How to Select Colored Paint for the Ceiling: Wilder’s Room Reveal
Hello, friends, and welcome back to week two of my friend Jewel’s Sanity Check Refresh, which is exactly what this project was for me… a sanity check. Our state just announced school won’t go back until May 15th if at all, and I tend to think they won’t at all. I’m struggling with 3 kids over here, but we’re working to get into a new routine this week and that has definitely helped. What else has helped? Keeping myself busy with projects! Last weekend while Chris was around to help with the little one, I managed to crank out a couple of smaller crafty projects as well as this bigger undertaking, which really only took me a few hours Saturday morning. Today, I am revealing Wilder’s room with its new painted ceiling, bit also wanted to share a little bit about how to select paint for the ceiling since I know it’s a confusing task and one you don’t want to get wrong. When you’re done checking out my ceiling, be sure to visit the other ladies who have performed fun makeovers this past week. I’ve linked to them all at the bottom of this post for you. Thank you to Sherwin Williams for providing the paint for this project. I was not otherwise compensated. (A note about affiliate links: I use them, and I carefully select useful and budget friendly pieces for my home and I am excited to share those with you through these links. I do earn a small commission made through qualifying purchases, and appreciate that support as it helps me continue to run my blog! I’ve added shoppable links below each section for you, as well as a source list at the bottom of this post.)
Before I go on to show you more, I want to refresh your memory on what this space looked like just last week when I shared it in my Spring tour. This view is exactly the same, but look at the difference that ceiling makes! It really gives this space a more modern and cozier feel.
Now let’s talk about selecting paint color for the ceiling. In the past, I have mostly gone with white ceilings because they’re safe and bright, but being cooped up has me feeling much more experimental with paint I guess. 😉 I most certainly have never painted a ceiling this saturated in color before, and I wanted to make sure I did it right. By that I simply mean, that I was satisfied with the color, finish, and not regretting my decision. Ultimately doing it right in your home truly means making yourself happy!
Choosing the color family
Obviously, we have a rainbow of color available at our local Sherwin Williams stores. The possibilities are absolutely endless when it comes to paint! How did I narrow it down to a shade of green?
Luckily for me, Wilder’s room is very neutral with all of the large items being white, gray, black. The color comes in small doses from his toys, art, and curtains. I could have gone with virtually any color, but green seemed perfect for this space. Here are my tips that led to me choosing green.
- Choose a color that fits the vibe of the space. Green fit perfectly with the overall outdoorsy/woodsy/modern boho vibe of his room. Dark olive greens are often spotted these days in modern boho spaces, and the green seems to suit his black and white tree wallpaper superbly.
- Select something that complements the existing palette. The textiles and furnishings in this space are fairly neutral minus the yellow ombre curtains. He also has a pair of mustard blackout curtains I will put back in place this fall, and I wanted a color that would pair well with the more maize yellow as well as the mustard.
- Ask yourself if the color will it flow with your home? I am a huge believer in creating flow between spaces in a home so that everything feels cohesive and not chopped up. While a sky blue may have been nice in this space and also suited the feel of his room, it wouldn’t flow with our home. An earthy shade of green really fits our house so much more since its filled with earth-inspired colors. Here you can see how his room peeks out into the hallway and into our room with our copper wheat color block. You may recall that our green bathroom is just off that bedroom as well. Some homes are also very colorful and vibrant, so they can make anything work. My home is not, so I chose something that would work here.
Making the final color selection
Once I had decided upon an earthy green, I headed over to my local Sherwin Williams and took home every possibly swatch as you saw last week. Here are my tips for narrowing down your color.
- D0n’t choose the grayed down version. Many times when selecting colors for exteriors, or interiors, the advice is to choose a grayed down shade of the color you love. This tip prevents you from choosing something way too bright for your walls. I held every single one of these up to Wilder’s ceiling, and in doing so they each morphed into something different. Most colors lean much darker and grayer once they’re on the ceiling with no light hitting them directly. I was able to rule out all of the greens that had a hint of gray such as dried thyme and retreat.
- Pick the “just right” saturation. Selecting the proper saturation is akin to goldilocks and the three bears methodology. A too light color will not have as much impact and feel a little too delicate, and a too dark color will make the room feel so much gloomier. Also bear in mind that the color will appear darker on the ceiling that it would on the walls. In my case, I selected the color that I felt was playing off the light in the space, vibing with the existing colors, and then I had it mixed at 75% saturation just because I knew it would end up darker on the ceiling. Basically, in my opinion, if you are painting a ceiling you want a little drama in the first place, right? So don’t be afraid to add color and don’t go too light, but don’t go too dark and create a cave.
The final selection
After going through that process, I decided on Oakmoss, but like I said, I had it mixed at 75% so that it would not be too dark. I am SO happy with the outcome! It truly is the perfect green for this space and makes his room feel a little bigger but cozier at the same time. This past weekend, I let Chris take over with Wilder, and I went into his room, shut the door, and got to work by myself with a podcast on, and it was glorious! I had Emmy snap this picture for me, and you can see that I do not paint with drop clothes or tape… I have been doing this for years and have a pretty steady hand and typically don’t make a mess. I do recommend that if you don’t have a lot of experience, you use a drop cloth and tape. 😉 
As for the finish, I selected a flat finish because I didn’t want it to be reflective at all, but instead to have a velvety appearance. What do you think?
My parents gave Wilder this 1978 (my birth year!) Smokey the Bear vintage poster for Christmas. I love how the green looks with the trees and Smokey. 
Wilder is about to turn 2 next month (actually one month and one day from today!) and has not yet tried to climb out of his crib; I am knocking on wood, right now!
As you can see, his room is pretty small, so even when he does try to climb out, we’ll just be converting his crib to a toddler bed to save space until we no longer need a changing table. 
His changing table is HUGE (it’s a vintage sideboard a friend gave us) but it’s SO functional. The height is perfect, it offers loads of storage and space on top, and plenty of room underneath for bins of toys. I can’t imagine not having it here right now.
Now that the ceiling is painted, I keep going in there to peek at it, and I am wondering why it took me so long to do it!
Do you ever have projects like that? They’re hanging over your head and then you do them, and you realize it wasn’t so bad? Well, now is the time to knock those off of your list! 😉
Of course, while I was in his room working and painting, I found myself dreaming up one more project… You see this terrible louvered bi-fold closet situation?
Well, while I was in here I thought, wouldn’t it look nice with a sliding black modern barn door that I could add hooks to on the outside, and remove the hook rack from his wall? What do you think? I haven’t yet told Chris my idea. Wish me luck on the pitch!
Thank you so much for stopping by today to check out Wilder’s room reveal with his new green ceiling! Be sure to visit the other ladies sharing their reveals. Find their links below.
Jeweled Interiors | Effortless Style Blog | Bellybaila | Casa Watkins Living | Cassie Bustamante| Holland Avenue Home
Rug / Wallpaper / Curtains / Crib / Crib Sheet / Bookcase / Convertible Couch / Pillow / Similar Animal Stuffies / Print / Frame (Use CASSIE20 for 20% off) / Quilt Made by My Mom (inspired by this) /Smokey the Bear Vintage Poster / Book Ledges / Paint Colors: Pure White & 75% Oakmoss
