It's generally going to look "cooler" than the walls, in my experience.

I have generally heard that when painting ceilings, you want to do 50%, or even 25% saturation of the wall color. I'm sure what you are experiencing is a result of a lack of light reflecting on the ceiling.

Hope this helps!

I chimed-in on the Paint forum...

Faron

I have BM Constellation on 3 of my ceilings. During the day it is blue but at night it becomes a light gray. I do like the way it looks.

thanks creekylis, I'm going to try that since I've no idea what else to do.
My reply to faron over in 'paint': "thanks Faron...but but but.... darn it , I just do not much like the darker, different hued ceiling :>/ Should I take it down 50%? Will that help, ya think? In my other room/same application but different, lighter color, the ceiling actually looks lighter through most of the day. Ah well...but the song goes on, "there will be an answer", right? :>)
Maybe pal has the answer: yep,pal, believe that's what it has done. The cooling effect has turned the golden hue into taupe. Well, if it must be another cooler shade, at least it can be a lighter version, which I will hopefully like better.
denali: it's good to be you :>):>)
Thanks everyone. I'll come back on Tuesday to let you know the results of the -50%

It's called flop angle. Color's appearance is perceived differently based on the angle at which it is viewed.

Built environment, three-dimensionally a horizontal plane above your head - the ceiling - predisposed to be perceived as darker and grayer in comparison to vertical walls due to flop angle.

The solution lies in nuance. The nuance that works on the vertical plane, the walls, likely will not work on the ceiling. Usually a lighter color is desired for the ceiling in comparison to the walls. If that is the case, the ceiling color not only needs to be visibly of a lighter value, but it also needs to be visibly less grayed. Or in other words, visibly cleaner or clearer than the wall color.

guess this didn't make much sense: "Ah well...but the song goes on, "there will be an answer", right? :>)
It was in reply to faron singing a little Beatles to me"....let it be".:>)

Thanks FC...guess we posted same time last night. I hoped you'd chime in here. Putting it simply, it would help to go down 50% AND have the store reduce the black in the mix? I'm not sure I have the eye to choose another color for the ceiling from the fan deck that is the same color, but cleaner and clearer.

The entire concept of cutting formulas is for lack of a better term -- a fairy tale.

The reality is, mathematically, very few paint color can literally be cut in increments like 25% or 50%, etc. Very few.

The terms cutting a formula by 25, 50, or even increasing it to 200% is simply a mode of communication. It doesn't really happen, it's just a way for a customer to communicate to a colorist. As they're showing the color pro a chip they say stuff like, "I want this color but I want it to be lighter. Cut the formula by 50%."

What the colorist actually does is take those bits of information, disappears to the back where he creates a brand new custom color based on initial references. e.g. uses the formula for the paint color the customer spoke to as a jumping off point.

Paint staff know about the fairy tale but they don't want to explain it. Does anyone relish telling a little kid there is no tooth fairy or that Santa is really mom & dad? It's a little like that for them emotionally - it's no fun to burst old color knowledge bubbles with cold hard facts. From a professional perspective, the truth is they don't want to INVEST THE TIME it takes to move people off such an embedded belief about color. And it is embedded. Across blogosphere and the professional realms of interior decorating and design especially.

Blogosphere and interior decorators/designers are arguably the premier source of misinformation about color design and paint that you can possibly find.

So, instead of explaining all the ins-and-outs of color mixing, like it's not possible to cut 1/32 of a shot of oxide yellow (or whatever) in half, they just keep nodding as the customer keeps talking. Knowing that as soon as the conversation stops, they're going to have to go make something up. Totally wing it.

So, no, I don't recommend 50% of the original paint color. Because until it's done, no one can anticipate what brand new paint color that *idea of a color* will look like.

There's nothing precise about it. It's not going to be the same color only lighter; no guarantee it's going to share any characteristics of the source color at all. It's just a guess -- and it's not even a good guess to be honest.

You're better off just telling the colorist what happened, what you didn't like and what you are hoping to get as a final result and let them take it from there.

Because to get a rendition of the wall color that is lighter, equally golden, and less grayed isn't going to be a matter of cutting something in half or leaving another something out.

I rather thought this was the case, but you're correct, I did love the idea of it:>/ Had a knowledgeable painter at one time who told me in simpler terms what you just explained. It does make sense. I have studied the deck and have chosen another color altogether for the ceiling. I am winging it. Wish me luck...and thanks again for your reply!

Funcolors, I just want to say how much I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience with us. We are all so much better off for it!

My pleasure and feel it's the least I can do considering how much I have learned from others here. Want to earn my keep, ya know. :)

Specifically details of design styles like MCM and Spanish Med as well as a lot about furniture quality and styles.

from les "Funcolors, I just want to say how much I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience with us. We are all so much better off for it!

Big Ditto from here! Just wish you could be here in the morning to help finalize(?) ceiling color!