Call me crazy, but I wasn’t thrilled with Sherry’s latest “furniture arrangement” when I first spotted it in the corner of our living room. She loves lighting, sure, but a chair positioned solely to stare at a lamp felt like something out of a quirky design blog.
Then I looked up and realized she still has most of her marbles (key word: most). The chair was there so she could stand on it and tape paint swatches to the ceiling. Not as strange as it first appeared. She’s still delightfully eccentric for other reasons, but this one had a practical purpose.
We’ve been debating what to do with the large white ceiling rectangles framed by the grey-washed beams for a few days. We tossed around ideas from wallpaper to bold color and nearly everything in between. Dark or highly saturated tones were quickly ruled out — our eight-foot ceilings risk feeling closed-in if the color is too heavy. Choosing a slightly softer platinum-gray than the walls is a safe fallback, but we’re looking for something more interesting.
That’s when metallics came to mind. A metallic paint or subtle metallic wallpaper could add a bit of luxe while reflecting light, helping the room stay bright and airy. To explore the idea we grabbed a few swatches from Martha Stewart’s Precious Metals paint line at Home Depot:
We immediately ruled out the two swatches on the left as too dark. The two lighter metallic samples on the right are tempting, but from a few feet away they don’t read as metallic enough — possibly because they’re intended for walls rather than ceilings. So we’re wondering about faux finishing techniques that could create a glossy champagne or eggshell metallic ceiling. Faux finishes can feel intimidating if you’ve seen the worst of DIY TV, but there are proven approaches that give a refined, subtle shimmer without looking overdone.
If you have experience with metallic paints, we’d love recommendations on specific brands, sheens, or application methods that worked well on ceilings. And if you’ve seen metallic wallpaper that gives a soft, reflective effect without overwhelming a room, tell us about that too. We’re trying to balance the desire for something special with the need to keep the space feeling open.
As for the final choice, we’ll share updates once we decide and start making progress. It might make sense to choose a ceiling hue that complements the art and curtains we ultimately pick — perhaps a whisper of silvery celery if we introduce a green rug, or a lighter metallic tone to pick up highlights from bold curtain panels.
For now, we’re still in “considering options” mode. At least there’s a comfortable spot to sit and be alone with one’s thoughts. And with that lamp.
Update: A commenter suggested a caption contest, and we’re game. Leave your best captions in the comments. Here’s the photo again for inspiration.
The prize is 500 points and comment o’ the day status. You know you want that. Or do you?