I need pictures but usually I like ceilings the same as the walls when going white and in a 8’ ceiling it gives the illusion of higher walls .Those old square ceiling lights should have beed repalced with pot lights with LED bulbs 4000K and IMO do it now while all the repairs are being done it will not be that expensive and will make choosing any colors a simpler job.

Yes, the lights were replaced and the drywall was repaired along with repairs from removing a wall. The drywall team is back out Tuesday to fix some issues we’ve come across while putting on primer. . I suspect that once we are living in the space with lower ceilings (compared to what we’ve been used to) we may still notice where all the work was done. I hope not. That said here is a picture, not sure if it will help as it is in the midst of a remodel. Nothing is in. Drywall was just complete. Wall color is likely accessible beige. Its a tri-level home.

I think flat, non reflective ceiling are much more attractive. Shiny ceilings seem a bit dated.

@barebay57 we will definitely use flat!

Anyone care to weigh in?

If you do a search on Houzz forums, you will see why it is suggested for ceilings.

It is light but has a little colour to help off-set the greyness/blueness that can happen sometimes around ceiling edges, where it meets the wall.

This can be more noticeable in certain lower lighting when using a ceiling white which is even nearer to neutral.

My go-to for all things color is Kylie M, and she likes SW Pure White with Accessible Beige: https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/colour-review-sherwin-williams-accessible-beige/. BTW, she loves AB! Google “which white accessible beige” and you’ll find lots of pro advice. My own first level is SW Pure White ceilings and I love it, very clean looking with no odd undertones.

@Mama Cita yes to Kylie M, I’ve read her site many times. And sometimes I get a headache trying to keep it straight! I didn’t think to search Accessible Beige and ceiling color together. I was shying away from pure white because of my husbands oak antiques bring in too much yellow. He has reduced his inventory (he wasn’t thinking of them when we bought this house and took out a wall, with the wall they would have fit. Glad we took the wall down 😉)

the gap in my searches was anything to do with lower ceilings but it seems to be a non-issue.

@Marylee H the cool color is definitely my fear!

and through all of this I had no idea there had been (and still is for some skus) a paint shortage going on. Missing the 40% off sales from SW as a result.

thank you all!

flat white even ultra white will pick up shadows in any low lit room. I like white anywhere, everywhere. your furniture is the true focal point in any room. don't let it fight with wall/ceiling colors. it's timeless.

we are going to use alabaster for our walls, ceilings. I have read that Pure White is good for ceilings and does not have yellow undertones.

Wow Jennifer Hogan that is impressive science!

It is available to everyone EasyRGB.com

I just work with color enough that I know where to find it and how to use it. It isn't a perfect science, but in this case it helped clarify your issue.

If you want a lighter space, do a lighter wall color. Accessible Beige has an LRV of about 60. LRV gives an estimate of how much light a particular color reflects into a space. The range is from 0=no reflection to 100 or maximum reflection. I would select an offwhite color then do walls and ceiling in a flat finish with a bright white trim. I just painted our home SW Alabaster and love it. It brightens everything up and we have LED recessed lighting in daylight level. I soften that look with regular incandescent bulbs in lamps and lighted cabinets as I prefer warmer light.

Here is the DNA for SW Alabaster. It has LRV of about 82. Much brighter and lighter than Accessible Beige. I would get samples from samplize.com to test in the space. Much better way to see if a color will work.

Your trim color should have a chroma difference to your wall color of .20 that creates nice crisp look so neither color looks muddy. So SW Alabaster has a chroma of 0.66. Tell me what trim color you are doing and I can see what it’s chroma level is for you.

Here is a chart that shows both SW and BM Offwhite colors and their chroma levels. You can pick based on what wall color you eventually land on.

It has LRV of about 82. Much brighter and lighter than Accessible Beige.

Love it when the word brighter is used correctly. Brightness and lightness describe what a quantity of Light Reflectance also known as luminance looks like.

What bright, brighter, brightness doesn't do is speak to saturation or chromaticity; how clean or muted a color looks.

Taught by the best Lori! 🧐

🦄

great comments Lori...now I feel really comfortable about going with Alabaster SW for our walls.

@alwayscold Alabaster is much lighter, closer to white, than Accessible Beige, but there is nothing inherently wrong with Accessible Beige. The current color trend is white on white but just because something is popular doesn't make it right for every home.

If you are unsure about Accessible Beige you may want to test other paint colors, but that could mean going lighter or darker, it could be more or less colorful or it could be warmer or cooler.

I painted a home white on white in the 1990s. It was in Southern California where we had sunny days most of the year (averaged 12 inches of rain a year, half of which came in Dec/Jan/Feb). I had no large trees shading the windows and I had linear feet of windows in the main living space (10' Southern exposure, 20' Eastern exposure). I also had high gloss tile flooring throughout that space. It was still a light and bright space when I painted the house around 2000 using a deep red with an LRV of 6 in my kitchen and one shared wall in the family room and a deep taupe with an LRV of 25 in the remainder of the main living area.

I now live in a home in Central Pennsylvania where we get average 43 inches of rain and 25 inches of snow annually, with 117 sunny days a year (so almost 1/2 the days are overcast).

There are large trees in my back yard and a large tree in the front yard. I have a 10' eastern facing double sliding glass door in my living room and a 10' window in my foyer, but the rooms are seldom truly bathed in sunlight. I have tested whites and they go drab and I tested some of the darker colors that I loved in my Southern California home and they were oppressively dark. I have landed with colors that have an LRV around 60-65 and a slightly higher Chroma than most of the colors I used in S CA.

Coco Chanel once said "the best color in the whole world is the one that looks good on you."

I think the best wall color for a home is the one that looks best in the space and brings joy to the residents of the home.

Hi all, incredible information here! Thank you! I’ve read it a few times and need to digest this learning! We have alabaster as our exterior house trim, I’ve never thought of it as a wall color.

I went to check on the house last week and we had the intention of painting but found way to many drywall issues. The team lead admitted he thought we would find more wrong, which was disgusting that he knew they didn’t do the job the right way the first time. Reviews and reference checks only go so far as the employees stay the same. So painting is on hold. Cabinets come next week but won’t be installed for another 2 after that. So, I’m putting the paint selection on hold. Which should work in my favor. He’s been in a bit of a push to get this remodel done, and with the drywall issue and a an issue with the gas meter and fireplace install he’s had to slow it all down. Prior to meeting my husband I always went with cool beiges. For this house he has had to part with quite a few pieces but we are keeping a dining table, triple secretary/hutch and a darker walnut amoire that will be in another room. Our couches are a sectional that’s dark leather and likely won’t fit into this space. The orangy antiques I’m kinda stuck with, the walnut one isn’t a problem. I don’t want to showcase the dining table, I want to mute it. Didn’t think a non yellow beige would go with it. The dining chairs are leather and are close in color to the island Cabinet color.

One thing I realized in looking at the house was in the main living area (as it joins several levels) the prior owner had the walls and ceilings the same color. And in 2 bedrooms as well. Why do some paint the ceiling and walls the same? (No crown molding then or plans for it)

I also haven’t decided on my kitchen backsplash, I’m down to 2 selections, the darker cabinet will be the island and vent hood and the cream will be on the wall. Sink will be espresso and faucet black. thoughts? larger one is matte and less graphic, smaller one is glossy and bold.

Sorry for the multiple questions In one post!

You can have white ceilings or paint them the same color or a different color.

You can have white trim or wood trim or colored trim

You can have white cabinets, wood cabinets or colored cabinets.

There isn't a wrong answer - it is all a matter of personal preference.