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Ceiling Color / Trim Dilemma

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Living room repaint · More Info

So - I have a ceiling color dilemma. I own a 1500 sq foot condo - with 10 foot ceilings and a lot of molding. When I bought it, I had the walls painted Benjamin Moore Dry Sage. And the ceilings painted Benjamin Moore Decorator's White. There was so much molding and trim, I left the color alone - but something is not right. The trim, doors and windows are (I think) Glidden Macadamia White - which is a dingy cream color to my eyes. I generally like bright white molding and ceilings, against greens, tans or blues - but I have managed to come up with a really ugly combination here.

A recent water leak is giving me the opportunity to make some changes - I think changing the color of the molding is cost prohibitive, since there is a lot of it, and it matches the windows, door frames, doors, french doors, etc. Is there any way to adjust the ceiling color to make the molding look less awful? In terms of sunlight, I get morning and late evening sun, but during the day, it is pretty shady inside. The condo is located in Charlotte, NC if that makes any difference.

Here is a picture - shows the ceiling, wall, molding and french door colors together in the day light - ideas?

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Comments (7)

Errant_gw
8 years ago
How about doing the ceiling in the same color as the moulding?
robo (z6a)
8 years ago
Changing the ceiling colour is the only way you will notice the moulding less. But if you like bright whites, I'm concerned that you are taking a problem and making it worse.
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msmeow
8 years ago
You could paint just the moulding at the ceiling white and leave all the others as is.

Donna
Karenseb
8 years ago
I love your moulding color with the sage paint. Paint the ceiling a darker shade of white or cream.I have a creamy off white moulding and the ceiling is darker than the molding, The moulding in this pic looks whiter than it is because it is not next to a white ceiling. Be sure to get a large sample and place it on the ceiling to get the right shade. You could even do a very very light gray green ceiling.
robo (z6a)
8 years ago
I wonder if the ceilings would like nice something like BM Old Prairie

I have BM French Canvas on my walls and like it very much.
Olychick
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I can't get the pic to post, but here is a green walled living room with mascarpone trim and a different color ceiling. Maybe not these exact colors of course, but you might think about doing a lighter version of your green on the ceiling.
colored ceiling

This is an interesting idea:

Or a pale blue?
I don't think a darker ceiling will necessarily make your room too dark:
lascatx
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
You really have four options:

1. bite the bullet and paint the trim -- probably Decorator white in a semi-gloss,

2. paint the ceiling to match the current trim,

3. paint the ceiling with Dry Sage at a reduced value (10-30%),

4. paint the ceiling in one or more complimentary colors -- grey blue or pale gold come to mind as possibilities. You could go very dark in a room you want to be more dramatic and to sparkle a chandelier against (bedroom or DR, most likely).

I favor 1 or 3. You could take a little of the dry sage and mix it into some decorator white to make a sample with what you have left over -- try it along a section of the crown. If you don't like it and another color doesn't sound more interesting, back to square one and painting trim white.

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