apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

You could paint the outer plaster ring your trim color, and carry the blue of the fixture into the inside field, OR do a faux finish to mirror (no pun intended) the frame of that beautiful mirror. Another choice would be a faux treatment to make the outer ring look like the wood of your furniture...Please post after pics when you decide!

If you're not going to paint the ceiling surrounding the medallion, which is what I'd do, I'd paint the medallion (trim included) the same color as the ceiling, but high gloss. Then I'd get a different light fixture - something with a more substantial tie-in to the ceiling rather than that gold-toned chain. I'd get something bold and modern. The fixture would draw attention to the medallion.

Painting the Trim of the Medallion the same color as your crown molding would bring just the right amount of attention to the Medallion without being overpowering, and it would add a nice sophisticated feel to the detail work in your dining room. I like the light fixture, but a nicer hanging instead of the gold chain would dress it up a bit.

I agree with Fire Wife Katie - a new light would be a huge improvement and really draw the eyes upward to the medallian. And a bold, modern fixture would contrast very nicely with the large, traditional mirror and medallion.

I'm picturing something like this: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20131887

The Ikea light mirrors the circles of the mirror and medallion, as well as the straight lines of the furniture and crown molding.

Honestly, I wouldn't touch your room. You have beautiful wooden elements and arts that stand out, and I don't feel like you need to highlight the medallion. It's already done by the circular mirror that echoes the shape.

With the dark wood, the gold and the mural color being already very present, I think that the texture in the medallion is enough.

If you really want to do something: same color as the ceiling, other gloss.

A light fixture like this

http://images.netshops.com/mgen/master:MUR647.jpg

would really draw your eye up to the medallion.

The reason your medallion doesn't stand out is because there is a colourful stained glass lampshade with a gold chain hanging under it. :)

Ceiling medallions are traditionally not painted or highlighted (the decorativeness of the medallion itself is sufficient). In a sense, this is because they are there to present the chandelier. On my screen, it looks as if you already have a different colour on the perimeter of the medallion than that of the rest of the ceiling. I really wouldn't go beyond that.

In your case, I would instead focus on finding an appropriate historic chandelier. You haven't given us the age or style of your house, but going on what I can see, I might choose something like this:

http://www.oldhouselights.com/homepage.htm
(FIRST ONE ON LEFT)

or this:
http://www.goantiques.com/scripts/images,id,627280.html

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1930's-Pan-Chandelier-w%2f-Glass-Shades_W0QQitemZ200278804159QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-c.-1930s-Crystal-Chandelier_W0QQitemZ280359361546QQcmdZViewItem#ht_500wt_720

https://estore.myrlg.com/index.php?a=catalog/detail/760

Thanks all for your comments!
A few things I should add...the lamp has been in the family for 5 generations now and has to stay in the room. I am going to change the gold chain after I determine what color the medallion is going to be. It was just rewired and the old one was not going to hold it any longer. It is only a temp hanger.
I painted the whole house 4 years ago and the MS paint from SW has been discontinued. It was a unique formula that allowed the different pigments of color to show through at different times of the day depending on the light. Since I can't get anymore of this great paint, I do not/cannot want to substitute with any other brands. I so love the colorscheme as it is now (all colors go through the upper floor) that to use a paint on anything would mean changing the entire floor's colors. I know...OCD!!! LOL
It was my original thought to paint the medallion the same color(s) as the walls, but I did not have enough at that point. So I had planned on picking up more of the product and just did not get around to it until it had been discontinued.

Let's see...all furnishings are very bold traditional with deep colors. Tons of wood of all colors, accent color is primarily gold/gun metals/marble items/.
OK I am rambling...thanks again for prior comments and for any more coming in the next few days!! And yes, I will post a pic when it is done!!

Have you tried a color match from a full spectrum paint company? There are several, and as my living room is painted with full spectrum I understand why you don't want to give up its subtle qualities.

Definitely get a new fixture. I would not paint the medallion, but would get a new chandelier that has lights which cast upwards, as well as down. This would bring light up to the ceiling and medallion without overdoing it.

I think the pattern in the medallion is getting lost because it's the same color as the ceiling. I wouldn't recommend doing a metallic in the middle because than it's competing with the stained glass. Otherwise, I'd suggest a bronze (it matches your decor better than silver or gold) color for the entire, including the trim.

My suggestions would be to try what Fire Wife Katie said and do the entire medallion in a high gloss white. But not the same as the ceiling. During the day, the pattern would be highlighted and at night, the vibrant colors of your chandelier would create a dramatic effect in the dining room.

Since the medallion is flat, you may want to hand paint the pattern a few shades deeper and have it match the trim (if you still have the trim paint). I'd say pick a white with a little more depth, probably with a warmer undertone.

Admittedly, I am a period snob and I think the antique chandeliers mschatelaine suggested would be appropriate. But I think you've done a great job, since the colors in your dining room beautifully accentuate the colors of your chandelier. It's a little more formal than I think AT readers are used to but I think it's done very well. My parents have a pink stained glass chandelier and at night the lighting really adds a lot of character to the room. So kudos to you for making it work!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peninah/2459495750/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lolagetz/2987431937/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14684732@N04/2686118490/

There are a few options for dressing up your ceiling medalion.

As already noted, you can paint the whole medalion or just the moulding of your medalion the same color as your cornice mouldings or ceiling in a high-gloss paint.

You could have a glass shop fabricate an appropriately sized round beveled glass mirror which would be installed centered within the outer moulding of your medalion.

As for the light fixture, you may wish to change the domed fixture to a chandelier. A fixture with one or more clusters of lights in its top will reflect light on the ceiling and medalion creating nice light effects. If a mirror is incorporated into the medalion, the light reflection effect will be reflected on the table as well as the ceiling.

The issue with the room isn't the medallion - it's that the hanging lamp doesn't relate at all to to the rest of the room.

Although you stated you don't want to, I'd still suggest painting the ceiling a pale blue - I'd choose the color of the lightest flower that is found in the upper glass of the hanging light to bring some cohesiveness to the space.

I'd leave the medallion white since the base mouldings and window/door casings are probably white/cream - if you were to highlight the ceiling medallion in gilding or paint, it would be appear glitzy and stick out like a sore thumb unless you treated all the trim the exact same way - and would still not address the fact that the lamp doesn't fit in with your other color choices in the room.

I think it is great that you want to keep the light fixture. I wish I had something sentimental like that in my home. So people should stop suggesting that you replace it and give you a way to work it into your decor.

I think that you should paint the center of the medallion pale blue. Painting the entire ceiling would be overpowering and you would lose that texture. Paint the medallion trim the same bronzey color as the mirror and find a heavier hanging chain to match. Then I would maybe replace the cherubim with a simpler piece since the mirror and the light are already so bold.

The good thing about a project like this is that paint is cheap enough that you can play around with the colors if you don't get it exactly right the first time. Good luck!

I thought when we first bought this house I would paint the medallion in that room a light blue to create an interesting 'frame' for the light. Good option for me to consider!! I have one set of dishes and glassware are done in shades of blue, so it brings the table together for a lunch/brunch.
I know the color of the light fixture does not blend well with the rest of the house, but we are honored to have been given the piece and we will always have it in the DR. Both of our families strongly believe in handing objets and furniture down and we are fortunate to be the receipents of the family history. Our total house decor is not built upon these loved pieces, they are accessories and they accentuate the house but do not overpower it.
The glass used in making the light fixture has this characteristic of allowing the colors to change when different color bulbs are used. I use low wattage red, blue, green and a 'stained glass' bulbs and the lamp casts a different color each time. Only during the day does the lamp look blue as in the pic. Very unique lamp.
When we had the house inspector go through the house prior to closing, he told us to avoid painting over the design on all the ceilings as the plaster used to create the very subtle design would be buried under ceiling paint. It is such a delicate, intricate and beautiful design that it is hard to see and it is not visible in the pictures.
All of the mouldings throughout the house are the original wood in excellent like new condition. Doors, door and window frames and baseboards, hardwood floors are all original. When the house was completed in '63, the owners (only one owner prior to us) had wall to wall carpeting installed before anyone could walk on the floors. She had the carpet changed twice over the years and kept the entire house immaculate. So when I pulled up the carpet, there was a brand new, never been walked on hardwood floor in excellent condition. Not one mark and didn't even need a waxing!
Anyway, sorry... I tend to ramble when I talk about our house as we have put so much time and love into renovating it. Any other replies will remain short and to the point!! LOL
Thanks again everyone contributing!!! I should have an answer by this weekend...right?????

Me, I'd paint the medallion (frame and center) in a gold/bronze metallic paint. (I think there is a Ralph Lauren line at Home Depot, sold in quart jars -- I used a green version as an accent wall...) Choose or mix a combination that comes close to the other gold accents in the room, most especially whatever you use for the lamp chain. You could use gold leaf, but I think the paint luster would be more subtle and appropriate to the decor. Making the medallion darker would also give the whole installation more visual weight and kind of pull it together, I think.

So... you want change, but you're not willing to change? CLassic NYer. :)
1) Get rid of the cherubim
2) Lovely as it is, switch out the mirror for something smaller and with a narrower frame. Consider something that is not round. WHy? The current mirror overwhelms the more delicate medallion. (espec. in concert w/ the fixture-that-must-remain) And the round medallion is more easily lost with a round mirror and fixture.
This is even easier to try than painting. Just take it off the wall and live with it off for a week. Then put something smaller up there for a few days.
3) COnsider painting just the depth edge of the ceiling (the 1" or so step) and the edge of the inner circle of the mediallion the same color. Either another shade of cream/tan, or an amber, or go with a contrasting color. Even a metallic/soft sheen. Even htough its a small amount of real estate, your eye will catch the fact that the medallion border is repeated on the edge of the ceiling.

The mirror, like the lamp is very old and was also a part of the family. It must remain on display in the house. This is the only place in the two levels of house that is looks good and fits right.
I just cannot part with or stash these items anywhere but where they are now and I prefer it that way as a ton of thought and effort have been spent decorating our home. The antiques and collectibles that have made their way into our home either as gifts or the result of weekend hunting and all of the new furniture we have recently selected is here because we truly love it.

Thanks Sherry for your comments as this is exactly what I was thinking of....using RL's paints from HD. I remember walking by the paint cards there and thought those would be the colors I would use when I was ready to go forward with the plans.
I have a good idea now of exactly what I want to do, Thanks!!

There are various ways to highlight that medallion, but you need to not let it overpower the fairly delicate lines of the fixture.

I'd say that a metallic finish on the medallion could highlight it, because of the way light plays off metallic finishes, but I wouldn't just use just anything; I would use a champagne colored metallic from a company called Modern Masters. I buy mine at Janovic/Benjamin Moore stores, but if there's no place near you that sells that brand, there's probably an equivalent in another brand, but basically it's the love child of gold and silver.

Anyway... that company (and most others, as well) also makes a white opalescent color, which could be a good transition color for the moulding that outlines the medallion. Because truly that moulding is too thick and heavy for a strong contrasting color, but it does need a bit of punctuation.

If that ends up not being quite enough, you MAY need for the inner lip of the moulding to be a slightly darker gold color to set off the champagne-colored medallion from the opalescent white wider bit of the moulding.

And I think you should KEEP the mirror and the cherubs.

I hope this helps.

Right now this room is teetering right on the edge of Too Much. Painting or gilding the ceiling rose will push it over that edge.

If I were you I'd get a little pot of paint colour-matched to the paler shade on the wall, then paint the two thin flat circles on either side of the main curved molding on the rose. That should be enough to highlight the rose without making it demand attention in a vulgar 80s way.

"the lamp has been in the family for 5 generations now ..."

huh?

25 years (the length of a generation) x 5 = 125 years old

Considering that Louis Comfort Tiffany only got the idea to make stained glass lamps about 100 years ago, and the early designs were quite a bit different than this, that pendant cannot be 125 years old...

...just sayin'

It is not, nor did I say it was a Tiffany light or a reproduction at all! In fact, it was not even made for use as a lamp.
My partner's great-great grandfather made the 'shell' of this piece to use as a cover for the center of the main room of their cottage in Portugal. If you look at the design of the flowers, as it hangs now, the design is upside down.
He liked the plaster domes on old buildings and thought it would be a great idea to use glass as a decorative cover for the center of the domed roof. Also from what I gather, they did not even have electricity until his grandmother was married, so you are right there, it could not have been made as a hanging lamp

From what my partner was able to gather, he worked with glass for vases, freizes and windows and was very creative. A few years ago, we were able to finally travel to a tiny village in Portgual to meet his extended family. While there we saw his work in small window coverings (many in public buildings and in one church), some large vases and other decorative items he made and his family have retained. Most of the things, like this lamp, did not start it's life serving the purpose it is used for today. My favorite piece the family still has is a 5 paneled screen that begin it's life as the windows for the family house where all of their children were born...it was made with the same glass and basically the same colors as the lamp shade we have. It is, like all of his work, spectacular. At present it is in a home in NYC and covers huge windows that are on a big stair landing. The colors it casts throughout the room are amazing and constantly changing. Unfortunately, we are about #15 in line to receive this piece!!
I have no reason to doubt the date of this particular cover as it is dated on the inside of the edge of this piece along with his name.
I hope this fact puts your mind at ease mschat, it is a story I have told many times over the years as the now lamp does get a lot of attention from ppl visiting our home.

Thank you Curtis (and a few others) for listening to my comments and for your great ideas regarding decorating this medallion. While I enjoy hearing all comments, I was beginning to feel discouraged about my own design talents!! I take a great deal of pride in my work and in my house and to hear that I basically needed to start over was both daunting and discouraging. :(
Curtis, I think your idea about using a champagne opalescent color with a bit of silver metallic is exactly what I am thinking right now. While I would like some color, I do not want it to be so much that it becomes the only focal point in the rooms.
The ones I have seen, and in some cases renovated, were all very bold using deep golds, bronzes and coppers. If the room is large and the ceiling is very high it does look great, but for the dimensions of my DR, I need a very subtle solution.
I also like the light blue inside the medallion idea and also using a roundcut beveled mirror to reflect the light and design. The only thing with that is the center of the medallion is very textured with plaster and there is no way the mirror will stay on the ceiling.
Again thanks and keep the ideas coming!!