An article caught my eye recently: ‘don’t paint that ‘fifth wall’ white’ said the headline. Trendy interior designers are apparently talking ceilings these days: don’t simply paint them ‘Ceiling White’ and forget about them. Think of them as a whole extra ‘wall’ to be decorated and made eye-catching.
If not Ceiling White, then what? You might have heard of ‘colour drenching’: when the walls and ceilings of a room—and the doors and trim— are painted the same colour. The opposite of a single ‘feature wall’, I guess.
Colour drenching?
Colour drenching goes beyond the walls and ceiling, As this Architectural Digest article says:
Like a monochromatic fantasy, the trend is all about a full-on, single-hue explosion across all surfaces in a room. In addition to the walls and ceilings, many objects and installations, such as window treatments and light fixtures, get the same colour treatment.
Bedroom in Calke Green No.34 in Dead Flat® [source]
Is this the trend for me?
This all sounds Insta-worthy and trendy. Is it for me?
This designer suggests you restrict your colour-drenching to stand-alone rooms, such as a powder room or library room. If your house is open plan, committing to one drenching colour is probably going to be … too much.
And which colour, anyway?
Colour drenching is a bold commitment to a colour. And that’s great. But don’t just pick a pretty colour you like. Make sure it makes sense by first choosing some pieces for your room that will inform exactly which pretty blue or green or terracotta colour is perfect. Start with a mood board to see how things relate.
The ‘fifth wall’
Beyond the colour question, designers are doing things to ceilings too. Look at this reinterpretation of the old-school plaster rose:
‘This space designed by Robson Rak Architects & Interior Designers reinterprets the traditional plaster ceiling and finishes with a soft peach colour.’ [source]
This article quotes designer Greg Natale:
In recent projects, Sydney-based Natale says there is barely a ceiling he has left untouched, whether it is adorned with intricate plasterwork or painted an eye-catching colour. To ignore this surface, he says, is to miss an opportunity to enhance the space.
“A lot of home owners forget about the ceiling and it becomes this flat white thing,” he says. “If you refer to it as a fifth wall you think about it differently.”
‘Interior designer Greg Natale has fully immersed himself in the colour saturation movement, opting for this striking ceiling.’ [source]
And it’s not just colour. You could go for texture, or reflectiveness. How about brushed gold?
‘Flack Studio’s treatment of the living room ceiling in a Victorian High Country modernist house is a standout. Finished in brushed gold, it is at once elegant and comforting, creating a space that is both welcoming and sophisticated.’ [source]
What did mid-century modern houses do with their ceilings?
A troll through Pinterest shows some use of the good old Ceiling White, especially in the Modernist houses. But there was also a deep love affair with wood, including lining ceilings with it. Here’s the Edris House, a 1954 mid-century modern house designed by E. Stewart Williams in Palm Springs, California for William and Majorie Edris (owner of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle.)
That wood, that stone. Edris House [from Pinterest]
I think this might be more my vibe for the ‘fifth wall’. But I will look up, and consider. I don’t think we’ll be needing any Ceiling White.