GRAY. GRAY. GRAY. Let me say it again: GRAY.

I am in love with that yellow ceiling. Of course, on my computer monitor it looks more of a dark mustard yellow, not orange. Don't repaint it! It's a beautiful color! Gray walls would be a perfect complement to the yellow/orange, and would mute the ugly carpet a little. Also, use some area rugs to cover up the carpet. I recommend something old and oriental, or Moroccan. Something with a lot of jewel tones.

I would wait to decide until you see how the brick changes the place. I think the red brick and yellow ceilings will call for white walls...but I'm a huge fan of white walls. :)

The ceiling color is looking rather mustardy to me as well. I would expose the brick, paint the ceiling more of a coper color (paint with a sheen might be nice) and then keep the walls white. In general I don't like rugs on top of carpet, but you may want to do that to mask the wall to wall carpet and create some more room definition. This pub has copper and brick: http://kercorconstruction.com/projects/brickyard-gastropub/

Is that brick or concrete block? It looks like block from the photo.

Why are you putting so much effort into a place that you do not own? Removing paint from bricks is a lot of work and painting any ceiling much less a tin can make a place look worse if not done correctly. In this room alone you would to paint around track lighting and duct work.

Personally, I like the color of the tin ceiling it looks kind of like copper. Put your effort into furnishings and decor. If your landlord will let you (big if) see if he will let you take up that carpeting. There may be concrete floors underneath and that would look so cool in a loft.

I'm a fan of painting the walls because she said there's water damage that is seeping through and the landlord recommended a darker color. That pretty much necessitates painting.

Oops *tin one

That's a nice big space, you can do a lot with it. Although it is a loft, the ceilings don't look very high. So I would tend to want those painted white as long as the landlord is offering. Paint the walls white as well, but a different shade of white (cool white on ceiling, warm white on walls). I also don't get wall to wall carpet in a loft, especially one with a moisture problem seeping through the walls. But I've learned that a white with a tiny bit of taupe to it does wonders with the universal apartment tan carpeting. That and covering them over with area rugs. Good luck.

Can I second Pi on the grey suggestion - grey and yellow look great together. Google some images and find one you like.

Or if you keep the ceiling the mustardy color it is now, I agree with Pi, gray walls would do wonders for it.

Hi Amy,
that is a such a huge question. For me, painting a room is one of the best investments of our design dollars. I'm not afraid of color ( we must have a pink room for the pink themed house party?!?! ) and have made plenty of mistakes (yellow has way too many connections in the bathroom. ahem) but it's just paint and amazing things happen when it's right.

So, I say get creative as long as your willing to paint it back white when you move, your golden. Start by ruling out the primary colors that you know you don't want, them go exploring online and in magazines etc; then clip a few pics and go to your favorite store and buy the small samples around those colors. relax and have fun with it. paint a large enough spot on the wall (or a board or something ), let it dry and see what happens when the light changes. maybe asking such simple questions like; " would I like coming home to that wall? or does this make me feel happy, relaxed, content....

I'm leery, always leery to come of like an advise giving expert as color is sooooo personal and your going to have to live with. Do take inspiration in your favorite things-hawaiian shirt, vespa, coffee cup, vintage record player, a plant etc etc

I think strong the brick, while a truly ambitious idea, would be expensive and time consuming (not to mention having to use some pretty harsh chemicals in your living space). Try a warm grey.

If the ceiling is real tin, rather than a plastic molded to look like tin, there will be some rust bleed through for any paint. That's part of the "look" of real tin ceilings, but don't count on keeping a "crisp" true white, or other color. I have tin ceilings and enjoy the mottling, which will appear within months of any new paint and increase over time.

Painting that tin ceiling sounds like an awful lot of work. Can you come up with a glaze you could paint over the existing color that would tone it down to something you could like with? If you find the right glaze technique, it could be just one coat and then you're done. Also, if it's a glaze you can sponge or rag on, there's a lot less work for you, and it will be easier to work around all the odd corners and ductwork.

White walls with a lot of cool art could look really great with that ceiling.

If you were going to put effort into anything, though, I'd recommend seeing what you can do about the carpet, rather than stripping paint off the bricks.

I think the ceiling looks nice, it appears to be wood panels rather than brick in the picture. Suggest you can leave it the way it is. For the walls, a texture may be a good idea in white colour. For the floor, bright colour rugs thrown in on the carpet would make the place look warm and cosy.

KILZ on the stained concrete block should mask the stains. Good luck!

Since you're renting, I would echo PI's suggestion for gray walls, and several other people's suggestion that you leave the brick and ceiling alone. Or just leave the walls white and focus on furniture, art and rugs. Painting can be an inexpensive way to reinvigorate the space, but painting ceilings is a definite chore (even without the nooks and crannies of a tin ceiling), and taking the paint off the brick will be a long, chemical-filled process.

am I the only one who thinks that grey and yellow don't go together at all? I'd say white walls, and, if you have the energy, stripping down to brick. But it is a rental and unless you plan on living there for a good long time, it may not be worth all the effort.

I love the colour of the ceiling! I would go a greay colour as others have already suggested. You could do a relatively light grey for most of the unit and do one or two walls in a dark charcoal grey (perhaps on the walls that have the stain bleed?). Then use your furnishings to add colour, add some art, some plants and maybe some light sheers for all the windows?

Save yourself a lot of time and heartache and call in a crew to paint it with a spray gun to do the whole thing in matte white, like Benjamin Moore Decorators White. In the long run, your landlord will thank you and you will be glad you don't have to deal with painting anything back when you eventually move out.

The chemicals for stripping brick are really nasty. Don't do that to yourself for a place you don't even own.

The classic, and most beautiful, colour for tin ceilings is silver. By painting your ceiling a bright metallic silver, you will also be neutralizing the strong visual impact of the ducting running through your space.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/inspiration-silver-ceiling-til-52132

The issue with painting tin ceilings is that I suspect you have to strip the paint off the tin in order to get a good bond. If that's correct, painting the ceiling may be more work than you anticipate... If you can though, bringing the ceiling to silver would make a huge difference -- the silver works as a neutral, would make the space feel more loft-like, would introduce a different texture and make the space feel richer.

I would freshen up the walls and paint them a beautiful white... Stripping multiple layers of paint from brick (which is porous), is brutal work, requires poultices and chemicals, and may not give you the results you seek.

I would go lighter on the ceiling. The walls don't look very high and that dark mustard would make me feel boxed in after awhile. A light to medium light gray/blue-gray would look great. And really you can do anything on the walls.

Another vote for gray, for many reasons: You could use various intensities to create mini-rooms within this big room. It would leave the ceiling as the main source of color, drawing the eye up (and away from that carpet). But mostly because gray is vaguely industrial and "serious" and therefore it will harmonize with that giant honking ductwork. If you're lucky, maybe the gray will make the ductwork fade into the background. I am not a big fan of mustardy colors, but I liked the ceiling color a lot once I envisioned it with charcoal gray.

definitely putting some effort in the place , even if you do not own it, I rent but I completely renovated my home into a lofty space. Id say get rid of the ugly color of the ceiling, looks like one of those home someone has smoked to much! paint them white or maybe a very light grey to give them some industrial feeling... stripping the walls Great Idea! and all the rest white!
Good luck , let me know what you did!

I'm a big fan of white walls so maybe the landlord should look into what's causing the water damage... And I agree with @Hellcat that concrete floors would look pretty cool in this space so you should see if the landlord lets you take up the carpet (it's worth a shot right?)

Nice space to play with! What about LIGHT yellow walls, the color of dilute lemonade? That would brighten the space and give some positive life to the ceiling. If you decide to go with grey paint on the walls, I would suggest a LIGHT grey, (my taste, I think dark grey looks dreary & gloomy).
I'd start by leaving the ceiling as is, and see how you feel once the rest of the place is put together. Quite possibly if not probably, you will be content with the ceiling then.
I also agree with the idea of MANY rugs atop the carpet; you can get wonderful tribal rugs (persian, etc.) quite cheaply via Craig's List. You might also consider outdoor rugs in certain areas, the large ones are relatively inexpensive and add lots of color & pattern (if you google Sweep Dreams/Mad Mats & go to the site you will see some lovely ones).
If it were my place I would also hang lots of interesting items, small, non-heavyweight pieces of art, etc. from the large ceiling ducts, with the provision that it be done in a way that does not harm the ducts.

& p.s. Whatever your wall color, be sure to keep a can of matching paint on hand, to take care of discolorations when (or if) they occur.

Ever thought of draping fabric?

I am so tired of people assuming that because you don't own something you should not put work into making it a place you'll want to stay for a long time. Not all of us ever even plan to own. Exposed brick is far more beautiful than the white paint. I think the ceiling will look nicer once the brick is exposed, and the other walls could remain white with art to bring them to life.

Why do people say, "Why are you putting so much effort in it when you don't own". I hate that! For one, you may never own. And two, you may be living there for a really long time. If the landlord permits it, then there is nothing wrong with creating a beautiful space for yourself! {END RANT}

Congrats on scoring a great place!! I love the cieling color! I like the idea of the Grey color. Good luck with what ever you decide.

I think grey, or even a purplish-grey, could look really cool here.

For such a huge, unique, AWESOME space why would you ever paint it white?! Gray would look good, but why not go bold? How about a jewel-tone teal along the window wall? I think that would look great with the ceiling and the exposed brick (about that: I say go for it! Nothing makes a place feel more like home than putting in some blood, sweat, and tears to make it your own!)

Here's a very cool loft designed by Sarah Richardson for Sarah 101:
http://tinyurl.com/cwexdph
She uses grey, as well as rust and mustard to create a very dynamic space. I don't love everything she does, but I always learn something.

Yes I agree with Pi... GRAY! See how well it works with the duct work near the tin? Oh I love. I also LOVE the idea of having exposed brick... but considering this is a rental... (unless this is a rent to own situation...) would hate to see you kill yourself for such a pay off. Better to furnish it comfortably and beautiful and get to enjoy life rather then spending so much time on a space you will see no return on.

I can just see a wonderful pewter on the wall, maybe some bold accents ( like black or wrought iron window hardware and some amazing sheer curtains with some yellowlike details in it... ) You're so lucky to be able to live in such a space!

I brought up the point of why put that much effort in to place you do not own because the process of painting tin ceilings and the process of stripping paint from brick is really expensive and time consuming. If the person renting this place is up for the work or is willing to hire someone to do it then fine, but do not assume that it is going to be cheap or easy. End rant.

Soft, reflective gray! OC-14 Natural Cream by Ben Moore if you want a warm undertone, OC-49 Titanium (still Ben Moore) if you want a more nuanced light gray with a interesting (but very subtle) blue/green shift!

I agree with Pi and others: with grey walls, the ceiling as-is, exposed brick and a concrete floor, this would be my dream place! :-)

Forgot to post that instead of stripping the shorter brick walls on the ends, I would paint them...

Honestly, the colour really depends on your furniture and rugs -- it's pretty hard to advise on colours without seeing any furnishings. My choice would be Farrow & Ball's Down Pipe or Railings, or one of their deepest darkest blues, or perhaps something from kt.color -- either Yves Klein Blue or Yves Klein's blue/green shade (Teal?).

(hated the mustard and rust colours in the Sarah Richardson segment, as well as much of the furniture upholstery, but liked other elements).

black tin ceiling. super white walls...

There is usually a reason that brick walls are painted, and it's not that they didn't like the color of the brick.

Old brick walls often need "repointing" and sealing. I've had a few friends that had bare brick walls and after a few months they all complained about the constant dust from the mortar. Just an FYI.

That is a whole lot of mustard ceiling. I would do silver (maybe with gray walls) if you can, white for everything if you have to. With such a vast expanse of a vivid color, everything in the room will have to be designed around it. That's fine if you're starting almost from scratch and it's what you want to do, but if you don't love mustard -- or if you already have pieces from your last place! -- you really should change it. The landlord's okay with it and future tenants will thank you.

Drylok paint on the walls should prevent any further water seepage. That ceiling is seriously awesome and I wouldn't change it. Warm grey or white paint. Get some complimentary throw rugs to delineate specific areas within the room (living, sleeping, dining) and break up that carpeting.

Nice big space, but first, hopefully landlord will FIX water seeping problem + clean the carpet; (might take some ugliness out of it). Brave of you to think about tackling that ceiling unless you're a pro at painting.

If you don't have a ton of furnishings/stuff, move in & then decide; with such an open space, seems it'd be easy to move stuff away once you decide to paint (the wall with windows, for example). Looks like a great space with 1000s of possibilities.

I have a about the same size home. My main living area is also a long rectangle great room.
Do yourself a favor and keep the color light and airy. DO NOT paint the walls different colors. What I mean by that is I have a neighbor that painted(same kind of narrow great room) two of her walls green and the other two blue. Not bad colors but it accents the narrow. Makes you feel like you are sitting on a couch in a hallway. So all the walls the same color. I even recommend against an accent wall in a narrow room. Keep it light as I find going to dark in a narrow room makes it again feel like a hallway.

I'd go with the suggestion of getting a crew in to spray paint everything (walls and ceiling) matte white, or better yet, silver on the ceiling and an off white on the walls. I'd also beg the landlord to let you rip up that carpet. Good luck!

Was there water damage and the problem was fixed but the stain shows through the paint or water continues to seep through the paint? If it is the latter you have a way bigger problem than choosing colours.

I saw in the IKEA 2012 catalogue about some drapes over the ceiling. Maybe you'd like to consider that.

My recommendation is have the landlord HIRE someone to pain the colors you want. I like a white with some shimmer on the ceiling you you can pick up on the pattern, light blue on the walls and strip the bricks and let that wonderful color come through ... depending on how that looks I think it will be more than enough. Maybe a grey chevron/stripe/diagonal stripe wall at an end.