10 Stylish Ceiling Ideas to Transform Your Room

Why not design your ceiling like any other wall in your house? Traditionally ceilings are painted with a specially formulated flat white paint. But what if instead of drawing attention away from the ceiling, you treat it like the blank canvas it is? Allow it to transform the aesthetic: adding personality, bold colors or a touch of the unexpected.

For an understated look, paint the ceiling with a color that’s one or two shades lighter or darker than the wall color or choose a paint in the same color family. To help tie the room together, pull accent colors from décor pieces in the room like wallpaper, furniture and artwork.

For a dramatic look, paint your ceiling a different color than the walls. Go bold or subtle. Choose high-contrast colors that make an impact by looking at a standard color wheel. To find a color that provides contrasts to the walls, find the most basic version of your wall color on the wheel. The color directly opposite is its contrasting color so you’re going to want to use a shade of that base color.

For an understated look, paint the ceiling with a color that’s one or two shades lighter or darker than the wall color or choose a paint in the same color family. To help tie the room together, pull accent colors from décor pieces in the room like wallpaper, furniture and artwork.

In some southern states, you’ll notice porch ceilings painted blue. Beyond looks, the color was thought to ward off evil spirits and bring luck to the home. Let your own interior ceilings mimic the sky and paint them your own shade of sky blue. This design could work well in a kid’s room to add a sense of whimsy or in a small room with low ceilings since it helps a room feel light and airy. Add wispy clouds to complete the look.

Use painter’s tape to design geometric patterns on the ceiling and paint each section a distinct color. Let your imagination run wild with an avant-garde design of your choosing or up the difficulty level and go traditional with a chevron or herringbone pattern. Use a tracer projector to display a pattern on the ceiling to assist with taping your designs.

Stencils are easier to use than free-hand designing with painter’s tape.  Purchase pre-made stencils that you can tape to a backing before using. This one-of-a-kind look isn’t for everyone, but it will definitely be unique. Flowers, animals, and stars make great stencils for kids' rooms.

Painted ceilings are affordable and easy, but if you’re feeling more daring consider wallpaper on your ceilings. Choose from thousands of wallpaper designs, including many of our best-selling peel-and-stick versions that are easy to apply. Make sure you closely follow the directions for wall prep and get a helping hand to make things go smoother.

A ceiling covered in gold, silver, or bronze metallic paint adds a bit of glam to any room. It’s a cheap and easy way to get that vintage tin ceiling look. Metallic wallpaper designs look more elegant than metallic paint and offer greater depth and detail. Pair it with a myriad of design styles and it adds sophistication and glamour, while helping reflect natural and artificial light to cast a warm glow through the room.

Textured wallpaper like grasscloth works on the ceiling and adds a touch of softness and warmth to a room with pared down, modern furnishings. Coupled with soft textiles and upholstered furniture, it sets the mood for a tranquil bedroom space.

The most dramatic way to stamp your design on a room is to envelop it with floor-to-ceiling wallpaper. Start by wallpapering one wall and then continuing the pattern up into your ceilings. Play with this concept and wallpaper only two or three of the walls with the ceiling to get your desired look.

Shiplap walls continue to have a moment and shiplap ceilings are trending up across the country. The ease of install and dramatic results have made shiplap a popular ceiling choice for all styles of homes. You’ll find shiplap ceilings used on porches and covered outdoor patios in contemporary homes and traditional foursquares. Shiplap also adds detail to bathrooms and mudrooms.

High gloss painted ceilings are popping up everywhere and look best in a super stylized room. You need moxie to pull off this look, so if you’re confident in your color pallet and aren’t afraid to go bold, then a high gloss ceiling can be the look you’ve been searching for. The high gloss effect gives a wet and mirror-like finish to a ceiling which does wonders in a well-lit room filled with bright colors.

A vaulted ceiling with exposed beams is a desirable look but is difficult to achieve after a home has already been built. You can now add that same architectural intrigue to your bare ceilings by installing faux beams. These faux beams are made of real wood but are hollow so they are much lighter than a standard beam and can be cut and trimmed to fit into a variety of ceilings.

Add depth and layers to your ceiling by using a paint that mimics venetian plaster or limewash. To apply venetian plaster you’ll need a spatula to spread it, sandpaper to add detail, and a metal spatula to burnish it. The imperfect craftsman-like texture is making a comeback and is easier for a beginner-level DIY since it doesn’t demand perfect results.