It doesn't look like you get a lot of natural light, and you've chosen a very dark paint color. If you spend a lot of time in your office, especially during the day, you'll need very good lighting. Painting the ceiling darker will exacerbate the situation, so I would keep it white.

I would.

I would also paint the trim the same color... no stark contrast with the white trim.

I like it all one color!

You are going for dark and moody I take it. The white window frame needs to be dark. I would not paint the ceiling as dark. You aren't keeping any wood tones ? I might go with a taupe for the ceiling. If the trim out were dark wood that would work better to mix it up a but. Too much is TOO MUCH.

the room is W / NW facing

And no, not leaving any of the natural wood

yes, going for moody (though will brighten it with a fun / bright rug and art on the back wall

Same color overhead will look darker than it does vertically on the walls - something about how light from windows and overhead light hits it. Cut wall color with white - can be quite a bit of white actually- and the eye will read it as the same color. Or if quite a bit of white is added it will look lighter but not be the jarring contrast that straight white is giving you. Will you have wood floors/ furnishings at least? Needs some warmth.

In our last house, most of the rooms had non-white ceilings, in a lighter shade than the walls. The only room where the walls were rather dark was a bathroom, and the ceiling was much lighter than the walls.

It is an office, so…a work space with equipment of some kind? Or books and a laptop? What kind of functional light do you need? Just curious as it might inform answers.

Great questions and idea, thanks everyone.

Another idea (which may be great or stupid!) is putting a fun wallpaper design on the ceiling OR in the backs of the shelves.....Thoughts?

@Debbie downer A wood floor would be awesome, but i can't invest in that at the moment. I am hoping to find a rug that has a similar effect (tips?)

These are my idea so far to add warmth

--brass hardware on pulls/doors

--new warm rug

--brightening art on back wall (prob gallery wall)

-plants

-natural-colored roman shades (or something similar)

-fun wall--paper on the backs of shelves

***would adding sconces to the sides of the windows help?

@ptreckel it's a home office for me, so the shelves mostly have books / memorabilia and random ephemera / some natural-colored storage boxes. The room currently has recessed lights (plenty enough for functionality, but that's not to say more targeted lights wouldn't add interest)

I’d paint it …

Or a lighter color in the same family, not white …

Or wallpaper …

Maybe a fun chandelier, too?

My Mom had a wallpaper business in the 80s. I watched her work (she did a couple of rooms in my house), and I can't imagine how difficult it would be to wallpaper a ceiling (and make it perfect).

I agree with latifolia, stay with a white or light ceiling. I know if I was in a room with walls and ceiling the same color, I would feel like I was inside of a box. Dark and moody may be fine in the daytime, but you may regret having such a dark room at night.

Go for it. I love that you're making a bold choice. I like the idea of wallpaper on the ceiling, too, like the examples above. Or you could go for a metallic gold or bronze paint for the ceiling, like this:

Kendrah nailed it