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Survey: Should We Paint This Ceiling?

2008_08_20-Ceiling2.jpgI am in the middle of painting and rental-style-renovating an old Craftsman home. It came complete with a unique paint job - most of which has been safely covered by now.

But here's one bit we're debating over. The ceiling was painted with a brown-grey paint in this pattern that echoes the window frames. We repainted the walls with a lighter shade (Abalone from Benjamin Moore) but coincidentally it's complementary to the original color of the room. What do you think - should we keep the painted ceiling, or paint the whole thing the same color as the walls? Take a look at more photos after the jump, then come and vote!

 
 

2008_08_20-Ceiling.jpg

2008_08_20-Ceiling3.jpgOh, and just for the record, it is not an option to repaint the pattern in our new color!

Related: Painting Baseboards and Trim to Match the Walls

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Comments (27)

I like the effect, however, since the ceiling is darker, it makes the ceiling feel lower....I would paint it out, but maybe try to redo the pattern?

posted by DecorAddict on August 27th 2008 at 7:20am
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paint it white

posted by lena024 on August 27th 2008 at 7:22am
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The ceiling is rather unique. Leave it alone.

posted by zenxen75 on August 27th 2008 at 7:24am
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I like it.

posted by AZkathy on August 27th 2008 at 7:26am
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Live with it for a while.

posted by Deborah on August 27th 2008 at 7:26am
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Live with it, if you decide you don't like it, paint the ceiling white.

posted by cms on August 27th 2008 at 7:29am
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I like it - leave it! It defines the spaces of the room nicely, and I like how it echos the windows.

posted by ilovebutter on August 27th 2008 at 7:38am
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You are so lucky that you were given an interesting ceiling!
Enjoy it as it is.

posted by bepsf on August 27th 2008 at 7:41am
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I like the look of the ceiling with the rest of the room. I say leave it, and if in a couple weeks you find you don't like it, then paint it.

posted by tgfoo on August 27th 2008 at 7:41am
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Agree- I like the ceiling and wouldn't touch it.

posted by tallguylehigh on August 27th 2008 at 7:45am
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where's option #3?:

(__) paint the ceiling in a non-wall color (white, lighter, etc.)

posted by redneckmodern on August 27th 2008 at 7:58am
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It's cool but in the pictures it looks like the pattern makes the ceiling appear really low. I'd probably paint over since I have claustrophobia issues.

posted by Nikita on August 27th 2008 at 8:04am
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I like it a lot---a lot of time was spent painting it that way.
All that blue tape around the room really makes it look strange in the photo's.

posted by poptart on August 27th 2008 at 8:17am
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I like it, but would probably get tired of it, which is the perfect scenario for you. live with it for a while, it'll be fun to have something unique in the space (and it definitely doesn't "not go"), and if/when you get sick of it, paint it then!

it's primarily white, too, so I can't imagine it closing in on you too much.

posted by amt230 on August 27th 2008 at 8:24am
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Looks busy, and perhaps like they were trying a bit too hard. Drawing your eye up is nice, but this is a bit distracting.

posted by ChzPlz on August 27th 2008 at 8:39am
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I really like the ceiling treatment - Looks like it was well considered and very well done. The effect is subtle, not at all claustrophobic to me.

posted by annamaria on August 27th 2008 at 8:42am
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The ceiling pattern is so neat! Keep it!

posted by Aimi on August 27th 2008 at 8:47am
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I'd leave it. It is very reminiscent of the common Craftsman bungalow ceiling beams, but in a more "modern" way. Like an echo of the past. I wish my home had something so interesting.

posted by fjorlief on August 27th 2008 at 8:53am
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Oh i like it, i'd live with it for awhile at least.

posted by DahliaCactus on August 27th 2008 at 8:54am
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I love that someone took the time to do this in the first place! I would live with it for a while; I think it looks awesome.

posted by mcq on August 27th 2008 at 8:55am
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Quick check-in - we left it! We got to the point where "what looked best?" was answered by "what requires no more painting?"

It actually raises the ceiling a bit, in normal perspective. Hard to show it in photos.

Thanks for all the feedback! (Maybe later I'll show you the black stripes that were in the bedroom... and red ones in the dining room... and the purple office.)

posted by faith on August 27th 2008 at 9:19am
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paint that ceiling white!
Personally, I think it's a bit cheesy the way it is...

posted by kpetuck on August 27th 2008 at 10:09am
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It's not that they should match, there are no "shoulds" in design, but I say paint it because the ceiling is way too busy for all those architectural details you have going on there. It's a little claustrophobic.

posted by semidivine on August 27th 2008 at 11:01am
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The ceiling looks divine as it stands---and kudos to those who took the time to measure, tape and paint the design. I like what Fjorlief wrote, it's a "now nod" to the beams typical of Craftsman construction.

posted by krister on August 27th 2008 at 11:07am
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i love the detail, surely keep it!

posted by sanna on August 27th 2008 at 11:25am
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paint it white. That ceiling is too busy and awful.

posted by wild-er on August 27th 2008 at 5:16pm
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It's a beautiful detail - it's hardly "busy". It's not like there are zebra stripes on the ceiling or something. Once furniture's in the room it should add some nice balance, instead of a big flat mass of nothing up there.

posted by sunspot42 on August 27th 2008 at 9:38pm
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