Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Painting The Ceiling A Little Darker (And Glossier)

We’re doing Children’s Hospital stuff today, but a bunch of you noticed a foyer ceiling update in the background of yesterday’s post, so we owe you those details. We actually knocked it out before the big kitchen paint-fest, but that post cut the line because it was too exciting to save for later and we have the patience of toddlers (not to be confused with having the body of a baby). We usually hate painting ceilings (big rooms = sore backs) but the foyer’s a relatively small swatch of space, so I ended up just rolling the whole thing while Sherry knocked out some simple cutting in around the edges.

Painting a ceiling a darker gray Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore

If you wanna see some ceiling painting in action, check out this video of us painting our nearby office:

Two coats later, we were high-fiving under the stars the star chandelier. It was well overdue. For the last few months it was sort of like our foyer was wearing a fancy outfit (nice painted walls) with dirty matted hair (bad yellowed ceiling). Not a good look.

Sherry got me on board with going one shade darker on the ceiling in there thanks to an image from Traditional Home. We already had leftover Revere Pewter paint from the walls and ceilings in our sink nook . It’s the slightly darker square on the same paint swatch as Edgecomb Gray, which is what’s on the foyer walls. And both are ranked among the best greige paint colors, so why not?

Foyer with blue door and gray ceiling Revere Pewter Benjamin Moore and greige walls Edgecomb Gray

We really like how it turned out, although getting accurate photos of it has proven a little rough.

Foyer with Contrasting gray ceiling Revere Pewter

Sometimes it photographs darker or grayer than it looks in real life (like the detail below, or the hallway shot from yesterday’s post). In person it’s definitely noticeably darker than the walls, but thankfully not in an oppressive or gloomy way.

Detail of Revere Pewter Ceiling Simply White Trim and Edgecomb Gray Walls

Typically we use a flat finish when we paint ceilings, but the leftover paint that we were using from the bathroom was eggshell. Turns out we really like the extra hint of sheen because it glows a bit more in the window light, helping it still feel kind of airy in a way. You can see what I mean below:

Foyer With Edgecomb Gray Walls Simply White Trim and Revere Pewter Ceiling

But I’m not sure this experience makes us ready to officially jump off The Flat Finish Ceiling Train permanently, since any added sheen ups the risk that dings, dents, or seams in the ceiling will show up more clearly. We just lucked out that the foyer ceiling was in great shape. But when we’re buying paint specifically for ceiling use (like in Clara’s room) we’ll probably stick with flat just to be safe. Update: just realized we used eggshell on Clara’s ceiling too! The light (or maybe it’s the color?) just reads really differently in there, so it looks more matte compared to our foyer ceiling.

Little Girls Room With Colorful Raindrop Walls with Simply White Background

I do think it’s safe to say that we’re fans of a non-white ceiling though (hello blue in the sunroom!). Although I feel like we’ll probably end up going with a white kitchen ceiling since there will be so much going on already with the two-tone cabinets, painted walls, and the paneling.

Our Favorite Paint Colors

If you’re having trouble picking the right color to paint your room, check out these detailed deep-dive posts about our favorite paints: 

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Comments

  1. Jackie says

    Love your foyer and the kitchen update from yesterday. We painted the kitchen over the weekend – ceiling, moldings, random beam and walls! We wanted to paint the ceiling the same grey as the walls, but then realized that the kitchen flows into the hallway and we’d have to paint the hallway ceilings grey, which would lead us all the way up the stairs. We weren’t quite ready for that, so we just stuck with white for the ceiling and the beam, and happy with how it came out. Thanks for the silicone tip yesterday too – perfect timing, we need to go back and fill in some random cracks and holes and do another coat of paint.

    Reply

  2. Teresa @ wherelovemeetslife says

    I really like the change :) Your foyer looks amazing. Do you guys get to use it often having a garage?

    And an off topic observation. You guys have the best personalities for what you do. If people picked apart a room in a photo of my house the way some people feel the need to do on the internet I don’t know if I could keep up. :) I’m thinking my holiday inspiration needs to be to learn to let more roll off my back.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Teresa! Our guests usually enter through the front, so we open the door for them a lot (maybe a few times a week when we have people over) and the cute Fed Ex buy brings Burger’s treats to the front door, so we go in and out to get packages, etc. We definitely enter and exit through the garage all the time though, except sometimes when we go on walks.

      xo
      s

  3. Cate says

    I am certain this is somewhere on your site, but is there a no-voc or low voc primer (for walls) you recommend?? Thanks in advance!!

    Reply

  4. Nicki says

    No ceiling painting happening here, but my Thanksgiving break project is to paint my stairwell in my split entryway. And the ceilings are very high. I finished the easiest wall yesterday and will do the second easiest wall today. then I will move on to the impossible parts. Wish me luck!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Lots of luck! We know how dicey that can get, but when you’re done you’ll feel so accomplished! I like you method of working up to the hard parts. Well played, Nicki!

      xo
      s

  5. Megan says

    Such a subtle change but so well put together. I am traditionally a fan of white ceilings with deeper toned walls, but you guys are doing a darn good job to change that! :-)

    I had to comment on the finish though… I wish we could reverse the trend and do eggshell ceilings and flat walls. I appreciate (and desperately need with 3 kids) the ability to clean/scrub walls, which eggshell offers – but it’s murder to touch-up. I think anything with sheen falls into that department, whereas we have touched up areas of our flat ceiling (edging) and it’s not noticable. And I totally agree with John that a slight ceiling sheen offers more light and reflection. We use eggshell in higher moisture areas (bathrooms/laundry room) and I love the look of it.

    Oh, and from what I’ve seen, most newer houses have a slight sand text or orange peel on the ceilings… both seem to do fine with white or color, regardless of flat or eggshell finish.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Someone else made a really interesting argument for flat paint on the walls (basically that it’s so easy to touch up and she never washes walls anyway, she just touches them up). I never thought about it that way, so in that sense flat really could be easier for walls – maybe you should go for it!

      xo
      s

  6. Melissa says

    Really glad you posted this — a local coffee place that shall remain nameless, we’ll call it Fivebux, recently did a renovation. The walls and ceiling are now painted light warm grey, and the ceiling is one shade darker than the walls, both in an eggshell finish I think. I love the look, it got me thinking of doing the same thing in my living and dining room, so it’s nice to see another real-life example. Your entryway looks great, and I love the subtle sheen of the eggshell.

    Reply

  7. Bonnie says

    Our new (to us) lake house has very nice marbleish tile in the bathroom, but no matter what I did the grout still looked yellow and DIRTY. Enter Custom Building Products Polyblend #381 Bright White Grout Renew Colorant 8 oz. from Home depot. Used a teeny toothbrush (I didn’t notice any fumes at all) and now it looks brand new! Check it out!

    Reply

  9. Tracey says

    I love it! I was also hesitant to paint our ceilings when my designer (mainly hired her to chose my colors) mentioned it but it looks amazing! Our living room walls are deep silver (BM) and then the ceiling is 50%. We have ceiling beams painted otter brown, also BM and it’s pretty amazing :) Loving your new house transformation!

    Reply

  11. Sammy says

    I think I’ve always worried about darker ceiling because I’ve seen loads of failed attempts and it makes the room look a lot smaller and the ceiling lower, but this colour seems to look quite nice. It definitely doesn’t make the room look less bright, good pick!

    Reply

  13. Evie says

    Your RP ceiling looks great in the foyer, and I totally love the light-bouncing sheen. I am currently ceiling-painting for the very first time in my long life, using ACK muscles that I never knew existed… But it is SO GREAT, and I just keep admiring it, saying I DID THAT! (Hahah, kitchen finished, one little strip over the bar primed, and the rest of the whole house to go…so it remains to be seen if I can stay so psyched about this…) When I got the ***need*** to paint my kitchen ceiling, all I had was SW Dover White in satin that I’d used for my kitchen cabinets and walls. So you know about ***need*** and how it made me just jump in and #geterunderway! When I got up the next day, I raced to the kitchen to see what I’d done, and I was awestruck. The satin finish was throwing the morning light around my embossed ceiling, making it look like new fallen snow, a joy to this Upstate New York girl living snowless in Florida oh so many years. I LOVE MY CEILING! Imperfections do show up, but I don’t care……the little chink and the two little cracks would still be there if I’d painted the ceiling flat and ho hum, but the happy new fallen snow from the satin finish paint is my ceiling-painting reward! I’m planning to keep going throughout the house with satin finish Dover White!

    Reply

  14. Laurie says

    I have to paint the ceiling of my kitchen and family room and I’m totally dreading it. I hate painting ceilings with a white-hot passion. I’m trying to figure out how to convince someone else to do it. Money? Baked goods? I’ll do laundry!

    I do like a little sheen but I have a textured ceiling so that hides the flaws. I think the slight sheen IS nice in a slightly darker nook. Just reflects a little light.

    That sheen will be pretty when the star chandelier is on!

    Reply

  15. Ros says

    Our bedroom is currently painted with mid-tone grey (edging onto slightly blueish in the right light), which looks fantastic against the mid-century wood furniture. With white ceilings, though, it just looked really formal, so we painted the ceiling a buttery yellow, which makes the grey look way less blue, and which catches onto the light and makes the entire room look much more cheery and bright.

    Add a huge West Elm duvet cover in an ikat pattern (in yellow, grey, and blue), and it all kinda works!

    Reply

  16. Melissa says

    Looks Amazing! Question… where did you guys get the console table in the living room? I want to get something similar but cant find the source for it =). Thanks!

    Reply

  17. Michelle | Birds of Berwick says

    I haven’t gotten up the guts to paint ceilings yet, but you guys are really making it hard to resist! Although ours are not popcorn ceilings they do have a texture. Do you think painting a textured ceiling would look as nice as your flat finish?

    I experimented with Milk paint on furniture though, and although I’m more of a modern/traditional girl I think it was the right finish for this piece I picked up from the 1880s. Katie Bower has a piece with the same pin & cove detailing and although I didn’t go racing stripes on ours I think it looks pretty good! :-) http://www.birdsofberwick.com/2013/11/25/dressing-it-up/

    Happy Thanksgiving Petersiks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’ve heard from some folks who have painted a soft color on their textured ceilings and said it was really nice! I think as long as you don’t mind drawing some subtle attention to them, they can layer into the room and look nice, although if you hate them I’d just go white so you’re not drawing any extra eyes up to them! As for your milk paint adventures… HOLY COW! So amazing. That’s a varsity first attempt right there.

      xo
      s

    • Bethany says

      LOVE how your dresser turned out! I’m definitely going to have to try this on something in the future. Thanks for sharing!

  18. Juliet says

    It looks great! I know what you’re going through. I’m in the process of doing ceiling and walls all white. Picture an attic bedroom (over 250 Sq ft) with bad knotted pine slanted ceilings that were put up in the 80s and are nearly orange from age. Now combine your ceiling post with your painted dark wood trim and boards in the kitchen, and you know what I’m up against. So much filling, sanding, two coats of Zinsser primer (stinky, yes, but the only thing that works on knots) and many gallons of paint. But boy, what a difference. I chose a satin sheen, and it really helps to bring in the light. There aren’t really any windows aside from two skylights, which aren’t in the best shape, but will have to do for now. Will finish up the stairwell this week. Looking forward to NOT painting for a bit.

    Reply

  19. Susan in Colorado says

    So I have been painting my daughters room. I have learned a lot. Yellow is hard to paint (she picked a bright yellow for one wall and a wall with the closet, so 1/2 wall) the other walls are grey. We primered it. The yellow took FOUR coats. Two gallons for a wall and half. I couldn’t understand it. When I went to Home Depot to buy the next gallon she told me if we had picked the more expensive paint we wouldn’t have had that problem. THANKS for the tip lady! lol

    Now my teen daughter is helping me paint and got paint on the ceiling, so I bought some ceiling paint to just touch up thinking it would match. HAHAHA Okay, it doesn’t match. I now have white spots instead of colored spots. I do NOT want to paint the ceiling. Is there anything we can do or either leave it or repaint.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no! What I would do is bring home a bunch of white paint swatches and tape them all up on the ceiling with delicate surface tape (don’t want to pull off any more color). Then see which one blends in the closest. That one I’d get in a test pot in a flat finish, and then use a small brush to touch up those spots. Hopefully it’ll match really well and you won’t have to repaint the whole ceiling!

      xo
      s

    • Aimee says

      I have never painted anything yellow or orange. Ever. I grew up in a stylin’ 70s house surrounded by harvest gold and orange. ‘Nuff said. Stuff of decor nightmares. I still can’t believe avocado green is trendy again. Can harvest gold be far behind? Shudders.

  21. grace says

    It’s amazing how Revere Pewter looks so different in your house. We have it in our bathroom and it reads GREEN + grey. Yours seems GREY + green/taupe in both your bathroom and ceiling. I wish ours went greyer :(

    Reply

  22. Krissy says

    When my sister moved into her house, my mom and aunt when down to help her paint. The only room she didn’t want to change was the kitchen. It’s painted this moody blue-purple-grey type of color, and then the ceiling is a dark gold. It looks really sharp, especially with crisp white trim. My mom and aunt were going to “surprise” her and paint it while she was at work (because they hated it and figured they knew best), but luckily she came home early before they had a chance!

    Reply

  23. Erica says

    Really nice change for that ceiling. That room looks so lovely. I was wondering if you’ve ever done a post on your favorite “home” magazines? I would love to subscribe to some new ones, but it’s hard to know which ones are good.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Erica! I love that idea for a post! We did one a few years back but half of them aren’t printed anymore I don’t think! So I’ll have to do an updated one (maybe with some favorite design books too).

      xo
      s

  24. Rachel says

    Ok, so I have a question for you. I’m loving the colored ceiling look. But I’m not sure it’ll work in our house. We have swirly textured ceilings. You can kinda see it here (since I don’t know the proper term for it!): http://casamarcelli.com/2013/11/20/a-tale-of-two-tables/ or
    http://casamarcelli.com/2013/11/06/swinging-from-the-chande-globe/

    So…I’m thinking that with the swirls, we can’t add colored paint as well or it’ll be too much. Which is sad. But white will be fine I think. But I was wondering – have you ever painted textured ceilings like that? I’m not entirely sure how to do it – if the rollers will work with all the crevices and texture. Any ideas? Anyone else have ideas?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Anyone ever painted swirly ceilings like that in a color? Advice for Rachel? I think a high nap roller would do the trick, whether you’re doing a soft color or white. Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

    • Nichole K says

      We have textured ceilings and we currently have eggshell paint the same color as our walls on the ceiling (one paint color is the norm for new construction). The texture showing a bit doesn’t bug me.

      In our last 1980s house, we painted the standard heavily textured ceilings in eggshell finish the same color/paint as the walls in the small bedrooms to “raise” the ceilings. It worked out fine.

      If you hate the swirls, but want color, I’d pick flat paint so the ridges don’t show up as much and it will look great!

      Like Sherry said, a roller marked for medium to rough surfaces should get in all of the cracks nicely, just go slow so the paint doesn’t splatter everywhere :).

      Also getting paint specifically for ceilings tinted to the color you want is probably the best way to go since it’s thicker and won’t drip as much. Speaking from experience here.

      (Sorry for the novel!)

    • Rachel says

      No! Thank you for the novel! That’s very helpful! That’s good to know you’ve painted a textured ceiling a color and it looked great.

  25. Kimberly Morris says

    We remodeled our daughter’s bathroom and went with a clean, all-white look. I could tell before they had finished the painting that it was going to be too bland for me (I LOVE color) so we had the ceiling painted BM Peony. We love it! It’s such a nice way to add depth to a room and it’s like a surprise when you look up!

    Reply

  26. Carla says

    The ceiling looks really shiny. What sheen do people tend to use? Bathrooms are usually painted the same sheen as the walls, but usually ceilings are flat, right?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yup, I think it’s standard for all ceilings to be flat except for bathrooms (and maybe sometimes kitchens) since a slight sheen in those rooms is more durable when there’s steam/moisture going on.

      xo
      s

    • Aimee says

      Bathrooms and kitchens, ceilings included, really ought to be painted using enamel paint. Enamel repels moisture – bonus is it’s also very easy to wipe clean.

      It drives me crazy that my rental has every. single. room. and. piece. of. woodwork. and. doors. painted in chalky flat white, including the bathroom and kitchen. That’s impossible to keep clean and unfortunately I’m not allowed to repaint myself and management shows no inclination to do so.

      I’ve developed water stains on the ceiling and walls above the tub surround that I can’t get rid of, because it’s tough to apply elbow grease while wobbling on a stepstool in a tub, and you need to scrub on flat paint. I’ve got a shower head that can be hand-held and long hair that gets flipped around in addition to the splashing you’d get from a static shower head. It would’ve been a lot smarter to have foregone a traditional tub surround entirely and simply tiled up the walls and ceiling above the tub to avoid the inevitable splashes. I will never understand why tub tile doesn’t at least go past the edge of the tub and up to the ceiling but always seems to stop short of it. So. much. cutting in! When I redid the bathroom in my old house I made sure there was tile, tile everywhere water could splash.

      Constant warfare waged on splashes near the vanity and kitchen sink – no tile, just wallboard – and I always have to scrub down the wall behind the range when cooking up top. The walls, doors, and moldings – especially the bathroom because the light switch is stupidly located, around a 4-in wide angled corner set back an additional 4 in next to the vanity, instead of on the angle at the doorway, idiot architects – are especially irksome as those frequently get fingermarks from switch-groping and it takes a ton of scrubbing to remove them. A previous tenant’s greasy splatters have bled through over the kitchen sink and range. Hot mess. Considered *cosmetic* and therefore not a problem for building management.

      I’ve never used anything but enamel paint in a bathroom, even on the ceiling, and always painted satin or semi-gloss finish in other rooms, so this makes me insane. Like someone else mentioned, who’s got time to be scrubbing walls?

      At least with enamel, you don’t get water damage springing up all over the place. You don’t *see* it as it happens on flat walls, only once it dries. Oh, and you don’t end up having dust clinging to walls like it does to flat paint, either. It’s pretty bad when cleaning behind the toilet, ripping apart a closet, or rearranging furniture involves a feather duster attack to the wall 1st!

      Do yourself a favor and use anything but flat paint.

  27. heyruthie says

    I wouldn’t have predicted that I would like it, but it turns out that it really “mirrors” the gray floor, and I like it. Good job, nice risk!

    Reply

  28. Miriam says

    I spent all day yesterday painting our bathroom! The walls had been a springy yellow-green that was cheerful, but cast a weird yellowish hue on everything. Now the walls are Benjamin Moore Violet Mist in a flat finish (I used Aura Bath & Spa paint to make sure the finish is bathroom-friendly). The flat finish makes the bathroom look much bigger– it’s like the walls recede!

    We’re still thinking about the ceiling, though. Our bathroom gets almost zero natural light, so I might stick with a white ceiling, but I’m also considering a half-tone of the wall color.

    Reply

  29. Jennifer says

    When we moved into our ’60s ranch house the previous owners had painted the kitchen walls & ceiling neon peach! Hideous! Even though the texture wasn’t perfect, we went with a nice parchment color in eggshell finish on both walls & ceiling. The windows face east, & lightening the color all over brings in so much light! The sheen helps keep it light at night, too.

    Reply

  30. Carole says

    I am frantically working to finish painting 3 rooms that all have crown molding. Really struggling to figure out how to get crisp lines where the molding meets the wall. Sherry – what is the trick when cutting in on that top edge? I am not as adept as you so know those slightly crooked lines will drive me crazy.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think I just have a steady hand after 7 years of painting stuff, but in the beginning my secret was painter’s tape (frog tape has nice clean lines)! I still use that along ceilings sometimes when I’m feeling shaky. Haha! I also like a short handled angled brush. It helps with control. Good luck Carole!

      xo
      s

  31. Amanda says

    My aunt once used a black sharpie on her grout in the foyer, and it looked great. And sharpies come in so many colors now. Maybe a quick fix until you build enough mental and physical gumption to rip it out. Yikes!
    Ceiling sheen seems to be regional. I grew up in New England, and every ceiling I saw was smooth and painted flat. Now I live in the Mountain West and every ceiling is “textured” in a smeary, troweled on look. It is hideous, especially with the orange peel textured walls. It is impossible to match the texture if you need to patch, and you can’t get a smooth line if you wanted to tape off sections of the ceiling for painted interest. Drives. me. NUTS!

    Reply

  32. Stephanie acker says

    It’s looking amazing in the Petersik home! You have the same white mirror (or at least a very similar one!)?that I have been obsessing over and it’s hanging on your foyer wall! Love it! I have seen it online for 400+. Do you mind me asking where you got yours and how much?

    Reply

  33. jenna says

    Some of these grout questions and comments make me wonder if none of your readers never had very gnarly grout/caulk/tile situations going on. I know I’ve lived with some frightful looking grout that stayed that way until I could address the problem. Patience, people!

    As for ceilings, the rule of thumb that was told to me by a professional house-painter was “Tint your ceiling’s white paint with 1/4 to 1/3 of the wall color.” When in doubt, that’s what I do. It’s never too contrasty or too weird, and it softens things up a bit since a white ceiling can seem rather stark depending on the wall color.

    Reply

  34. Virginie says

    Dear Petersiks, I would love to send a letter/sketch/painting for your bulletin board, but I am not sure it would get to you in time (I am writing from France).
    Can you please remind me when is your due date for this project ?
    I have spent so much time in hospitals as a kid. My sister had cancer (she is safe now) and most of the time I could not see her (sterile environment and all) and spent hours in waiting rooms… I do believe it is a wonderful gift you are working on for all these families!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks so much for the thought Virginie! As long as you send it within the next few days I think it would be great! We’re hoping to complete the space as soon as possible, but we’re waiting on some other things (like the reading chair, new window treatments, etc) so we have a week or two until it’s fully done I think!

      xo
      s

  36. mp says

    Love it! I’m hoping to paint my bedroom/bath in the new year and am planning on a grayish-blue BM (November Skies) as my ceiling, to eventually extend through the entire house. I’m so tired of white ceilings.

    Reply

  37. Fara says

    I love colored ceilings, but hubs isn’t such a fan. So, we are stuck with bright white everywhere.

    I love what you are doing for Children’s! I busted out an old school stick family and stuck it in a day-glo envelope!

    Reply

  38. Thor says

    Have you guys thought of taking some photography classes to help out with the tricky business of representing your house? I know DIY/home decor/indoor photography can be difficult and you guys often post about your struggles in getting colours to come across as “true.”

    Think of it like a training session or workshop for your business :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, we’d love to! We’ve actually both been learning to shoot in Manual mode for the last few months and have been having a lot of fun! We still have a long way to go, but man, if you check out photos in our archives from 2007 it’s pretty hilarious…

      xo
      s

  40. Melissa says

    Love the look of the new ceiling! I have a question about Revere Pewter. I love the color and am thinking of using it throughout our entryway and main floor. We are worried that sometimes it reads a little bit like a green color, though. Have you run into that at all with Revere Pewter?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So funny, someone else commented that it goes green in their house/lighting but ours doesn’t have even a hint of green. Must just read differently depending on the direction your house faces, how dark it is, etc.

      xo
      s

  41. Victoria says

    So beautiful. The soft glimmer from the eggshell finish really adds another dimension – I love it! The foyer, the stairs, the paneling in the kitchen all flow seamlessly and are both sophisticated and happy. I am really enjoying this transformation (and taking lots of mental notes for my Florida house). I think anyone who enters through that gorgeous front door will feel uplifted.

    Reply

  42. Amanda S. says

    I’m confused… In the post about painting Clara’s ceiling, you wrote that you used eggshell finish on the ceiling but here you make it sound like you used flat on her ceiling. Since I’m also doing some colored ceiling painting, I’m curious which it is…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      You’re right! We just ran out to the garage to double check the can and it’s eggshell! Will update the post. Somehow the light in her room (or maybe the paint color) makes it look really matte, so the foyer seems so much more glazed by comparison!

      xo
      s

  43. amanda says

    I think all the new paint looks great! The whole area looks so much bigger and brighter. However, I don’t mean to be rude but I haaaaaaaaaate that floor!! I know you have said in the past that you want to see if it can be salvaged but are you still considering that? I just think it looks so, so outdated and dingy and cheap and totally ruins the ambiance of that entryway. Please don’t try to salvage it just for the purposes of DIY! If this is your forever home, I think you should invest in something that looks classic and beautiful and not just try to spruce up something old and unattractive. Sorry if I am ranting here but I just cannot express how much that terrible floor distracts me from the rest of the loveliness of the room.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, the floor can be polarizing. We’ve definitely done our darndest to bring it back from the brink with scrubbing/steaming/wire brushes/bleach pens, etc – but not only is the very stubborn grout discolored, there are also a few broken tiles, so we’re leaning towards replacing the whole thing down the line (into the half bathroom and the kitchen so it’s all nice and seamless) with a dark heated tile. Mmm. But probably not until we gut the kitchen and make that doorway to the living room from the kitchen (so we can do all that flooring at once). We actually chatted about that in Monday’s post for ya!

      xo
      s

  44. Lisa says

    I know painting a ceiling is probably a LEAST favorite thing to do, but the finished look is SO nice. That room is just beautiful.

    I hope you guys get to take a good break this Thanksgiving holiday!

    Reply

  45. Emily says

    The reason you are struggling with color accuracy is probably your white balance setting …and it is a super easy fix. Since you have such a hard time getting colors to read correctly in your home, I would use a swatch of the white paint you use for your trim — most photographers use a white piece of paper they’ve tested, but since your trim reads as “white” to you, I would paint a big swatch of it and use that to define your white balance. In clear, bright light with no shadows (late morning is usually a good time), shoot this swatch of paint so it fills the entire frame — then set your white balance on your camera manually — this tells your camera to read this color as “white” and puts all other color into perspective based on that. Some people choose to do this in post processing, and there are tutorials for this online, but why spend more time in photoshop if you can get it right with the camera! Hope that makes sense and helps.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Emily! We do try to do that whenever we remember but it’s a great tip! In the case of this foyer I think we just had a lot of light coming from different places (the sidelights, the windows in the office, the windows in the kitchen, and the windows in the dining room were all hitting the foyer in different ways, so I was standing there holding a blanket to try to diffuse things while John snapped away). It was kind of hilarious.

      xo
      s

  46. Leslea says

    I love the grey color that you both picked out, it looks lovely! I have a question about painting ceilings in our master bedroom/bathroom. Our master room flows right into our master bath, and the existing ceiling paint has a flat finish paint in the bedroom and a very glossy finish in the bathroom, creating a sharp “line” where the rooms flow into each other. Would you recommend re-painting all of it with an eggshell finish to kind of compromise in the middle?

    Reply

  47. Nicole says

    Love the ceiling, LOVE the baby body skit. Could not. stop. laughing when we watched it over the weekend. Even now I’m grinning just thinking about it. Hilarious!

    Reply

  49. Katie says

    Our house has a lot of sloped ceilings… in all of the upstairs bedrooms and also in the foyer. Do you think this approach (painting the ceiling one step darker) would work on a sloped ceiling or is it best to keep the paint all one color in that type of situation? Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      In that situation if you want to emphasize the ceiling I’d paint it a different color (ex: gorgeous peaked ceilings in a bedroom or a lofted office would look awesome in another color). But if the slant is choppy looking and unbalanced with a lot of eaves, I might keep the the same color as the walls so you’re not emphasizing that feature and you’re helping it blend in with the rest of the room.

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