We did it — three big check marks: the walls are painted, the closet is painted, and the ceiling is painted in Clara’s room. It turned into a bit of a painting marathon, but the pale pink on the ceiling is so sweet. The color is Pink Cadillac by Benjamin Moore in an eggshell finish. In some photos it reads as subtle, but in person it’s a soft-but-noticeable detail: not the main focal point of the room, but a playful, layered touch. To keep the room feeling calm and to let the rug, pillows, and curtains do the talking, we chose clean white walls. We used BM Simply White in eggshell for the walls and a glossier finish on the trim and doors.
We also rolled a little of the ceiling paint into the closet to tie things together. Someday I’d like to add a built-in bench in there and do something fun with the slanted ceiling — little cedar roofing shakes could give it an indoor playhouse vibe, and a playful wallpaper on the back wall would be sweet too.
The rug and curtains from the living room ended up here for now. Clara’s pink rug was shedding so badly (the new hardwoods made the little tumbleweeds obvious) and she adores playing on a blue rug that she pretends is the ocean, so we tried that one in her room. When we finished moving the house around, we expected some pieces to migrate from room to room, and now a woven rug has settled into the living room — we’re still deciding if it will stay there long-term.
Before painting, we prepped the room by moving everything to the center and covering it with plastic drop cloths. You may remember the striped look along the walls from when we sprayed the doors before installing the floors. We didn’t want that primer or old paint to flash through the new finish, so we primed only the areas where we worried the old color would show through.
We painted the ceiling first, then followed with targeted priming on the walls where bleed-through seemed likely. That approach let us focus on the problem spots without priming the entire room a second time.
Here’s a shot that shows the progression: the yellowed original wall, the cooler-toned primer, and the final Simply White finish. The difference is night and day — the new white brightens the room and refreshes the whole space.
We still have a few things to add on the walls — I’m halfway through sewing a canopy to hang above Clara’s bed and there will be art and eventually a light fixture to finish the room. But even without those touches, getting rid of the yellowed walls and the spray stripes has made a huge improvement. It’s such a different room than the one we started with, covered in blue trim.
We’ve been trying to improve our photography skills and — big step — shot all these after photos in manual for the first time. They’re not perfect, but we’re learning. Practice makes progress!
Clara is thrilled with her pink ceiling. When she first saw it she said, “Now when I’m sleeping I can look at the pink and the pink can look at me.” That line made the whole project worth it.
The room now feels like a balance of playful and peaceful: bold patterns in the pillows, curtains, and rug give it personality, while white furniture and walls keep everything grounded so it never feels too chaotic.
From the closet you get a different perspective on the room. The wall above the crib is still empty — Clara is close to being done with her crib, so we may wait to decide what belongs there until we know the layout for sure. That will help inform the artwork or decor we choose.
I had a moment of photography luck where the book was in focus and the little toy alligator wasn’t. It’s tempting to congratulate ourselves, then promptly compare our shots to the pros and humble ourselves back into practice mode.
This little model always improves the photos, so credit goes to Clara for making these shots so charming.
You might notice we didn’t paint every tiny crack where the wall meets the ceiling — that’s intentional. We’re planning to install crown molding soon, which will cover those edges and give the room a finished look.
What projects are you tackling right now? Any rooms with a clean, calm palette and a playful ceiling feature? We’d love to hear about your paint choices and how you balance bold details with a neutral base.