Are you repainting the walls or keeping them yellow? The two most popular suggestions for painting ceilings is to 1) paint them white or 2) dilute the wall paint 1/2 to 1/4 strength with white paint so you get a lighter version of the wall paint on the ceilings. Another suggestion I've read is to paint the ceiling the lightest shade on the same paint strip the wall paint was chosen from. Some like to paint the ceiling the same color as the wall or even a darker shade, but I think those options are probably for the more adventuresome or those who have knack or expertise in decorating. It all seems to be a matter of taste. You might want to post over at the Home Decorating thread for most suggestions.

As for diluting color . . . You cannot simply cut the colorants without understanding the base color and what the colorant is. Example. I have a can of paint here that has 4.25 / 32 Y3 Oxide Yellow 5 / 32 S1 Black 12.125 / W1 White 2.5 / 32 R3 Oxide Red in Base 2 If I cut the formula in 1/2 the white also gets cut in half and I will end up with a color that is darker, not lighter than the original formula. The computer systems are literally doing the math, but not all colorants are equal in strength - red it more transparent than most other colors, yellow is weaker than many other colors, so getting the mix right can be difficult. If you really want a lighter color that is between two shades it can be done, but I generally will buy a sample of the lighter shade and the darker shade and find out if they are both mixed with the same base. If they are in the same base you can play with the colors and mix the lighter and darker colors in different ratios until you find the perfect shade. I use syringes to measure the amounts so I am sure that the ratio is measured accurately. Then I do my own math to determine the amount of each colorant used in the samples and provide the paint store with the base color and the formula that has resulted in the color I want. If they are in two different bases you can do the same thing, but you will need to buy the appropriate amount of each paint and mix them together in a 5 gallon pail with an paint mixer drill attachment or ask the paint store to mix using their mixer. The same applies if you are trying to get a color that is just a tinge more green or yellow or blue than another. Tools like easyrgb have made a lot of this unnecessary - I can find a similar color in another brand and have it matched by my BM or SW paint store.

Understand there is a cost to splitting the two (labor & materials to tape off, labor to paint another day, and slightly more paint. Check w large samples of both colors each on wall and ceiling surfaces and then determine if the cost and time is worthwhile.

Hi, thank you for your comment. No, architecturally it's not. So I've installed MCM light fixtures and own MCM furniture, but I feel like because the outside isn't MCM at all, I should keep some of the more traditional, upscale aspects of the house like the wainscotting. I have considered it though! I mainly just don't want to spend extra money on a new fireplace design. Paint color wise, I feel it's safer to use the same white across the board. I'm just not sure what the experts say.