This Bedroom Makeover Showcases the Power of Painting a Ceiling Black

How Painting a Ceiling Black Can Turn Your Bedroom into the Cozy Cocoon of Your Dreams

When it comes to painting a bedroom, what colors come to mind? Classic, a timeless greige, or Cloud Watching, a sky blue, are tranquil paint picks. But artist and Clare Collective ambassador Lauren Hom is always a fan of tapping into more daring hues. For her friend and fellow artist, Meg Lewis, Lauren crafted a one-of-a-kind bedroom design, which included painting a ceiling black and using punchy, vivid colors around the ceiling rail for a personality-filled space.

For the design, Meg’s work, which features both bright palettes and saturated black, was the ultimate inspiration. Similar to Lauren’s guest bedroom makeover for Zipeng Zhu, Meg’s vision and personal style, as well as the furniture and decor already in the space, led the game plan. With a desire for cohesion in mind, Lauren got to work painting the ceiling black. Curious how she pulled it off? Read on for her tips.

Take Inspiration from Your Aesthetic

The palette was inspired by Meg’s work, which they characterize as bold, personable and packed with abstract shapes, eye-popping colors and quirky characters. Another touch point was Meg’s previous home, which had a dark ceiling, a detail they always enjoyed.

Before

After

Blackish, a dark saturated black paint color from Clare, makes a statement in any room. Check out this personality-filled NYC bedroom by Clare Collective ambassador Lauren Hom.

When it comes to choosing paint colors, it’s important to consider a room’s size and how much natural light it gets. For example, Meg’s Brooklyn bedroom has tall ceilings, giving it a cavernous vibe that works well with dark, bold paint colors. In a space with lower ceilings, a dark hue may run the risk of making the space feel claustrophobic and overwhelming.

While the “before” was airy, Meg’s room needed a dramatic element to tie everything together in a way that showed off their personal style. For the design, Meg and Lauren decided to try painting the ceiling black with Blackish and using Like Buttah for the cabinets, plus Matcha Latte, Hyperlink, Fire Sign , Rose Séason, Golden Hour and Blue Ivy for the ceiling rail—which is reminiscent of a rainbow without being a rainbow, Lauren notes.

Work With Your Room’s Architecture

While the room has tall ceilings, there’s only one small window, which lends a sense of coziness to the space. During the day, the room is largely shaded, so the multicolor ceiling rail added a nice touch of brightness. Pro tip: Work with the elements already in your home. Whether your space has a unique alcove setup or quirky built-ins, you can use paint to make the space work for you. In this room, the ceiling rail sits about one foot from the ceiling and Lauren employed an array of painting tricks to finish it in one weekend.

Ready, Set, Paint

When preparing for a paint project, it’s best to start with a fresh, uncluttered, and furniture-free space—although we know that’s not always possible. Oftentimes, like in Meg’s case, it’s tough to move larger pieces. For this project, Lauren had to work around the bed, covering everything in tarps and drop cloths. If you’re planning to paint an already decorated space, move as much as you can and cover anything you don’t want to get paint on with drop cloths.

Lauren’s Expert Tips for Painting a Ceiling Black

Clare Collective ambassador Lauren Hom painting the ceiling black with Blackish, a black paint color from Clare. Check out this personality-filled NYC bedroom on the Clare blog.

Can you believe this was Lauren’s first time painting a ceiling? Luckily, her experience painting murals came in handy, especially when it came to reaching far corners without compromising her safety. Instead of standing on the top of a ladder and risking a fall, keep Lauren’s tip in mind.

To reach corners, Lauren used the knowledge she picked up from muralists in Australia who told her to tape a paint brush to the end of an extension pole and wrap it tightly in painter’s tape. Once taped, Lauren was able to paint with ease, using the extension pole like a long arm. If you’re painting details on hard-to-reach areas, consider this hack—but be wary of drips and don’t load up the brush with too much paint. With practice (and a little arm strength!) you can paint further and more hard-to-reach corners.

To complete Meg’s bedroom makeover, Lauren painted for 14 hours, a project she thinks is doable in a weekend for the ambitious DIYer. To prevent neck strain, she recommends painting in small sections and taking plenty of breaks.

Clare Collective ambassador Lauren Hom painting the ceiling black with Blackish and picture rail with Matcha Latte, Hyperlink, Fire Sign, Rose Season, Golden Hour and Blue Ivy, all paint color by Clare. Check out this personality-filled NYC bedroom on the Clare blog.

Want to see more of this weekend bedroom makeover? Check out Lauren’s Instagram and keep an eye out for more painting tips and tricks to make updating your space fun and easy.

Ready to refresh your space? Look up. Blackish, a deep nearly black paint from Clare, helped transform a once-basic bedroom into a cozy retreat with a fresh coat on the ceiling. Check out how Clare Collective ambassador Lauren HOM transformed this NYC bedroom on the Clare blog.

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Interiors