Does Painting a High Ceiling a Dark Color Make the Room Look Larger?

Light Colors

• Lighter colors tend to brighten up a room, making it appear more spacious. Covering a ceiling in a white or cream-toned paint color expands the visual space in the room. Lighter paint colors also reflect light, bouncing if off the ceiling and walls, resulting in the illusion of a bigger area. Cooler, lighter colors, such as icy blue and soft green make painted walls and ceilings appear more distant, visually increasing a room's size.

Dark Colors

• Rooms painted in darker colors will make a larger room feel cozier and more intimate. Painting a dark color on a high ceiling won't make a room feel larger; it will actually make the room feel smaller, visually lowering the ceiling. And if you continue painting the walls the same dark color, the room's size will appear to shrink even more. Dark colors absorb light instead of reflecting it, resulting in the feeling of a smaller room.

Paint Finish

• In addition to color, a paint's capacity to reflect light will have a visual impact on the room's size. Flat or matte paint finishes have little capacity to reflect light, making a room feel a tad smaller, regardless of paint color. High-gloss paints reflect the most amount of light but are seldom used to paint a room as they tend to highlight the imperfections in a wall or ceiling. Also, a room with lots of natural light may be too bright when painted with a highly-reflective, glossy paint.

Tips

• Before selecting a ceiling paint color, remember to consider future resale of your home and try to mesh that with your personal preferences. Neutral, light-colored paints in whites, creams or beiges are more pleasing to potential home buyers, while giving the illusion of a larger room. An assortment of neutral, lighter-toned paints are available, allowing you to choose your favorite. Use an acrylic, interior paint for easy cleanup.