The Colors Up Above

I never planned to paint my living room ceiling.  The idea hadn’t even popped into my head. 

I DID NOT WANT TO PAINT MY CEILING

But, I put my foot through the ceiling.

This is what happens when you walk into a bedroom with a partially laid wood floor and a floor vent, and the contractor forgets to tell you that the vent is open.  Ouch!

Fortunately, my doctor examined my ankle and concurred that I was indeed suffering from a badly bruised ego and to basically go home and get over myself.  Umph.  My contractor (lovely man – but totally your fault, buddy) repaired the ceiling, to the best of his abilities.  And it should have been fixed, right?  Well, yes- if I had a smooth ceiling.  But I don’t.  Trying to do a seamless repair in a textured ceiling is near on impossible.  I painted over the repair with the standard flat white ceiling paint, truly believing that I would be happy (or less miserable) with the end result.  Wrong.  It just glared at me. 

And, hand on heart, every time I walked into the room, the spot got bigger and more pronounced.  And it seemed to start throbbing and pulsating. I was half expecting to be beamed up by Scotty. 

 So instead of sitting in the room and watching TV – I sat and watched the patch.  Mocking me. 

My husband didn’t see it.  

When I decided that I couldn’t take the mocking any longer,  I realized that I really needed to do a complete paint job.  Ugh. What a huge pain in the behind.  But, if I was going to take on this challenge there was no way – NO WAY – I wanted a  white ceiling.  Not a chance.  The last ceiling I painted was my small powder room,  and I used  Pure & Original Classico Country Beige.  (such a bad quality photo because there’s no natural light in the powder room).

And I love it (it’s actually the same color as my lower kitchen cabinets). 

Because I finished the walls in a white Marrakech finish, when you walk in – the pop of color brings your eyes up (thus making the walls seem higher).  Here’s the link to the powder room makeover.  I’m think most people automatically think that ceilings should be painted flat white (I know I use to). But there’s no golden rule that says you have to. 

Don’t cave in to convention.

Don’t do that to yourself.

Dare to think outside the box (it’s the best side!).  Train your brain to see the ceiling as your fifth wall (an empty beautiful canvas).  Once you do that, it quickly becomes a game changer.   

Now, this palette I LOVE. 

 I go ‘shaky knees’ when I look at it.

My favorite colors!  I actually have a wall painted in Marrakech Belgian Wilderness 

and my adjoining room is painted with P&O Fresco lime paint in Steel Blue. 

With the Royal Design ‘Fortuny’ stencil.

And I SO wish I could have used that color palette in my living room.  But I wanted the ceiling and walls to be the same color.  so… I opted for a neutral tone, using P&O Classico in North Sea Silt. 

Check this out, doesn’t it look gorgeous on the walls? 

(This is not my house.  This house looks clean and organized – tell tale signs that you’re not in my home). 

It’s actually very similar to my existing wall color, and I love it except I don’t like the sheen.  I love a flat finish, but most flat paints aren’t really washable, and are not conducive to life with children and dogs. Pure & Original Classico has a matt finish, AND a built-in sealer.  And if you’ve been following me you know that I’ve been using this brand for a few years now.   And I love it.  They do have a product called Licetto, which is made specifically for walls.  But, I decided to go with Classico because my walls are not in a high traffic area, and if I have leftovers I can use it on some furniture!

Here are some images for inspiration.  Just flipping gorgeous!

What I wouldn’t do to lounge on that sofa, with a cocktail.

Old Wine on the panels, Skin Powder on the walls, and Old Rose on the ceiling.

Ocre with Praline.  Just so warm and inviting.

For more inspiration, click here.

Again, because my ceiling has a light texture I applied the paint with roller for semi-smooth finishes.   Usually if I’m painting a piece of furniture I add a small amount of water to the Classico, because it is a little thicker than other paints. However, due to the texture (and stark white existing finish)  I wanted to get good coverage the first time round, so choose not to dilute it.  For the walls, I added about 10% water (partly because I was going over a similar color). 

So here’s the kicker.  And it totally took me by surprise. It took me one coat to paint over my white ceiling! 

I kid you not.  The lighter color on the left is the paint drying.  I planned to paint the ceiling and the walls with the same color ( I’ve done this in the past was amazing results).  Utilizing the room’s natural light can make a huge difference in the overall feel of the room.  Even though you’re using the same color on the ceiling and the walls, they will appear completely different.  It happens because the walls are reflecting the natural light and bouncing it off each other.  Notice how paint colors change depending on the time of day?  Same with a ceiling.  A ceiling doesn’t get much natural light, and it reflects off the floor; so it’s always going to be darker.  Does that make sense? 

Here’s a shot of the P&O Belgium Wilderness Marrakech and North Sea Silt Classico on the ceiling and wall. The ceiling color looks at least two shades darker.

See the big difference in hues?  SAME color on the ceiling and the wall.

There’s lots of benefits from using the same color:

You only have to buy one color (yeah!),

You don’t have to ‘cut in’ if the walls and ceiling meet (priceless)

You get the illusion of two colors/contrast when only using one (smoke and mirrors, kids).

And, if you have crown molding (I do) it makes it pop!

Now I’m looking at my dining room ceiling and thinking it’s way too white! It will be changed.  Mark my word.

Can I still see the patch? Yes.  That has nothing to do with the paint coverage.  Trying to blend two textures (from two different contractors) is a challenge in itself.  But – it’s not pulsating down on me.  And I can live with it now. Honestly, the only way you would notice the patch is if you either

1: Had a pedantic obsession with details above your head or 2: You were laying on your back in my living room. Either way, I’m calling you an Uber, it’s time for you to go home.

{insert catchy ending phrase here}

Diane aka The Paint Factory

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