Wall paint color is a fundamental choice when building or redecorating your home. After all, your home is where you wake up every morning, sleep every night, and wind down every evening.
If you consider your ceiling a “fifth wall,” you’ve got your mind in the right place. The wall and ceiling don’t just connect by crown molding—they connect by mood and style.
Choosing the right paint color for your walls and ceiling becomes much easier once you learn how light, space, and color interact. Understanding how these factors behave will help you determine whether to paint your walls and ceiling the same color or in different hues.
In this article, you’ll learn the advantages and drawbacks of painting the ceiling the same color as the walls. We also include tips for choosing a paint color and finish and alternatives to using a single color for your walls and ceilings.
Remember, our tips and recommendations can guide you to your own paint color decisions. You’ll want to consider personal preference and your home when choosing.
A Quick Overview of the Pros and Cons
Below is a brief overview of the pros and cons of painting the ceiling the same color as the walls—a look called monochromatic. We’ll dive deeper into these pros and cons below.
Pros of Using the Same Color
- Makes painting easier
- Lowers the cost of painting
- Offers a seamless look
- Avoids conflicting undertones
- Opens up the room when using lighter colors
- Creates a backdrop for decor and furniture
- Works well with dark colors in a large room
Cons of Using the Same Color
- May highlight ceiling imperfections
- Can make the room feel smaller
- Can be monotone or boring
- Can be overwhelming when using bold colors
- Will tone down crown molding of the same color
7 Pros of Painting Ceiling and Walls the Same Color
Depending on your home’s situation, you may find some of the following pros insignificant or beneficial. While there are some “truths” about design and color choice, what you decide on comes down to what you prefer as a homeowner.
1. Makes Painting Easier
If you’re painting your ceiling and walls, choosing the same color can quicken the process for yourself when using the same sheen or finish.
Once you’ve started painting, there’s no risk of dripping or smearing different colors. There’s no need to paint along straight lines carefully and no harm in overshooting your paint roller.
You can also forgo the hassle of applying and removing painter’s tape along the corners of your room.
2. Lowers the Cost of Painting
Buying paint in bulk is cheaper per gallon than buying multiple individual buckets. With one color to worry about for your walls and ceiling, you don’t need to buy two one-gallon paint buckets.
You’ll save money by buying a five-gallon bucket of paint instead, which will be plenty for most room sizes.
Save any extra paint for easy touch-ups in the future.
3. Offers a Seamless Look
When your ceiling and walls are the same color, your room achieves a continuous look that flows naturally from side to side and from wall to ceiling. Paint your crown molding the same color for an added effect.
The singular paint color will immerse you in its moody influence, making your room more cohesive. Using just one color may also lend to a minimalist effect with similarly colored decor.
The seamless look is especially beneficial if your upstairs room or attic has angled walls or a vaulted ceiling. Painting a vaulted ceiling the same color as the walls will prevent them from appearing disjointed and will look purposeful.
4. Avoids Conflicting Undertones
Undertones are the paint colors mixed into a dominant color (mass tone or overtone). They are slightly present colors that you often don’t perceive when looking at a mixed paint color. Different lighting can bring out or extinguish undertones.
If you have two of the “same” colors with different undertones for the ceiling and walls, the difference is noticeable. For example, white paint for a ceiling with a pink undertone may clash with white paint for a wall that has a yellow undertone.
When the paint you use for your walls and ceiling are the exact same color, including the colors mixed in, you don’t have to worry about conflicting undertones.
5. Opens Up the Room (When Using Lighter Colors)
Light colors, like whites and neutrals, open up the room because they reflect more light. The more natural light a room receives, the more spacious it feels.
So when the color is light and you have enough natural illumination, painting the ceiling the same color as the walls makes the room look bigger.
Crown molding painted the same color as the ceiling and walls also adds visual space to the room. Even with low ceilings, crown molding can lead your eyes upward to create the illusion of a taller ceiling, but keep in mind that painting your crown molding the same color may also cause it to lose its decorative details.
A light, uniform color for the walls and ceiling that opens up even small rooms creates a cool, relaxed space perfect for winding down.
6. Creates a Backdrop for Decor and Furniture
The furniture, decor, and flooring in a room are all elements to consider when painting the walls and ceiling.
For example, if you pick too extravagant a color for the walls and contrast them with the ceiling, you might take attention away from the brightly unique vases on your shelf. Even worse, the colors could clash with the other elements in the room.
If you paint the walls and ceiling the same color, you can highlight beautiful furniture and artwork by creating a uniform backdrop. You can contrast your furniture with a lighter or darker color for the walls and ceiling.
And because your ceiling matches your wall, it’s not a problem if you don’t match your ceiling with your flooring.
7. Works Well With Dark Colors in a Large Room
Expansive rooms will benefit the most from a dark, monochromatic look for the ceiling and walls. Dark paint colors that surround you in a large room can make the space feel cozy and lively.
Dark colors tend to tighten a space, so the bigger your room, the more opportunity you have to paint the ceiling and walls the same dark hue. Plenty of light in these rooms helps to counteract the tight feeling.
Be wary of too much clutter in a large room, as a dark color for the wall and ceiling may make a busy room stuffy.
5 Cons of Painting Ceiling and Walls the Same Color
Because paint color is a subjective element in your home, you may view many previous advantages as drawbacks depending on the setting. Remember to consider your style and situation when reviewing these cons.
1. Lack of Contrast May Highlight Ceiling Imperfections
Painting the ceiling and walls the same color means no contrast to distract from flaws.
All your scratches, patches, and otherwise hairline cracks in the ceiling become much more noticeable when it’s the same color as your walls.
That said, using a flat or matte finish rather than a more reflective one will help make your ceiling’s flaws less noticeable.
2. Dark Colors Can Make a Room Feel Smaller
While light colors reflect much light, dark colors absorb light and add weight to a room.
Without other colors to break up space, dark colors for the ceiling and walls can create a cramped effect. This is especially the case in small rooms, but you may experience it in a large room with a lot of decor and furniture.
If your room doesn’t receive much natural light, think twice about painting the walls and ceiling the same black, navy blue, brown, or other dark hues.
3. Bold Colors Can Be Overwhelming
Rooms with ceiling and walls painted in bold colors like bright purple, red, or green will certainly make your home memorable for guests. But they may make you tired.
Constantly subjecting your eyes to a room with one overpowering paint color can leave you feeling overstimulated.
To make matters more complicated, if you change your mind and want to repaint your bold ceiling and walls, you’ll need a primer and multiple coats of the new paint.
4. Monochromatic Neutrals Can Be Boring
Neutrals are colors that get along with any other color and accent. They’re timeless and will always be popular for homes, so several options exist for your ceiling and walls.
But while light neutrals can be calming and space-providing and dark neutrals cozy and dramatic, sometimes neutrals are just boring.
If you’re the type of homeowner who prefers contrast and excitement in one or all of your rooms, a neutral monochromatic look for your ceiling and walls won’t cut it.
5. The Same Color for Crown Molding May Tone It Down
Crown molding is sometimes an elegant addition to the room you want to show off.
But when you paint the crown molding the same color as the walls and ceiling, it’s possible for the decorative details to get lost.
Additionally, having lighter crown molding can make your ceilings look taller because darker colors appear farther away. If you forfeit that contrast, your crown molding loses the ability to make your ceiling look taller.
However, if you choose a light color for your monochrome room, the crown molding can contribute to opening up the space. It’s up to you to decide whether you prefer highlighting your crown molding or adding more visual spaciousness.
Tips for Painting Your Walls and Ceiling the Same Color
Should you choose to paint the ceiling the same color as the walls, the below tips will help you choose the right color and finish.
Choosing Your Paint Color
Paint color is largely up to what you prefer, but there are some tips to guide your decision.
If you like bright colors, consider adding colorful decor and using white to paint the ceiling the same color as your walls. This way, you can use your walls and ceiling as a backdrop for your decor and furniture, which you can more easily replace than paint.
In the end, paint is replaceable. Choosing bright colors isn’t a bad idea if you have the patience and motivation to repaint your walls and ceiling.
If you like dark colors, make sure your room is large enough or has enough natural light from a window to balance the closed-in effect of the paint. You can also install crown molding and paint it a lighter color to give the appearance of a higher ceiling.
Should I Paint My Ceiling and Walls the Same Color White?
When using white, select one type of white that you like for both the ceiling and the walls. If you try to pair one white with another, the difference in undertones will be apparent. Use this same paint for future touch-ups, or you will have noticeable patches of discoloration.
Choosing Your Paint Finish
Paint finish, or sheen, determines how shiny your paint is. It runs from least shiny to shiniest, and each end of the spectrum has its benefits. The glossier the sheen, the more your walls and ceiling will show their flaws, but the paint will also be more durable.
The six types of paint finishes are flat, matte, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and high-gloss.
- Flat: A flat finish absorbs the most light, hiding blemishes and preventing glare on your walls and ceiling. We recommend this sheen only for low-traffic rooms, as it’s difficult to clean and prone to mold.
- Matte and eggshell: These finishes are still not very shiny but have more shine and durability than flat. They can be used for rooms with regular and medium traffic, respectively.
- Satin: A satin sheen does well in rooms like bathrooms and kitchens that you plan to paint in your monochromatic color scheme. It offers some shine to your color and does well against moisture and high traffic.
- Semi-gloss: This sheen is like satin’s bigger sibling, as it can withstand even more moisture and traffic and has an even shinier appearance.
- High-gloss: A high-gloss finish is like the surface of a clear lake. It’s the most reflective, durable, and useful around high-use areas.
You can use different sheens for the wall and the ceiling, but be mindful that different finishes of the same color reflect light differently and may alter the look of the color. Test the different sheens together using paint samples in your home to see how it reacts to the room’s natural light.
Alternative Paint Combinations for Your Ceiling and Walls
After reading the pros and cons of painting the walls and ceiling the same color, you may also be interested in different painting options for your room outside of a monochromatic theme.
You can use some alternative paint applications for your ceiling and walls to increase contrast and keep your room interesting.
Go Lighter
Try a lighter ceiling if you like dark or bright colors for your walls but still want an airy space. You can still enjoy these heavier colors, like dark green or navy blue—just paint your ceiling with a shade about 20% lighter than the walls.
Conversely, you can keep your ceiling a dark color and then lighten your walls to increase contrast. Ask the paint store to add 50% of white to the paint you will use for your walls, and keep the ceiling the same.
This trick lets you enjoy your dramatic and stately dark colors with a touch of coordinated contrast.
Accent Walls and Ceiling
Another creative alternative to painting your ceiling and walls the same color is to paint the ceiling and an accent wall the same color.
An accent wall is one painted differently from the rest of the walls in a room. It can complement a room’s decor or add a burst of color to an otherwise neutral room. You can use an accent wall behind the focal point of a room to highlight it, like a sofa, TV, or piano.
When choosing an accent wall color to match the ceiling, ensure it coordinates with the other walls in the room. You can use a color wheel to test color combinations.
If the other walls in the room are neutral, most other colors for your accent wall and ceiling will work.
Painting an accent wall and the ceiling the same color relieves you from an overwhelming monochromatic look and adds intrigue to any room.
The Ceiling’s the Limit
No one can tell you whether or not to paint the walls and ceiling in your room the same color—not even your local paint vendor. That’s up to you to decide with some help from our recommendations and your personal style.
If you choose to go for it after reviewing the pros and cons, painting your walls the same color as your ceiling can offer you a rich visual experience every day. But if you choose it’s not for you, a white ceiling is always a reliable option.
Your home is yours to live, eat, sleep, laugh, and enjoy life in.
And the most important thing to remember: Paint is not permanent.