As we've seen from the Small Cool contest entries, color can enliven and personalize a home, from a burst of color in an exuberant room to a mellow wash of color in a serene one. But walls aren't the only potential canvas in your home — as these rooms show, sometimes the best option is to look up.
Painted ceilings look best paired with muted walls — otherwise, you might end up with a room that feels overwhelming or claustrophobic. That said, with the right hue, adding color to your ceiling is a creative and easy way to redecorate without buying new furniture or accessories.
1. A mustard-yellow ceiling compliments a bright pink couch in Chris & Steve's Colorful Gothic Family House.
2. A bubble-gum pink ceiling accentuates the architure of this gorgeous room from The Marion House Book.
3 . A shiny, pale blue ceiling looks almost ethereal against the lake views of this home from Sköna Hem.
4. Jeffrey Bilhuber plays off the Hermès box trend with this lacquered orange ceiling.
5. A blue ceiling pops against white walls and orange accents in this room from House Beautiful.
Image Credits: 1. Apartment Therapy 2. The Marion House Book 3. Magnus Selander for Sköna Hem. 4. Bilhuber & Associates 5. House Beautiful.
Must-See Small Cool Homes: Week Two
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Shaw's Original Fir...
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
I love these! I started painting a room last weekend and will be finishing it up with the ceiling being painted this weekend!
My husband and I were just discussing if painting the ceiling was going to be a good idea for the condo we move into in June.
I love the third photo and how the blue ceiling drapes the whole room in the color (However, I'm not loving the sad little animal on the floor).
The third photo is almost looking more like a graduated filter (like you'd use on a camera to add blue to the sky or easily done in photoshop); however, still a lovely effect. Think my fav might be the fourth - a nice punch of color to a neutral room but still keeping it cozy. Nice touch.
There's not much else in the world that I hate more than pink... the third picture is beautiful though, I'll be keeping it to use when I buy my dream house :)
the bright yellow is amazing!
i dream of chunky moldings like in photo 2...
I saw old fashioned looking clock pieces mounted and working on an entryway ceiling in a movie. I love it when the ceiling becomes the fifth wall!
I'm about to paint my living room and dining room ceilings, but none of these do that much for me. I like the last one the best.
That last one looks like it has a low ceiling. I painted my old sun porch ceiling emerald green for two reasons; one to bring the summer inside in winter and two to match the greenish linoleum. I think it worked out well....