VAULTED (ANGLED) CEILINGS & WHAT COLOR THEY SHOULD BE: PART 3

IDEAS FOR VAULTED OR CATHEDRAL CEILINGS

It USED to be hard to pick a color for an angled ceiling, but NOT ANYMORE! Lucky for you, you’ve got a lil Ginger in your back pocket (who pinches upon request), and she’s here to help.

And the big question always is…

Should your angled ceilings be wall color or trim colour?

Let’s find out!

While there are many room layouts and lengths/sizes of ceilings, both angled and flat, there are two main types…

1. both sides are angled (also known as vaulted) and meet at the top in a triangle – there are no horizontal sections

2. there are one or more angled areas, along with a horizontal top section

And while both can be treated the same, your ceiling is technically your ‘fifth wall.’ For this reason, you can’t go slappin’ any old white paint color on it – it deserves a little KLC.

Photo via V1 Real Estate Photography

But before we start, I want to acknowledge that I talk a lot (in real life, too). There’s a TON OF INFORMATION  here, but only half of it relates to you and your home. If your home has a simple vaulted ceiling, read the following info. HOWEVER, if your home has a vault AND a flat area at the top, you can pop down to the next section. Or, be a super-nerd like me and read both.

If your ceiling has NO ANGLES but is high and flat, READ THIS.

A CEILING WITH TWO ANGLES (& NO FLAT AREA)

Do you call it a vault, angle, slant, cathedral, or slope (I use all four terms and treat them as one)? It doesn’t matter; the idea is that you have two ceiling areas that rise on an angle, meeting in the middle (hopefully). And it can be hard to figure out what color they should be – the same as the walls, the trim, or something else entirely!

Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White and Benjamin Moore’s White Dove

PAINTING AN ANGLED CEILING THE SAME COLOR AS THE WALLS

Let’s assume your cathedral ceilings are angled but flat (no texture), and you want to paint them the same as your wall color (we’ll look at textured ceilings shortly)…

• The lower your angled or slanted area starts, the better it looks painted the same color as the walls (as shown below).
• If your room has a lot of natural light, angled ceilings can look good in white, off-white, light, and even some light-medium depth shades (approx. 50 LRV to 93).
• Darker rooms can be painted darker colors (ceilings & walls), but the lower LRV a paint color has, the less light it will bounce around. This creates a moodier look.
• If you have an uneven line where the ceiling and wall meet, painting them the same color helps disguise it. If you’re an amateur painter, this approach makes for less cutting in! It can also save money if you’re hiring a painter.
• Painting your walls and ceiling the same color creates a seamless, restful palette, as there aren’t as many breaks in your sight line. Depending on your chosen color and depth, this can make a space look larger.
• If you love the architectural details or shape of your ceiling, painting it the same color as your walls can dilute its effect. This is because you’re blending the point where the walls/ceilings meet.
• Adding crown molding is another way to define your vaulted ceiling – even more so than paint color.

Not sure what LRV is? READ THIS – it’s friggin’ amazeballs.

Are there exceptions to the above?

HECK YES, it just depends on the room and its vibe. These guidelines give you some direction to help you make an educated choice for your space!

This games room/family room has the same warm shade of beige on all surfaces with red-toned wood trim and beams. This makes the room look more seamless…

This room isn’t a cathedral-style vault, but you get the idea.

Personally, I might paint the ceiling a softer version of the wall color to make the beams pop and show where they join the walls. Or, for a cozier look, I might go DARKER than the walls. It’s a family room and can handle some coziness!

As for this next vaulted ceiling, the owner wanted a seamless look. In this case, painting the ceiling the same as the walls makes sense…

Personally, I would like to see a contrast between the wall and the ceiling to show off the small vault! 

IF YOUR CATHEDRAL CEILING IS TEXTURED OR POPCORN

If your vaulted ceiling is textured or if you have popcorn ceilings, they should be the same color as the trim.

Do you have wood trim? Pick a white paint color for your ceiling that suits your wall color and your room’s finishes.

This next room is a great example of textured ceilings, wood trim, and a white ceiling…

The Best Paint Colors With Wood Trim

While we could lighten the wall color by 75% and use that on the ceiling, that can be a hit-or-miss approach as undertones can CHANGE.

PAINTING A CATHEDRDAL CEILING THE SAME COLOR AS THE TRIM

While painting the ceiling and walls the same color is EASIER, the most popular choice is to match your angled ceiling sections to your trim.

When you have white walls, using the same shade of white is the BEST choice. 

Let’s assume your trim is the best color for your space. It can be tricky to have cream trim, as cream isn’t always a great ceiling color. You might consider painting your trim a more flexible, modern shade and carrying that onto the ceiling. If that’s OUT of the question, try lightening your trim color by 50% for the ceiling. Just remember, your ceiling could have a noticeable yellow hue.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have cream or warm white trim and paint your ceiling a WHITER shade, it can make your trim look even more yellow/dingy in comparison. In return, your ceiling can come off looking harsh/stark. BE CAREFUL!

The Best Paint Colors for Cream Cabinets & Trim

Wait, aren’t we assuming your trim is a good, flexible color? Yes, back to that. 

In this next bedroom, if the ceiling were painted like the walls, the room would look too heavy…

The Best SLIGHTLY DARKER Shades of Beige

The exception is if the room dweller WANTS a heavy, moodier look. In that case, it could work. As it is, the ceiling matching the trim is the perfect balance for this space and its finishes.

As for this next room, there’s LIKELY a horizontal area somewhere up there, but let’s look at the bit of vault…

• Because the walls are a slightly darker gray (Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray), painting the ceiling the same could look too stormy and heavy.
• While the trims are wood, the soft white ceiling (Benjamin Moore’s White Dove) ties into the white linens on the bed. Without these linens, the white ceiling could look out of place.
• Painting the vaulted areas white helps show off the peak around the window.

NEED HELP? 

LET ME CHOOSE YOUR COLORS FOR YOU! 

THREE REASONS WHY WHITE CEILINGS & TRIM ARE A GREAT IDEA

1. Painting ANY white surface in your space the same shade of white is a great way to establish flow and consistency. I RARELY recommend mixing and matching whites.

2. A white ceiling is a great way to create flow between rooms – it becomes a visual link throughout your home.

3. As shown above, a white ceiling defines the joint between the wall and the ceiling.

A white ceiling shows off your room’s shape and architecture more than blending it in with the same color.

This next living room has a few sloped areas…

While the angled ceiling areas COULD be painted the same color as the walls, the white shows off the architecture and goes with the room’s vibe. Notice how the triangle-shaped vertical wall (behind the fan) is the same as the walls – NOT the ceiling.

In a room with mixed ceiling levels, more so than a room with NO flat ceiling, the color you paint your angled areas tells you which surface they belong to – walls or ceiling. 

Remember, this is a TON OF INFORMATION (#seriouscaseofverbaldiarrhea). Remember, only a tiny part relates to YOU and your home. If your home has a vaulted ceiling like the ones above – YOU’RE DONE! Zoom down to the end of this blog post and see some helpful/related blog posts.

However, if you’ve got a combination ceiling, keep on reading…

A CEILING WITH ANGLED AREAS & A FLAT, HORIZONTAL AREA

Seriously, there are SO MANY situations and exceptions. I want to hit them all for you, but we’d be here for DAYS (insert wine HERE). Instead, read the info below and look at the photos for inspiration…

First, let’s ignore the horizontal part of your ceiling and focus on any ANGLES…

WHERE DOES YOUR VAULT START?

Some angled walls start closer to the floor or approx. eye level. The lower your angle starts, the more likely it should be painted the WALL color. Few situations exist where a low angle would be ceiling color (i.e., only if it’s textured).

In this next room (both photos), the angled area starts low, so it makes sense to paint it the same as the wall…

The top photo shows how the wall color can reflect on the ceiling! 

The same goes for this next cozy guest room…

The owner chose to paint the ceiling the same as the trims. However, because the wall color is light, they could’ve covered all drywalled surfaces.

In some rooms, the angled walls start higher, at the eight-foot+ range. Whether these are painted trim or wall color depends on the room’s size, the color’s depth, and the homeowner’s intentions (do they want light and bright or tight n’ cozy?)

As for rooms with angles or vaults that start higher (i.e., 12+ feet), it’s a mixed bag. As an example, this next living room’s angle starts super high…

Thanks to the lighter color on the walls, they COULD paint the ceiling the same. However, the white ceiling makes the room feel grand and a bit brighter than it would with non-white ceilings.

Each space has its vibe, but many rooms can handle both approaches.

In this next bedroom, the vault starts at a standard height of 8-9 feet and looks flat (in texture)…

While the current wall color (Repose Gray) is too dark for the walls AND ceiling, it could be great for all surfaces if the walls were lighter (like a flexible, warm off-white).

Because this next ceiling is textured, it’s best painted white…

The Best MODERN Beige & Tan Paint Colors

In this next hallway that leads into a great room, any ceiling area (non-vertical wall) is the same color as the trim (Benjamin Moore White Dove). Only the vertical wall space behind the pendant light is wall color as it BELONGS to the walls, not the ceiling…

Sherwin Williams Colonnade Gray

As for the horizontal, flat expanse of the ceiling…

HOW BIG IS YOUR HIGHEST, FLAT, HORIZONTAL CEILING AREA?

Regardless of how high your angled walls start, note the SIZE of any flat, horizontal ceiling area.

However, this ‘highest part of your ceiling‘ isn’t always perfectly horizontal – it can even have an angle (shown below). The idea is that it acts as the ‘top layer of ceiling’…

Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray with Pure White trim and ceiling

In the following info, ‘flat horizontal ceiling’ also refers to the above ceiling layout.

And while I could go on and on with mundane little points, for the sake of brevity and my last remaining thread of sanity, let’s bullet-point this bad boy…

• It’s more common to find angled walls with small, flat horizontal areas in bedrooms, kitchens, and entryways.
• Great rooms and living rooms often have vaulted walls with larger flat horizontal expanses of ceiling.
• The smaller the room, regardless of the DEPTH of the wall color, the MORE LIKELY it is that all surfaces can be the same – walls, angles, flat ceiling – sometimes trim, too!
• If your highest horizontal ceiling area is EXPANSIVE and your walls are DARK, it should more likely match the trim (assuming your trim is the best color for your room).
• On the other hand, if your highest ceiling area is big and your walls are LIGHT, it could match the trim OR the walls (assuming you’ve painted the angled areas this as well).
• More COLORFUL walls can overwhelm a room if this color extends to the ceiling. Sometimes, you can include the angled walls, but if so, the horizontal area matching the trim is often the best choice.
• Remember, if your ceiling is textured, it should be painted with white ceiling paint or a lighter version of the wall.
• If your room has a lot of white (trim/linens/decor), a white ceiling can add to the palette and create a connection.
• Flat ceilings are ALMOST ALWAYS painted in a flat sheen. Gloss/sheen will show off imperfections.

A FEW EXAMPLES…

In this next kid’s bedroom, the white ceiling gives visual relief to the blue and gives it something to contrast and play with…

Plus, a blue ceiling in this room would be too much of a good thing- white makes sense, especially with the decor. However, if you remove the white bedding, the white ceiling won’t look nearly as at home!

This great room (below) has a large vaulted ceiling that looks best painted white, like the trim…

Notice how the natural light shifts and makes the white look grayer in some areas. Imagine if the ceiling were as dark as the walls; it would be HEAVY.

This next bedroom is perfectly balanced…

The Best Blue-Green Blend Paint Colors

The angled walls start low, so visually, they BELONG to the wall space, not the ceiling. This means they best suit being matched to the walls. However, the flat ceiling area is substantial and looks best in white (which matches the trim).

Which surface do you want your angled walls to BELONG to – your walls or your ceiling? 

A CEILING-INSPIRED SUMMARY

Considering ALL types – tall, short, big, and hairy (sounds like my old dating life), based on my Online Paint Color Consulting experience, here’s what many of my clients with vaulted ceilings do…

SMALL ROOMS WITH VAULTED CEILINGS

Of those with a small room and ONLY a vaulted ceiling (no flat area at the top), it’s about 60/40. 60% of my clients paint their angled walls to match the trim. The remaining 40% paint their angled ceilings the same as the walls (more so with subtle, light shades, but even with some darker ones).

An exception would be bathrooms. While the one shown above has a white ceiling, it’s very common to paint the ceiling in a bathroom the same as the walls.

4 Ideas to Jazz Up a Small Bathroom

LARGE ROOMS WITH VAULTED CEILINGS

In large rooms with only a vault and no flat area, 85% paint it the same as the trim, and the remaining 15% paint it the same as the walls (more so with subtle, light shades).

The Best Beige & Tan Paint Colors With MORE DEPTH

Remember, ceilings pick up natural and interior light in weird ways – even a white ceiling can look softer than you expect. The above ceiling is painted Sherwin Williams Alabaster, as are the trim and built-ins.

This next living room has walls and ceilings painted Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige and it looks great. While this approach isn’t as common, it can look great…

SMALL ROOMS WITH COMBINATION CEILINGS

Of my clients with angled ceilings and some form of ‘top-level ceiling’ area, if the room is small, the angled walls are more often wall color. As for the top level of the ceiling, it’s 50/50. However, it’s less common to have a small room with a vault AND a top-level ceiling (they’re often too small to accommodate both).

LARGE ROOMS WITH COMBINATION CEILINGS

• If the room is large, with a vaulted ceiling and a top flat level, 80% paint ALL of the ceiling areas the same as the trim (unless the angle starts super low).
• Approximately 15% paint the angled wall the same as the main walls. As for the horizontal ceiling area, it’s more often matched to the trim. This is even MORE so with dark colors.
• The remaining 5% paint the angled wall AND flat ceiling another color entirely that coordinates with the walls and trim.

That’s right, flat (not textured) sloped or angled ceilings offer the opportunity to do a carefully coordinated three-color palette (wall/ceiling/trim), as shown in this bedroom…

Sherwin Williams Night Owl with Benjamin Moore Stone Hearth

The Best Paint Colors for Ceilings: White, Medium, & Dark

And, of course, if you have white walls and a vault, angled, or sloped ceiling, there is NEVER any good reason to do a different shade of white on your ceiling…ever. You risk a hot mess of whites with clashing undertones if you do.

Sherwin Williams High Reflective White on all painted surfaces.

PAINTING CEILINGS WITH AWKWARD ANGLES

Sometimes, there’s no rhyme nor reason to the connection between walls and ceiling, as shown in this dining room…

While it might intend to look like cove-molding…it doesn’t.In this case, painting the walls and ceiling the same color helps to simplify the wall-ceiling connection.

Ideally, the above ceiling would be flat – it shouldn’t BE textured. However, when you’ve got an existing space you’re working with, you often have to find a happy medium!

READ MORE

Should My Ceiling Color Match My Trim or Walls? PART 1

The Best Ceiling Paint Colors: Light, Medium, & More: PART 2

Tray Ceilings: What Color They Should Be Painted: PART 4

What Color Should You Paint Your HIGH Ceiling (PART 5)

NEED HELP?

CHECK OUT MY ONLINE PAINT COLOR CONSULTING

Chat soon,