Don't Forget To Look Up

What happens to rooms when you’re deciding to change a look?  We paint.  We might buy a new rug.  We purchase new furniture and we leave a white ceiling.  Is this a familiar scenario?  

Hopefully you have an open mind to treat the ceiling as we do the rest of the room.  Crown molding is a great addition to finish the walls where the colors meet.  There is a simple solution to have your crown molding become more important, and that is by painting the ceiling a color.  Painting the ceiling a color will give a nice separation for the crown to become a divider. Even the slightest off color from the crown can do the job!

Whatever you decide, try to keep an open mind to run another rail of molding on the inside of the crown, possibly with decorative corners.  You might also place a decorative medallion in the center of the room under the chandelier cap. There are wonderful trim books that display unique ideas for ceilings treated with the effort we treat the walls in the room.  This adds another dimension of character to your room.

The photos with this week’s article show some of the ceilings in Mahwah homes I have designed. You can see small onlays in a cluster around a chandelier cap to resemble the plaster ceilings of the wonderful European architecture.  Just remember that the ceiling should have an equal opportunity to shine with the same beauty as the rest of the assets in your home.

This weekly Patch column, which looks at different homes in Mahwah for design inspiration, is written by Gina Avino, a Mahwah resident, interior designer and decorative painter, and Linda Wetterau, a Mahwah resident, floral designer and event planner, of Gina Avino Artistic Designs at 103 E. Main Street in Ramsey.

If you have a design question you'd like to see addressed in a future article, email the authors or visit their website.