I received a call this week from a woman telling me she had found a blog post of mine from 2012. It was titled, Wallpapering and Painting angled walls and sloped ceilings. She was about to start a painting project and wanted to read my post but all the photos were missing. I looked back and sure enough they had disappeared. That blog post was written two websites ago. I assume that the images had been corrupted during one of the transfers from the old website to the new one. Since this was a popular post, I decided to update it and add in all new photos.
Choosing the right wallpaper or paint color is only one challenge in a room with angled walls and sloped ceilings. For many homeowners it’s confusing to know where the wall ends and the ceiling begins. A question I get asked over and over is “should I paint this wall or ceiling color?” Or, “where should the wallpaper end”?
Below are three different options to deal with wallpapering and painting angle walls and sloped ceilings. Choose the one that is best for you!
1. Paint everything wall color except the flat ceiling
One lesson has stayed with me from the very first color consulting class ever I took. The instructor said “everything should be treated as wall except what is completely flat”. So that answers the wall vs.ceiling question. If it has any angle at all, it’s wall. If it’s horizontal and flat, it’s ceiling. How to treat the two is another question altogether. In the image below, my friend Kelly Rogers of Kelly Rogers Interiors painted the whole room a soft green grey and painted the ceiling white.
Painting the walls grey and the ceiling white, is a perfectly good option because there is plenty of flat ceiling in the room.Visually, the ceiling reads as “ceiling”. The same rule applies to wallpaper if you want a painted ceiling. Wallpaper all the angled walls, leaving the flat ceiling for paint.
In the photo below, designer Christine Morrison Kohut covered the angled wall with paper and painted the flat ceiling. I love that Christine chose a light blue for the ceiling that blends into the wallpaper. This visually expands the bathroom as there is no jaring white ceiling.
Pro Tip: Stay away from high contrast between walls and ceiling when painting or papering rooms with angles
When painting the ceiling a different color from the walls in an angled room, keep the walls and ceiling similar in color value. In other words, if you paint the walls in a dark color and paint the ceiling white, the high contrast between walls and ceiling will cause the room to feel even more choppy. Also, a bright white ceiling on top of dark walls will give your room the appearance that it is wearing a big white top hat.
Designer Carla Aston sent me two photos to use in this post. The image above is the BEFORE photo. You can see how choppy this ceiling looks. The dark walls and white ceiling act to accentuate the sharp angles in the room because of the large difference in color value.
Now look at the image below. By painting out everything one color, the sharp angles and various shapes blend into one another.The room now feels less choppy and chaotic.
Another situation where a white ceiling might not be the right choice is if your room has a long narrow ceiling. You don’t want to end up with a room that looks like there is a white racing stripe or landing strip running down the center of the room. In the room below the “landing strip” feel would be even more pronounced had the walls been any darker.
This brings me to the second way to paint or wallpaper a room with angled walls and sloped ceilings.
2. Treat wall and ceiling as one and paint or wallpaper the entire space
Many designers like this option the best. As celebrity Designer Jamie Drake says:
“If your space has odd angles dormers, or unsettling beams, wrap the entire room in color. Use the same paint or paper on every surface. It will make all the oddities disappear.”
Check out this room by designer Maia Roffey of Black Sheep Interior Design. The bedroom has deep angled walls yet by wrapping the whole room in one light color, the angles become less pronounced and the room expands.
Don’t assume you are limited to using white or a very light color to wrap the entire room. The master dressing room below, featured at the recent pasadena showhouse, was designed by my friend Jeffrey Johnson.
Painting out all the angles, ceiling and walls in one rich color, Jeffrey gave the room the feeling of a warm, cozy sanctuary. Perfect for a private space like this.
The final option is to…
3. Embrace the angles and slopes and make it the focal point of the room
Let’s face it, no matter how you choose to deal with wallpapering or painting angled walls and sloped ceilings, they are not going to go away. This attic bedroom was designed by Mark Sikes. He chose to embrace the odd shaped room. Not only did he choose an eye popping checked wallpaper but he outlined all the angles with navy blue cording .I guess if you can’t beat em, join em!
I hope these examples help you made an informed decision when it comes to wallpapering or painting your room with angled walls and sloped ceilings. If you are still struggling, why not contact me for my “ask me anything virtual call”. I can help you make the best decision for your unique situation.
I know this one is close to your heart! Well written.
Thank you Hannah…you are so right as part of me wrote this so I would have it down pat!
BRAVO, Linda! This is a fabulous post and you give spot-on advice on this tricky subject. I prefer to wrap most ceilings with the wall color if there is no crown moulding, but it depends on the specifics of the room – every situation is different, but it’s so important to have sensible guidelines to follow when making those decisions!
Thanks Kristie..always new challenges with every odd shaped room for sure.
perfect blog posting. So helpful with the narration as well as the images to support the ones that work as well as the ones that do not!
Thanks Lisa. Isn’t it funny that you were talking about this yesterday… We certainly are in sync with one another aren’t we?
Fantastic post Linda….you have done it again!!! I love all of your examples and photos!! I am one of the many designers that usually likes to envelop the entire room in one color but it just all depends on the space and what you’re trying to accomplish.
Great job!!
Jennifer
Thanks Jenn. After my last few crazy rooms I am now a convert to painting everything out. Thanks so much for the comment.
So happy to find you on my friend Jennifer Reynolds’ recommendation! Great post! I am your newest follower and invite you to follow me back!
Thanks so much Lisa!! So happy you found me as well and yes I would love to follow you as well.
All this is helpful, well-written and concise advice, Linda. You’re addressing a common dilemma.
I painted homes for 20 years, and many homeowners want what they want, despite a painter’s advice. I can tell you that of the rooms with angled wall that I painted, the ones that didn’t go all one color where the rooms that just didn’t look that great.
People think changing colors from slanted wall to ceiling will give personality, but what they ignore is that the way light strikes those different surfaces, each wall is going to look slightly different, and interesting enough.
you are so right Barbara, I think some homeowners don’t realize how unsettling and choppy all those angles become with different colors.
Hey…ive been trying to paint a bedroom upstairs that has odd angels and i just painted the room a soft tan color and was trying to figure out what color should i paint the celing…thought about a soft light blue but would tan be better?
Alan, If the ceiling is a large expanse I think a soft blue will look great. If there isn’t a lot of flat ceiling though I would carry the tan all the way up. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for this post. I have been agonizing over my upstairs for a long time. I have a stairway that goes down to the living room so am not sure how to carry the color through to the main part of the house. This is a great article. Really good comment about how lighting affects the paint color…
Thanks so much for commenting Lisa..glad I was able to help!
Linda, this is an awesome post! Wow, some of those angles would terrify me to deal with!!! Thank you so much for putting this post together… I have pinned it so I don’t lose it 🙂
Thanks Sheila..I need to figure out how to pin blogs…it’s been on my “to do” list.
We have a vaulted ceiling in our loft and in our entry. The walls & ceiling in both spaces are painted the same colour, and it really makes each space seem bigger/taller because there’s no line to break your sight line between the wall & ceiling. The painter who painted our loft was going to paint the ceiling white, and was skeptical when I said no, paint it the same colour as the walls. After he was done, he was surprised by how much bigger the room felt. I think I may have converted him 🙂
That’s great to hear Kelly. Most of the “badly” painted angled rooms I see the home owner tells me it was painted that way because their previous painter told them that was “how it is done”. Of course their previous painter was probably their cousin looking to make a few bucks or their college kid and a few of his buddies. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
This really was a fantastic post Linda! I know you have been dealing with odd ceilings lately so this was great for the rest of us to learn. Nice the way you included what works and what does not. I love, love Jamie Drake! Look how he put everything in the room together. Genius!
Thanks Kelly
After getting a little help from my TCE friends I decided to put it all in a post.
Spot on post Linda!!! We have a sitting room exactly like the photo below option 3 which we opted to wrap in the same colour. Since it is long and narrow we didn’t want the landing strip effect. The result is a room we love, angles and all.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Shelley. Our master bedroom is under the eves as well and we also wrapped the whole room in a light neutral and it feels so calm. The previous owners had painted it like option 4. …white ceiling and angles with dark blue walls. I hated it and it was the first room we painted when we moved in.
Great advice! I agree with it all – my personal preference is all one color; one light color.
I am so glad that I found your site. We are in the process of finishing out a room over my two car garage for me a sewing room. (I have been banned from the living room…) Ha! I win! Anyway, it has a sloped ceiling. 18×20 but losing room due to the sloping. I had thought about painting the little strip at the top white where the lights are. Landing strip, huh? Yep, that is what mine would look like. Ok, now, I plan on painting it all the same color. I think that maybe a soft beige or tan will be fine. I only have a 3×4′ window facing south. If you have any suggestions about the color, quick, we are still hanging insulations. Correction, I am hanging it. Old, and cheap labor. Thanks.
Debbie, did you get the sewing room painted? Mine, like yours, has a south facing window with knee walls on either side. I am jazzed about painting it all a light neutral color but resist beige. What whites look good in bright light and with the artwork displayed? A sewing room is one in which colored fabric is chosen to compliment and contrast in sewing projects like quilting, etc…
Hi Elizabeth. I used a paint from Andrews True Value Hardware called Sonora. It is a beige-y khaki. ALL ONE COLOR, walls and ceilings. I trimmed everything out in white. It looks good with the morning light and the three fluoresant lights down the strip at the top. Each has 3 lights, so it is BRIGHT! I used an light oak laminate. Black and dark maple furniture. Black and white roman shades, valance, and covered chairs (not done yet). Black small bookcases from Walmart, due to the sloping ceilings, with lots of plastic boxes. Mixed colors right now, kinda had to stop buying. 🙂 Pops of lime, turquoise, and hot pink. Wild.
Sounds great Debbie! Would love to see a photo.
Hi, Linda. Just as soon as I have it finished, I will send a picture. If I hadn’t found your site, I would have painted that strip white, and hated it. Thanks. I have to paint the doors and another coat of paint on the trim. I love it!
Great! Looking forward to seeing it!
Hi Linda,
What great tips! I am presently working on a bedroom that has 2 small walls that pitch to a slope. In the center is an alcove with a window which I will build either a desk or bench into. The angle on the 2 walls start at 52″ H. The walls have attic space behind them and I would like to have book shelves built into them. The slope would start above the bookshelves. I don’t want to create a break in the wall at that point. Any suggestions on how to use color on these walls, bookshelves and window seat or desk?
Hi Karen, without seeing the room it sounds like a LOT is going on angle wise. I would suggest painting the whole space out the exact same color.
Hi Linda,
I just purchased a home that has the mode odd angles in the living room as soon as you walk in the door. If I were to email a picture, could you give me your thoughts on paint?
A couple other designers said for the ceiling to use a ceiling paint that is 50% tinted using the wall color for the tint.
Thoughts?
Hi,Linda.
I would gladly contract with you for a consult in our home, but I’m in Cincinnati, so maybe I can get enough direction via this note.
We’ve contracted to have the house interior painted, so we can sell and return to our beloved Seattle. We want an updated modern look, but not offend local conservative tastes. Colors have been difficult, but we’re getting there, I think. But there’s trouble in the bedroom, you might say.
It is large and asymmetyrical with some angled walls. They go off in 45 degrees to accomodate closets and bathroom etc. So one side of bedroom is one long straight wall, but with windows and bed headboard. The opposite wall that has many 45 degree angled walls to accomodate closets and bathroom. Because of this, instead of four walls, there are nine, essentially. Ceiling is all flat, but includes a large recessed center outlined with white wood trim. Furniture is large and beefy, blondish color with iron decor on bed.
I love (and agree with) what you say and show about angled ceilings and walls joined, but I have only the angled walls – if that makes sense. The ceiling is not the problem.
We want some style, but don’t want to blow it, of course. Could it work to have a very rich creamy color on the straight wall and let the color wrap around on the two end walls… then use a darker (light grey or blue) on the angled wall side opposite the bed? All trim and ceiling will probably remain white.
The house is 10 years old, very nice and modern and open interior.
Is this totally confusing? I hope not. 🙂
Thank you so much! My husband and I just realized that had major painting decisions regarding our angled ceilings with the painters on the way and this article made our decisions so much easier! The pictures made it so much easier to envision. Looking you up on Instagram now and look forward to more great inspiration and tips as we finish our third floor.
This is the best article pertaining to this issue! Love it! I am painting my office navy blue and I have a white leather futon and hot pink accents and lamps. I was originally going to not paint the entire wall and it would be choppy like above so thanks for this!
Hello! I am looking to redo our bedroom and I haven’t a clue how to paint it! We have out bedroom in the top part of our cape cod home! The angle walls are thruout the entire upstairs and I’m not sure to paint those or not! I’m looking to do a brown color! Please help!
Thank you so much!
Megan Blake
Hi Megan, without seeing your space it’s a little hard to say but I would caution you against going too dark with brown. You don’t want the bedroom to look like a cave. Instead, think about a soft, light neutral that you can wrap around the whole room including the angled ceiling.
Hi, I have a cape and kids bedrooms have those angled walls. Last time daughters room was painted we did seafoam green on walls and lighter shade in the same family on angles and ceiling. I know this is probably wrong, but not about to repaint her room. On the other hand my sons room needs to be painted. I am going to do whole room walls, ceilings same color.How about a light or pale gray ?
I’m so glad I found this site. We are in a renovation process and one of the beds rooms is gaining extra space due to the roofline changing. Hard to explain. It is presently a deep blue. We’ve decided to repaint a lighter color. Was toying with idea of brighter blue on horizontal walls, lighter shade on angled walls, and lightest shade on ceiling. I have sample paints to paint on poster board to help with visualization. If I’m not totally convinced, I’ll go with all one color.
Thank you for this site! I am trying to figure out what to do with an angled wall with crwon moulding. The installers could not install on the angled wall (dormer) so the crown moulding just stopped. How can I deal with this with paint? The ceiling is white where the angle starts.
Thank you
Honestly? I would remove the molding. There is no way to make it look right on an angle wall and having it just randomly end will not look great either. If it can’t be removed then I would paint it all out the same color as the wall and make it as invisible as possible.
I have 2photos I would like to send you. They both have tray ceilings. The wall color is Navajo white and ceiling decorators white. There is a slant a about 3′ . Do I paint the slant Navajo white or decorators white like the ceiling? Ceiling is rough. Slant smooth. It is not an option to change the cot of ceiling. May I send you the 2 photos? Where to?
Painters are coming tomorrow to paint the slants.
We need help. Room seems small and walls short. Ceiling coming down. Any suggestions?
Thank you for the great article really interesting. I’m trying to figure out how to paint our first home which has drastic eaves. Do you think accent walls on the biggest / non eaves effective walls would work? I was thinking of a rustic turquoise and then all other walls and ceiling white. All offset by hard wood floors.
Thank you so much for such a helpful article!
Hello,
I have only 4 foot walls the rest of them are all slanted i was wondering if it would if i painted the slanted walls and ceiling (witch is just a thin strip) in a darker green and my short walls a lighter green any help would be great thank you
What would you recommend to do if: when the slanted part meets the ceiling and its rounded, not a sharp line. The ceiling is fairly low as it’s an attic bedroom.
In this case you really need to use one color only and wrap it around both wall and ceiling.
This was just what I was looking for! I’ve been wanting to redo our master attic bedroom for years and I’ve decided to finally start after the first of the year! My sloped walls are also rounded where they meet the ceiling. After reading all the posts I’ve decided to go with some type of ivory/cream color for the entire space. What are your thoughts on using color on both of the flat walls at the ends of the attic? I thought about doing some type of stencil instead of using color on them. I wish I could post a picture and get some ideas! Thanks for your help and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Large vaulted ceiling bedroom – faces south – we have
6 x 10′ bay windows. Attached bathroom – also vaulted. I want a cozy look – lamps are all glass with brown shades. Windows are all wood frames. Should I go light or a bit dark? Thought of olive green but it may look too dark. Love white bedding, great art and color splashed with pillows. Any color suggestions? Thanks. Lisa
large vaulted bedroom with southern sun exposure. Bay windows (6 x 10′), Our windows are all wood. I have just put in honeycomb shades – cream with fleck of tan. Room needs some color but do I go light or a little darker – like an olive green. I want a very candle light look by night and maybe a beautiful sheer by day. Lights: large glass lamps with beautiful brown shades. Help. Thanks. Lisa
Lisa, without seeing room I really can’t make a color recommendation. I would suggest you paint up a few large sample boards of the colors you are considering and then place them around the room. See how they look to you in the Sunny part of the day and also in the evening. Google luck!
I’m currently living in an apartment with a sloped ceiling (I guess it looks something like the “landing strip” photo above, but narrower). I hit my head off the sloped part about once every week or two. Usually after bending over, or if I’m standing in the wrong place and decide to turn around. Very annoying. I wonder if you would have any tips for painting the sloping part to draw attention to it & reduce my future risk of brain damage?
In that case Ciara, how about painting the sloped part of the walls and the “landing stripe” a brighter color and the flat walls a neutral. That way the part you keep hitting your head on will stand out as an accent wall and hopefully you will be able to stop hitting your head!
I am painting my upstairs bathroom and bedrooms of our 2 1/2 story1908 house. All have sloped ceilings that transition into the walls with a radius joint (no straight line). The bedrooms have picture molding about 24″ down on the walls. How and where would you handle stopping the ceiling color vs the wall color? The bath has the sloped ceiling running along its length, same wall to ceiling transition as the bedrooms. What to do? put up a trim piece? paint a breakline? if so where on the radius?
Love old houses but they can be a challenge.
Hi Linda – I am new to pintrist and and thrilled to have found your page.
I am painting my bedroom – cape cod house so room is most of the top floor. Panel and some kind of stucco ceiling (almost looks like waves). Very long time since updated. Anyway, I am not good with artsy and style and I was going to go with a darker blue ceiling, lighter walls and all trim in white. As much as I liked the idea, i kept thinking giant Easter egg and could not get past it. Went looking on line to see if the slopes should be wall or ceiling and you saved me!!! You are an angel.
I am now going all one color – some shade of blue/gray. My question is about the trim. I am being told to keep the white trim, but the picture does not sit well in my brain. Any trim ideas for me? with the paneling and slopes there seems to be quite a bit if trim. Also, what are your thoughts on carpet? room only has two small windows – N & S and does not get much light.
Thank you for helping all of us – what a wonderful gift! Wendy
Hi Linda, Great post! I think you have convinced me to paint the whole area one color – I’m thinking a light gray. However, similar to Ciaran, we have extremely sloped ceilings that adults tend to hit their heads on. Would decorating on the slopped walls with artwork, banners, etc. help or would that just make it too busy looking? I don’t think we could do the contrasting paint down low as you suggested for Ciaran as the space where the angled ceiling meets the very low wall is not all that straight and I think painting different colors there would be a problem and look messy for that reason.
Thanks, Jamie
i like the third picture the best…
I found this article just in time. Painting a small bedroom in our upstairs which has the rounded corner sloping-wall-goes-into-the-ceiling style as mentioned in some of the other comments. My daughter wants an ocean them with a sky on the ceiling. I’ve been racking my brain on how to do this without making the small room visually chaotic. Well, you have convinced me to go with my gut on this one and paint the whole room one gorgeous not-too-light and not-too-dark ocean-y color. Now to find that color…
On another note and with a slight variation to the paint everything one color theme, in an old apartment where I once lived which had the sloped attic ceilings, I painted the walls a gorgeous medium periwinkle. Sensing that a white ceiling would be too contrary with the med-darkish walls, I chose a slightly lighter shade of the same color for the ceiling and it was really lovely. The contrast was kept to a minimum between the two colors but the lighter ceiling gave the very small room a bit more light and life without becoming visually confusing.
I love the first way to paint everything wall color except the flat (horizontal) ceiling. It makes room bigger and alive. My daughter apartment is with walls and angles like these. I am going to show her your tips. Greetings!
If you have lots of angles and end of painting the walls and ceiling the same color then what sheen of paint do you use? Thanks, Beth
Hi. I am trying to pick out colors for our bedroom which is on the second floor of a small cape cod style house. In the room we only have 1 window. We have also created almost a full wall of built ins on one of the short walls which used up previously unusable knee wall space. My plan is to paint the entire room including the ceiling (if we didn’t we would have the landing strip look) a very light grey (Benjamin Moore, Owl Grey). The trim and the built ins would be white. My question is about an accent wall. I would like to paint the wall with the window, which is our largest flat wall a dark dark grey, almost black, like Benjamin Moore gravel grey or Behr Evenung Hush. What do you think about that?
Honestly, it is hard to say without seeing the room but it sounds like you have enough going on in there as it is. I would skip the accent wall if it were me.
Linda,
Excellent information!
I made the mistake of painting the ceiling in my master a medium gray/blue and the walls Banquette SW6123. Too much color competition.
We are having the room repainted soon and due to the wonderful advice in your blog, I now know how to handle the sloping ceiling. It will all be painted a light gray.
Thank you.
Sounds perfect Mary!
Ok here is my question. I have a slanted wall over my stone fireplace in my family room that is my accent wall. This wall connects to the flat part of my ceiling. So do you leave that slanted wall white along with the flat wall it connects to or should we carry the color that we are doing the accent wall in and paint that. Thank you
I would carry the color of the accent wall right up to the flat part of the ceiling.
What do you suggest for a “gambrel ceiling,” should I paint it the same color as the walls but paint the slight angle from the wall to the ceiling white?
I wish I could attach a picture of my ceiling/walls, so that you could see exactly what I am talking about. If there is a way to do this, please let me know.
Thanks;))
Very happy to find this post. I am painting a small guest bedroom/office. I wanted to paint walls and ceiling the same color and wasn’t sure if this was recommended. To be honest, one of my main reasons was to eliminate the “cutting out” at the ceiling since it’s tedious and my hand isn’t as steady as it used to be. Now I feel so more confident in my choice. The guest bath is painted the darker Stormy Weather and the bedroom will be middle shade on the strip called Quill. Thank you for this informative post!
Thank you for your post. Both upstairs bedrooms were painted a solid beige – walls, doors, ceiling. I wanted to break away from that and was thinking patterns. I couldn’t find patterns on sloped ceilings anywhere to see how it would turn out. So I thought I would share mine here in case others are curious: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/521010250624393853/
I have cape cod ceilings in my bedroom but they’re not smooth. They have like a prickly feel to them. How can i paint stripes with having those kinds of ceilings?
I wish I could have an answer for you but popcorn ceilings should not be painted with stripes. Either invest in removing the texture or skip the stripes.
I think i phrased my question wrong, i wasn’t planning on painting stripes on the ceiling, i wanted to paint them on a small wall but wasn’t sure how since the wall isn’t all the way straight.
It’s hard to comment Megan without seeing the room but if the wall isn’t straight I would skip the stripes. The stripes will just draw more attention to an awkward angled wall.
Linda, excellent post. Really loved your ideas.
Our Living room has a high ceiling on one end only. The bay window portion is lower and the opposite wall is higher. Its the angle of the roof. For the longest wall we are thinking of ascent color from the same family. So 3 walls in one color and the longest wall in a bit darker shade. Would you recommend same color on ceiling? Any other recommendations welcome.
ANYONE KNOW where i can get the curvy mesh chair in the first photo? Wow it looks nice!!!
Hi. I started painting my slanted wallsl of my bedroom which was previously white like the ceiling section. I am using a fairly light color (2nd down on the paint strip) . Why does the sloped section look 2-3 shades darker than the bottom section? Not sure what to do.
Debbie, your seeing what is called metamorism. It is color variation within the paint as the plane changes. Also, the color will also shift depending on the time of day and the changing lighting. Since the ceiling is slanted and therefore not on the same plane as the walls the color is going to look different. It is normal but if it really bothers you you could alway cut the slanted ceiling color by half strength.
helo guyz,,
best wall painting idea
I’m working with real attic slope walls on both sides and ceiling going across is about 2 ft.ya the size of 2 rulers. Runs length of the room. Questions is should I paint slopes and ceiling strip white and stright walls color?
Hello, nice website. I have an open living, dining and kitchen area that has the cathedral ceiling with natural woodwork. unfortuanately in the middleof the room is a stairway to the basement with half walls on the long sides of the stairway and a woodworky oak set ofclosets on one end. At either end of the stairway are floor to ceiling (23ft) oak woodwork covered supporting beams. In addition, there are cheap woodwork moldings going across the ceiling, at highest height and a loft with mission style railing in oak….it’s incredibly busy. we have 4 recessed skylights in this “open”area…..my husband thinks all ceilings should be white and all woodwork should be natural… THe general effect of the room is light and airy and too tall for its floor space. it echoes like crazy. help!
I have this issue with my walls and I’m ready to remove the existing wallpaper in the master bedroom. I also have a chair rail and another moulding on the top of the room. I’m not sure how to address all of this. I have photos to send you if possible. I’ll leave my email Thank you in advance.
Hello – I loved reading this page. You have been a great help.
I will go with your suggestion of walls in all the same colour. Ours is in old French house with slanted ceilings, sloping walls and different nooks and crannies.
I would ask if you would recommend that I paint the beams int he same colour or keep them white.
The room is huge with a sky light at one end and a window at the other.
We are going to have built in wardrobes fitted into some of the angles but no all. I could also send you a picture.
Hello, I am finishing an attic. Going to have white breadboard on walls and angered walls. Sheetrock on flat ceiling. What color white would you recommend on the bearboard? Flat decorators white or super white semi gloss? Not sure what to do. Thanks, Diane
I am finishing an attic in bead board. The flat ceiling will be sheetrock. I wan to pain bead board white but what shade? Is it usually a semi gloss super white? Flat decorators white? I have no idea. Please help. Thanks.
Diane
Hi Diane, it’s impossible for me to tell you what white to paint the bead board because I have no other supporting context. As far as finish either Satin or semi gloss are good choices.
Is there a way to send images. There will be a sitting room in the attic on one side of the house, and a bedroom on the other side (opposite). The walls angle up and the ceiling will be flat sheet rock. There will be small bathroom between both rooms. We were going the bead board and ceiling a white. I have always used super white semi glass on moldings in my home but recently I read that many people do a decorators white because it is not so bright. I have always thought that white was white and now I am starting to think my moldings are too bright. Anyway, when I started thinking about what specific white to use in the attic on the bead board, I am wondering if there is any kind of rule of thumb. Thanks again.
Thank you for the great articles and blog.
I have slanted walls and wooden beams throughout my very large bedroom. Right now it is all white and the beams are wooden (quite dark brown).
I really want your opinion on whether I should paint the beams the same colour as the walls or if I should paint them white? I can always send a photo if it’s easier for you to see it.
I just bought a new home and All the walls are egg shell. I want to break out of the shell and paint the ceilings and walls. I have the angled wall and ceilings through out the house. Confused what I should consider wall or not. Should I just stick with the angle to be considered wall portion?
I too have slanted walls and am thrilled to know I’m not alone. My problem is my walls 8′ up the slant are smooth surfaces. The slant and ceiling are are textured. Do I pate the textured parts? My ceiling is very high approx 15′. Thank you
This was VERY helpful!
how do you wall paper this walls. any options?
how do you wall paper these walls, any options?
Wallpaper should be treated the same way as paint.
What s the difference between a vaulted ceiling and eaves? I do not know which I have.
Pamelia, they are basically the same thing. A vaulted ceiling is simply an angled ceiling and the eves are generally shorter angles that come together below the ceiling.
Hi there!
What a great post! I definitely know what I’ll avoid in my bonus room. BUT, it’s such an oddly shaped room with lots of angles (which I love). The ceiling is only about a foot wide in the back section of the room with a wall that slopes, that section wraps around and isn’t really seen. The larger section also has angles on 3 sides. I was wondering; given the right colors are chosen, would it be a bad idea to paint the vertical parts of the walls one maybe darker color and the angles (that come to about 5 feet from the ground) a lighter color? I’m so looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
Hi Sarah, without seeing the room it’s hard to give you an answer but with all those angles I would keep the room one continuous color. Best of luck!
This was extremely helpful! I have totally rethought my room scheme. Thanks.
I have a bedroom I want to repaint (the walls are red now…) and ceiling is white which is exactly what you said not to do…lol! I have a small section of ceiling that is horizontal and it connects into a larger section of ceiling where it is dormered. What do you think will look best?
Can you paint the whole room one light neutral and just wrap it around all the walls and ceiling?
I have a master bedroom that takes up the entire back of our townhouse. It has a deep single slope that goes up 20′, and down to about 12′ above the outside windows. I hate it! Roofed over the 2 skylights a few years ago when we had a leak, which helped, but still hate the slope. I was wondering about painting the entire ceiling and 3 largest or sloped walls a dark matte color like charcoal, down to the lowest ceiling height just above those outside windows, and the rest if the room a lovely light cool grey? Would that make the illusion of a lower, flat ceiling, or make the slope even worse? Other suggestions?
This was a great read but I can’t see the pictures which would be very helpful. I’m about to paint my bedroom and trying to decide which bits to paint what is a struggle. Thanks
I loved reading this article because I have a bedroom to paint that has angled walls and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I’m getting my house ready to put on the market so I want that room to look great. I will go with a light gray color and paint all walls, angles, and ceiling the same color – this article really helped me to make that decision. However, like the previous reviewer, I wish I could actually SEE the photos of all the examples – none of them are showing up.
This was extremely helpful! I have totally rethought my room scheme. Thanks.
Thanks for mentioning how you can paint your rooms with sloped walls the same color to add a calm appearance to the room. My wife and I are preparing to paint our newborn baby’s room, but we worry that the sloped walls may cause him to become anxious. Maybe we will paint the walls and ceiling the same color to help our child stay calm when resting in his room.
I like that you mentioned the importance of painting all of your walls the same bright color to make the room look spacious. My newborn son will be sleeping in his new room upstairs, but I have slanted walls that make the room look cluttered and unrelaxed which could make it hard for him to sleep. Maybe painting the walls would create a more open and relaxing environment for him.
I love that you brought up how painting your room white can help make your furniture stand out more. My wife and I have recently noticed that the grey furniture that we bought seems to blend in with our walls, and we would like to find a way to add some contrast to our room before we host a house party next month. It may be best to hire some professionals to help us paint our room.
These are all really great solutions to a common design dilemma!
Great examples and explanations of what to do with all the odd angles in a room – super helpful to show the impact these choices have!
Oh my, angled ceilings are tricky! We live in a bungalow with angled ceilings, but nothing quite as tricky to work around as what you shared here in your blog Linda. Great inspiration to draw from when I next have a client project with these awkard ceilings. Love the bird wallpaper by the way!!!
I don’t have this “problem” in my house, but these are great tips! That checked wallpaper everywhere is my favorite!
Linda, you have provided so many great pro tips! I’ve pinned many of our images for future reference.
Great Ideas Linda! And these photos illustrate your examples perfectly!
I totally agree with you on how to treat the angles. I recently consulted on a master suite with angled ceilings and we painted everything the same light creamy color. It made a huge difference.
Excellent post and wonderful images to show what you are talking about. The pictures really do speak 1000 words! And even if you paint the walls and ceiling the same exact color, they can look different if you use a different sheen to add interest.
Still good advice…getting ready to paint a room in truss bathroom and pondering the thought of painting the whole room ceiling and all the same color…either way I am good to go, can cut in white on the ceiling later if I don’t care for it..but after reading this and seeing a few examples…I think it will be just fine. Thanks for the still viable and good perspective on dealing with a challenging to design space!
Thanks Earl, even though I wrote this post awhile back, I still give the same advice today. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Thank you for this helpful post. The landing strip example is so true! Great article and images to prove your points.