When sizing up a room for a makeover, giving thought to what colour to paint the ceiling isn't the first decorating dilemma we hit upon. Usually a foregone conclusion, the ceiling gets a coat of flat white and on we go. However, there are options for the overhead space that can enhance the overall ambiance of the room. A hint of colour, the palest blue, pink or violet, will complement the mood you have set with the walls. If you have chosen a dark, dramatic hue for the walls, a white ceiling will look undressed, unfinished, too much of a contrast. In a dining room clad with wine red walls, I would suggest an aged ocher for the ceiling. For a wood and dark grass green library, any shade of tan overhead will build on the atmosphere.
Halls and bathrooms are smaller spaces that you can really have a bit of fun with. The entrance to your home is where you make your first impression. It is the space that greets you every day, and welcomes guests when they come for a visit. Here's the place to let your imagination go, and try a little ingenious painting. Trompe l'oeil is French for trick the eye, and it describes the technique of drawing or painting a picture or an image that looks real. Ceiling beams or mouldings can be realistically painted onto a flat surface using light and dark shadow lines to build the illusion of dimension. Going one big step further, an entire picture or scene can be produced. The ancient map that covers the ceiling of the grand entrance hall shown here is actually a mural. The ceiling space was measured and the intricate map painted to size on a rectangular piece of canvas pinned to a wall. Working on a ceiling is very hard on the neck and back, so if possible, this is a good way to avoid it. Once complete, the canvas was glued to the ceiling just like wallpaper.
Both the hall and bathroom ceilings were created by my artist friends Jim Connelly and Peter De Sousa of Masterpieces Studio. There is no doubt that much skill is involved for the more difficult trompe l'oeil images such as the map. But even if you aren't an artist, you could master a simpler image. Because the bathroom ceiling had a fan in the middle, plus lights to work around, cutting and fitting a canvas would have been difficult. Also with water and steam, a mural installation could have bubbled or curled in the corners. So this blissful image of bamboo stocks fluttering on slightly draped fabric was painted directly onto the surface. The ceiling was divided up in pie-shaped sections starting at the centre vent. Use a chalk line to mark off the long branches, then sketch on the leaves. Fill in the branches with shades of brown, applying darker edges and lighter strokes inside each branch to create dimension. By varying the shades of green for the leaves, you will see how realistic they look. There is no window in the bathroom, so pick a direction that the light would be coming in and hitting the ceiling. To create the impression of draped fabric, paint the top white and the dips grey. Keep this consistent. Practise your technique on a large piece of paper or cardboard until you get the feel for it. You will be amazed and very pleased with the results. Don't overpaint, and remember that if it doesn't work the first time, you can always paint over and start again.
Ceilings can be fun and fanciful. Discover what a bit of colour and artistic flair can do for your rooms.
Debbie Travis' House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Please email your questions to house2home@debbietravis.com.
