All due respect to your designer, but I agree with your painter. The ceiling seems to float a little higher with a lighter color. Thanks for the question.

It all depends on the feeling you want - when the ceilings are the same colors as the walls, they disappear into a general feeling of color. If there is crown or other moulding, this breaks up and divides the walls from the ceilings. My ceilings are all some kind of color -- not white. Because I have crown moulding in white or off-white, having the ceiling be some color creates contrast that makes the crisp woodwork stand out. My new kitchen remodel took suggestions from the Benjamin Moore web site - quiet moments for the walls, and muslin for the ceiling. They have lots of lovely recommendations for good color combinations.

Can you please tell me what the wall color is?