How to Decorate the Ceiling in a Bathroom

Decorating a bathroom ceiling can be a fun project.

Ceilings are often seen by decorators as an additional wall to decorate and add visual interest to any room in a home. The design of a ceiling area creates visual illusions, such as making a low ceiling feel higher, enhancing the interior design of a room and giving the space a visual focal point. Bathrooms are rooms in which a ceiling may not be an element that is often decorated, but its design is equally important in the overall look and feel of the space. Using a few decorator tips, creating a decorated bathroom ceiling can be easy and fun.

Things You'll Need

• Ceiling paint in a dark color Ceiling paint in a light color Paint brushes Paint rollers Paint roller pan Pressed tin tiles Ceiling paint in 2 complimentary colors Painter's masking tape Beadboard panels Hammer Nails Wood glue Faux ceiling beams

Instructions

1. Paint the ceiling a dark color. A dark ceiling visually creates a bathroom ceiling decor in which the ceiling appears lower. This type of paint treatment is suitable for an unusually high ceiling that you want to recede.

2. Apply light color paint to the ceiling. Bathroom ceilings that are painted in a light color give the illusion of a higher ceiling and make the space feel larger. This technique is particularly useful in a home with low ceilings, such as a mobile home, and is a way to create a feeling of spaciousness.

3. Affix aluminum ceiling tiles to the ceiling. Tin or aluminum tiles add a vintage quality to any ceiling. This type of treatment requires good ventilation, with an exhaust fan, to prevent condensation on the tiles, but is a good option when the surface of the ceiling is less than desirable because the tiles cover up the actual ceiling space.

4. Paint stripes on the ceiling. To create a bathroom ceiling that adds interest and drama, paint large stripes on the ceiling, using 2 complimentary colors of paint, and painter's masking tape, for a design that draws the eye up and makes the space feel higher and larger.

5. Add beadboard panels to the ceiling. Beadboard, or wood panels that have thin grooves, is suited to bathrooms where you want a seaside, shabby-chic or country cottage decor. Paint the bathroom ceiling beadboard white, stain it, or leave it rough, depending on the desired decor of the room for a space with visual interest and style.

6. Augment your rustic bathroom ceiling decor with earthy, rough faux beams. These wonderful natural-looking beams are very lightweight, which makes them easy to handle, and they add visual depth to your bathroom ceiling.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose aluminum pressed tiles, opposed to tin pressed tiles, in a bathroom space. Aluminum does not rust, which is important in a room in which there is water vaporization and condensation.

References

• Shower Decor: How to Deal with Bathroom Ceiling
• I Love India: Decorating Ideas for Bathrooms
• Patricia Gray: 8 Top Ceiling Treatments

Resources

• Elle Decor: Design Basics: Ceiling Treatments