What will people do in it: Sleep? Watch TV? Work on papers? What furnishings will it have: Do you already own them? What are their colors? What will the flooring be: As is? A rug? How are the window and lighting oriented? What lighting will be added? An excellent designer recently wrote on AT to paint walls and ceiling at the end. It's easier to select paint colors that work with the rest of the room than the other way around.

*Oops, I read now that it will be a bedroom.* It would be hard to go wrong with pale off-whites for the walls and ceiling since you can bring in more interesting colors with the window treatment and bedding. On the other hand, there've been some pretty pale pink bedrooms on AT lately. The right pink could warm the room and minimize its darkness.

White. And maybe put in some decorative beams. A store in San Francisco, Prairie Collective did this using reclaimed wood and it turned out really nice. The process is documented on Design Sponge.

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/08/we-like-it-wild-the-making-of-a-shop.html

If you're renting I wouldn't bother with the beams just white paint. And I would get rid of that tall floor lamp it just makes the room look smaller and the ceilings look lower. I realize this a paint question but I think paint is not going to be enough to transform this space. I think more than paint you need to focus on your furniture. A lot of what I see in the photo looks clunky. And I don't think that dark colored rug is helping to brighten the room. I would get rid of it completely and if you want a rug buy a light colored, cream or white one. Lighting and storage will go a long way to create a bright and uncluttered space and help you achieve a room that is peaceful and calming but is still warm and full of life and personality.

With walls that low and slanted, I would paint everything one (light) color. We have attic rooms that are similar in our house - walls and ceiling were different colors when we moved in and it just draws attention to the angle and makes it feel more oppressive. Painting it all out a light color opened it up, and I brought in bright color and patterns via fabrics like bedding.

Color is such a personal thing, but if the main issue is the size/shape/darkness of the room, I'd suggest using lighter tones - especially if updating the lighting is not in the budget or plan. So here's my basic advice:

Our eyes percieve light on vertical surfaces (walls, cabinetry, even large furniture or artwork) meaning we judge the lightness or darkness of a room by the walls first. Think of it this way: a room with white walls and a black floor will always look lighter than a room with black walls and a white floor.

Pittsburgh Paints has an AWESOME line out right now called Atmospheric - and the colors are just that; interesting neutrals that will give the space character and life without going too bold for a bedroom.

Lastly, a fresh coat of bright white on the trim and ceiling never hurts! I'd also consider changing the window covering to something simpler - mini blinds are inexpensive and still give privacy while letting a little more light in.

Good Luck!

I would paint the walls and ceiling the same light color. Creamy or ivory lace from SW are both nice. Instead of painting the ceiling Poised Taupe I would paint the wall with the window that color. and put the head of the bed under the window. Swing the table or dresser around to the wall where the bed is now. Nix the floor lamp for one on the dresser and one on a night stand. I really like the taupe you have picked.

This is so strange; I've just completed painting my attic room that looks so similar. I spent forever trying to decide on the perfect color to make the space fun and inviting and un-attic like.

In the end, I went with antique white with dover white trim by Sherwin Williams. I did however paint the floors with an epoxy so they they're shiny dark brown, almost black, called Black Fox.

I've added tons of color with some furniture and fabrics. Spray painted some chairs i found on the side of the road, that kinda thing and did Ikea white window treatments for a simple look.
I've decided to share the album I made while doing the project, which ended up being a guest/tv room and my office. It's still a work in progress as i moved my desk yesterday, but here are some before and after pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/ChloeGuernsey/AtticWorkSpaceBedroom?authkey=Gv1sRgCI2r8rj6jPfuuQE&feat=directlink

It seems you could go with white, pale yellow, or robin's egg blue...or even a great pale gray, depending on your taste and the decor. I'd paint it all one color, though, because it doesn't seem like it'd be helpful to break it up. That looks like one of those spaces that would even be served by having a light floor or rug that's a similar color to the slanted walls and ceiling.

If you are leaning toward pale, neutral colors, then you can certainly make that work. It will maximize the light, and you can use some colorful accessories if it's feeling blah.

If you go with a stronger color, I'd stick with warmer shades - pinks, reds, etc. In that case, use a lot of white accessories. Here's an example of bolder color.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_coLFC3lIx-M/SNA6tIO72RI/AAAAAAAAAc0/5_UhXcT4KNw/s1600-h/Attic+room.jpg

wow! that pink/red room is beautiful!

Three wall colors plus trimcolors for doors and windows are just too much for this small, low-ceilinged space. (Actually, it's too much for just about any room...)

I'd select a single muted shade that works best with your existing furnishings and textiles - and use it everywhere: Matte for the walls & ceiling and semigloss for the window(s) and trim.

If you simply MUST have more than one color - stick to one color for all 4 walls, and the second color for the ceiling (matte) and the trim (gloss)

Regardless of what colour you choose (pick a colour that is in the rug or in the drapes, etc.) paint the entire room only one colour. Otherwise, it willl look very chopped up. I had a similar bedroom (except that it was as much A shaped) and I changed the wail paint twice (because I enjoy painting) and both times I used one colour on all walls/ceiling.

When I had an attic bedroom, it was really just for sleeping because of the low ceiling. I chose a blue very close to the color of Sarah Michelle Gellar's character's room in Cruel Intentions. It came out pretty awesome!

Whatever you decide, my only advice is to paint the ceiling and the short walls the same color. It will make the room flow a bit better and look more cohesive. An accent color would work on the window wall. But I would make this a darker shade than the rest of the room to make the window pop and seem brighter.

I prefer darker colors in in dark rooms - anything to make it feel intimate and cozy. You can also go a bit brighter if it tends to be dark - that makes it pop a bit more and shadowed rooms will make the color naturally muted.

blinding white. all the crazy fabby angles will still be there, but unified, don't fuss with it at all.

I have a small attic bedroom, I did Benjamin Williams "Ozark Shadows" on the walls and ceiling, (with lots of chocolate accents and a charcoal carpet) i was worried it would be too dark but its actually really warm and cozy, do something you love. I was scared to paint the ceiling the same as the walls but even with a dark color it makes the room look a little bigger.

Oh and by Benjamin Williams I meant Benjamin Moore! I should probably do a little less multitasking at the end of the day!

Mermaidblue--In case you're still checking this thread, I would LOVE to see pics of your attic redo. I'm redoing mine right now to make a playroom (okay, maybe play "nook"!), tiny bedroom for my son, and office for me. My original plan was to paint the end, side, and divider walls maybe a periwinkle or cornflower blue, with the ceiling and trim bright white, but after getting the sample paint yesterday, Ive started thinking that perhaps, the soft yellow I have in my kitchen would actually be perfect for this and cheer things up a bit. It's always been pretty oppressive up there, and did have dark grey carpet, kinda white but yucky ceilings, and end walls done in this yellow that I can't really even begin to describe--it has a lot of grey mixed into it, so it always looks dirty, and just makes me want to throw up every time I look at it! Which is probably why I didn't originally think of using "my" yellow (Behr's "Rich Cream"). I've taken up the carpet (a great improvement), and since the plywood subfloor's in pretty good shape, I think I'm either just going to stain it a bit to even it out or maybe whitewash it, then stencil a pattern on it, probably in a diluted bronze glaze. Which all sounds a lot lime what you're talking about, so I'd really like to see what you've done, if you have some way of doing that. I can't find any way other than posting here to reach you, so we'll see what happens!