Color Ideas Criteria
What ceiling paint color is classic yet trendy? Modern, yet timeless? If your goal is to find a trending ceiling paint color that fits the aesthetic of your home, you’ve come to the right place. Accordingly, we want you to find a color that perfectly complements the room feel that you are going for.
First, we started by looking at white neutral colors that you’d use about 90% of the time when painting ceilings. Next, we added some warmer and earthy ceiling color shades for a bit of variety. Also worth noting, all of these ceiling colors look great in a flat sheen. Indeed, our experts agree that flat paint for ceilings is best in most instances.
1. Pure White – Sherwin Williams
Even white walls and white ceilings can be exciting. Don’t believe us? Pure White by Sherwin Williams easily creates a beautifully open and bright choice for your living room, dining room, or kitchen.
On top of that, white ceiling paint can easily make a small space feel ten times larger. Also worth mentioning, you can even paint both your walls and ceiling white for a seamless color flow.
If you want an expert design idea, combine white walls with white ceiling paint along with an accent wall to make your bedroom stand out from the rest.
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2. White Dove – Benjamin Moore
The next white ceiling color we have is Benjamin Moore’s White Dove. This is a classic color that is universally admired. Likewise, it’s the perfect color to use for both walls and ceiling paint. If you prefer neutrals, you’ll love White Dove by Benjamin Moore.
Also, if you want to transform a small space into the illusion of a room with a high ceiling, white walls and ceilings is the way to go.
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3. Cloud White – Benjamin Moore
You get the gist. When in doubt, you can never go wrong with white. Certainly, lighter tones are your safest option to make any room feel higher and larger. Relax in your bed as you stare up, head in the “clouds” to Cloud White by Benjamin Moore.
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4. Iceberg – Benjamin Moore
It is important to realize that one wrong undertone can totally throw off your room’s atmosphere. Indeed, Iceberg by Benjamin Moore is great for rooms with cooler blue undertones. This icy white shade transcends trends, so don’t worry about choosing the wrong white with this color.
No question, this neutral is highly recommended as one of the best colors for ceiling paint.
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5. Studio Green – Farrow and Ball
White isn’t your forte? Into darker colors and looking to be a little more risk-ay with your color choice? I know you’re going to love Farrow and Ball’s Studio Green. Dress this color up with matte whites and earthy browns for a look that is unique, yet visually stunning. If you’re into a more Bohemian style, go an extra step and pair your green ceiling paint with green walls as well.
6. Pale Smoke – Benjamin Moore
Looking for the perfect pale, subtle gray with blue undertones? Pale Smoke is a ceiling paint color that is absolutely adored by all and resembles a smokey sky blue. Use it for your bedroom or living room for a classic, yet simplistic modern feel. If you are looking for a cooler and lighter color, this color perfectly complements any space.
7. Onyx – Benjamin Moore
Furthermore, if you’re tired of the look of a light and airy room, go bold and choose a black ceiling. Benjamin Moore’s Onyx is a dark black with little or no undertones. Thus, it is a great color for your ceiling paint to create a dramatic effect, without darkening the look of your space completely. If light and airy is your style, this is not the color for you.
This color screams bold, striking, and powerful. Use it for the ceiling paint of your office or bedroom, and you shall have everyone’s jaws dropped.
8. Backwoods – Benjamin Moore
In a similar fashion, Backwoods by Benjamin Moore gives off the same, green woodland feeling. Backwoods is different in that it has more of a gray/teal undertone, creating the perfect color if you are looking for a cooler green. Need some more color ideas? We recommend pairing this earthy ceiling shade with light-colored furniture and gold accents.
9. Chantilly Lace – Benjamin Moore
Chantilly Lace is the perfect dainty white color for the ceiling paint for your bedroom, living room, or dining room. Surprisingly, this color is actually Benjamin Moore’s whitest white.
So if your interior goals are to brighten and open up your space, this is the color for you. If you’re looking for comfort, this color will surely remind you of pure silk, soft linen, and the simple joys of life.
10. High Reflective White – Sherwin Williams
Similar to Chantilly Lace, High Reflective White is very white, but don’t worry about it being too white. This color has soft undertones that make it neither cold nor warm. Thus, it is the perfect neutral color if you decide to switch up your interior design and furniture later down the road.
One of our favorite decorating ideas is pairing whites walls and ceilings with an accent color. Some of our top accent wall color palettes include black, gray, or earthy green pops of color. Nonetheless, this color is your trusty, go-to ceiling surface color of choice.
Ceiling Ideas
Certain ceiling ideas work for different areas of your home. Although sometimes it is often ignored, we consider the ceiling one of the most important parts of painting your home.
In fact, this “fifth wall” is essential when considering your home design. Find out all the tips and tricks we’ve learned to ensure your ceilings really pop after painting.
Tray Ceiling Ideas
I’m sure many of you have seen a tray ceiling before, but just never knew the name of what to call it. Tray ceilings, when combined with crown molding, are an extra architectural detail that adds depth and dimension to easily transform the look of your room. This design idea works best in bigger rooms with high or vaulted ceilings.
Likewise, these types of ceilings are able to illuminate and open up spaces very easily.
Without question tray ceilings are a seemingly subtle way to elevate your home interior’s design. Furthermore, we would definitely recommend having a tray ceiling for your bedroom, living room, or even home office when building out your home design.
For the cherry on top, place a beautiful chandelier or light fixture right in the center of your tray ceiling to fully illuminate your room.
Or if you like the look of tray ceilings but want to take it a step further, try a coffered ceiling. Coffered ceilings offer the same depth as tray ceilings but add an extra layer of detail by creating a series of paneling indentations. These types of ceilings bring a historical and upscale look to any main room.
White Ceilings
Evidently, white ceiling paint is everyone’s favorite, and for good reason. Certainly, it can illuminate any room. Further, matching your walls to the ceiling creates a cohesive and clean look.
At the same time, it can double the size of a room visually. Another great idea is strategically using lighting to enhance the look of your space. In the photo below, modern ceiling lighting was used to set the mood for this open concept home.
Painting Ceiling Same Color As Walls
Should you paint your walls and ceiling the same color? If you want to create a cohesive look to your room and have your wall color wrap up to its ceiling, I would definitely recommend painting your ceiling the same color as your walls.
Pictured below is a two tone ceiling color configuration in a bedroom with tray ceilings. As you can see, the homeowners chose to match the outside border of the ceiling with the wall color and opted for an accent shade in the center.
Having a seamless blend from wall to ceiling makes a room look instantly cleaner, especially if you choose white paint. Or if you’re looking to be more adventurous, try a pop of color like a green or blue paint to create an earthy or moody vibe to your room.
Favorite Ceiling Paints
You have some painting ideas in mind and an idea of how to tie it in with your home decor. Now let’s pick out the type of paint to use.
Benjamin Moore Ceiling Paint
Benjamin Moore Ceiling paint is always very trustworthy and high quality. Some of our notable favorites include Benjamin Moore stone harbor, a light modern gray, Dove Wing, a light airy white, and fantasy blue, a light blue with grayish undertones.
Sherwin Williams Ceiling Paints
Sherwin Williams is also one of the most trustworthy and high quality brands for ceiling paint. Our favorites include Sherwin Williams Promar 400 Flat Paint, Eminence Ceiling Paint, and CHB Paint.
What is particularly important about this paint is that they are all flat or matte paints. We usually recommend only using matte or flat paint for ceilings.
On the flip side, your ceiling could look streaky and sometimes even cheap if you use high-gloss paint.
Have more professional painting questions? Improovy’s expert painting team is here to help! Check out our most recent painting advice articles below.
FAQs For Painted Ceilings
Do I paint my ceiling flat or eggshell?
Most painting experts agree that using flat latex paint for ceilings is best. This goes for both light and dark ceilings. Accordingly, too much gloss on a ceiling may become distracting in a room. This becomes even more of an issue when paired with eggshell or satin walls.
What color paint makes ceilings look higher?
White makes your ceilings look higher and can open up a space. To make a small room look even bigger, paint your ceiling and wall the same color. When paired together, it blurs the boundaries, creating an illusion of height. As a rule of thumb, you should still use flat paint for ceilings and an eggshell sheen for walls.
Should you paint ceilings or walls first?
Always paint ceilings first when painting a room. Whether you are painting a white room the same color as the ceilings, you should always start from the top down. Indeed, this ensures that paint drips won’t ruin your walls while painting the ceiling. We recommend using a roller with an extended handle for both regular and vaulted ceilings. Sometimes you may need a taller A-frame ladder to reach a higher surface. Nonetheless, you should use a dropcloth and painters plastic to cover furniture and floors prior to painting.
What's the difference between ceiling paint and wall paint?
the same thing. Ceiling paint is usually more viscous than wall paint. When applied, this ensures that it defies gravity and sticks to your fifth wall. In addition, wall paints are sometimes thinner compared to ceiling products.
