Looks like a very nice bedroom as is. Since it is just paint and can always be redone relatively inexpensively. Try just painting the underside of the soffit/bulkhead. That might give a very cozy feel to the bed.

Personally I wouldn't paint the bulkhead...I think it'd make the room feel smaller and the wall look awkward.

I agree with bostontom; then, if it feels incomplete, you can always try painting the whole thing.

Just a general rule: paint should never end on an exterior edge but rather at an interior corner. I agree that you should try painting up to the bulkhead. It would probably make the room look taller but feel smaller.

I would just paint the back recessed wall behind the bed as an accent color and leave the bulkhead the color as the rest of the room. It's an easy fix if you don't like the result...just repaint.

Looks nice and serene as is, don't paint.

Just paint the recessed wall. Will give it a headboard feel, as well as an accent wall.

No, I'd paint the whole thing. Stopping at the lower edge will create an impression of a lower ceiling.

No bulkhead.

Also, I agree that the room looks great as is. But...... if you don't paint it, you'll never know if it could look *better*. So go for it! You'll never know until you try.

paint the wall and the underside of the soffit to create an "alcove"-like feel for the bed. then paint protruding side of the soffit in unexpected, pop color or wallpaper it in the bold pattern to draw the eye to the ceiling. it will make the room to appear higher.

I was always under the impression that you would paint any walls that face forward, and leave white (or whatever color your ceiling is) any walls that face downward. Apparently this helps reflect light in the room.

So I guess you would paint the front face of the bulkhead the same color as the wall but leave the underside of the bulkhead white.

I've got bulkheads in my apartment and that's how I did it and it looks fine.

the lowered part of the ceiling is called a soffit, not a bulkhead. don't paint it. like someone else said, you should never stop paint at an exterior corner. leave the soffit white- the same color as the ceiling so that the two visually blend together; painting it will just draw attention to it.

I think the wall in blue, perhaps the bulkhead in grey? Nothing aggressive, just to tie in the headboard and give a bit more dimension and interest.

Just a thought, it may look horrible once done, but you never know til you try!

I didn't paint a bulkhead in my kitchen, and it looks really weird (now just need to get around to painting it).

I have these running through almost every room of my house, and they were already painted when I moved in, so when I repainted I painted them too and I think it looks fine.

I love the color palette -- white, light blue, gray and wood tone.

Instead of overwhelming the wall with paint, why don't you try to hang a large poster that pulls in the same colors. It would be a nice contrast to the smaller pinup picure on the dresser.

Awesome reel above the bed!!! awesome!! simple and genious!!!

Now, about the color... being your room so small (looking at the pictures). I don't recommend painting an accent wall. It would give the illusion of falling on you. The size of the room will not give the wall the "all around space" to be it's own. On the other hand, the best way to add bold color to a small room is painting all the walls, but i'm sure this is not your idea.

Instead you can add bold color accents in the accesories, like a lampshade, rugs, pillows, etc

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions!!

I think I will paint up to the bulkhead/soffit.

TacoBell- Funny enough I do have a large 28"x40" poster on the wall across from the bed:

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://granadamovieposters.com/photos/HeLaughedLast.jpg&imgrefurl=http://granadamovieposters.com/search_alpha.php%3Fsearch%3Dh&usg=__SUwDwzq_FWLuWzDzDghMUv_JiDc=&h=628&w=475&sz=67&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=37CKRI0URSacxM:&tbnh=145&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhe%2Blaughed%2Blast%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1269%26bih%3D747%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=287&ei=wFe8TLzaGci4nAfd6ej9DA&oei=wFe8TLzaGci4nAfd6ej9DA&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=6&ty=53

Personally, if the bedroom was mine, I would not paint the bulkhead.

My two cents -- paint the whole wall and soffit behind the bed. I think not painting the soffit draws attention to it. You could also do something exceptionally cool (and subtle and small) on the soffit as a display space -- like this: (picture 10... the foosball guys)
http://www.hobomagazine.com/gallery/verana.html#verana/Verana_6.JPG
pam h
howtorunyourlife.blogspot.com

First off, Accent walls are lame.
You can't see the color when you're facing the wrong way...
...and if it's good enough for one wall, its better on all 4.

I'd paint all 4 walls including the bulkhead while leaving the upper ceiling white: If you don't paint the bulkhead, it will stand out like a sore thumb but if you paint the along with the rest of the walls it will recede into the background.

I had this exact conundrum in our bedroom and we settled on painting the underside of the bulkhead. It looks good. Maybe it would look better without the underside done, but it is what it is, and I really wouldn't stress about it!
I also like the fact that lying in bed I get a touch of colour above my head.

So this might be a crazy suggestion but I think painting ONLY the front side of the "bulkhead" or whatever its called would be a nice look. Then again, I am about to do this in my kitchen, so I'm kinda biased toward the idea. I also like the idea of painting the wall and the bottom part of the "bulkhead". Good luck, whatever you decide doing and update when you're done!

In my house, I paint anything that's a "wall," and leave the ceilings white. So, I would only paint the 'front" of it, and leave the "ceiling" white. Hope that makes sense...

I love the idea of painting the recessed wall, but not the bulkead/soffitt/etc. I think it would make a more dramatic focal point.

You could try it like we have at my work place. They've painted the main wall, plus the front of the soffit, leaving the underside white or cream.

I'm with Scoot -- paint the wall and the front side of the soffit, but leave the underside white.

Where did that "rule" about not ending on an exterior corner come from!? VERY arbitrary. Several walls in my house change colors on a corner, everything flows just fine. You just have to paint neatly!!

I have the same deal going on over my bathtub in the bathroom. I did what Scoot suggested. The underneath of the soffit is white (ceiling color) and the front is blue (wall color). Underneath the soffit is blue to match the walls as well. I think this looks really sharp and would look really good in your space. It brings out the uniqueness of having the soffit there as opposed to just a flat wall to ceiling like a normal room.

I'd paint the whole thing, up to the ceiling. I think it makes the room feel more awkward NOT painting it. It's like this white box sticking out.

I have the same thing going on in our loft along one wall and painted up to the ceiling and it looks much better than if I'd left unpainted.

But... you can always just start with the wall and if it feels right then leave it... otherwise paint up to the ceiling. :)

Bri-anne, my apartment has 2 walls that require a 'soffit' or 'bulkhead', they are painted the same colour (colour) as the walls - boring apartment beige with a tiny tint of brown - meh! ceiling white. The dramatic effect from lighting, and the sun, is magical. The soffit appears a shade, shade and a half darker, and ensures it does not look drab or boxed in. Love the blue shade you are thinking of, but in a small bedroom it may not work. I absolutely agree with manu_pty, accent pieces!!! accessorize and have fun.

So many suggestions.