Welcome to Design track mind by Melissa Gulley

I am an interior designer from Newton, MA having a lot of fun writing this blog between client appointments, kid stuff, kid school stuff, dog stuff, husband stuff, husband's company stuff (http://www.fueldog.com/), life stuff, old house stuff, family stuff, extended family stuff and the rest of the detail stuff. I am not a writer (clearly) so please ignore the typo's, spelling mistakes and desperate need for proofreading.

Showing posts with label family room. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family room. Show all posts

White Ceiling Beware!

Some call it the ceiling, and some the fifth wall.  Thinking about the ceiling as a fifth wall encourages you to consider it in a decorative way.  Why not?  Who else is sick of boring ceiling white?  Oh me, me, me!  This is not a new concept, Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel from 1508-1512. 
Sistine Chapel
Now that may, of course, be too much for some people to tackle.  Let’s look at a simpler variety of ceiling paint.
How stuff works- sky ceiling
My friend Carol has a deeper version of this sky in her kitchen and no one walks into that room without gasping in appreciation at the gorgeous and fun ceiling.  Yet still some may still want an even simpler approach- say a solid color.
2009 family room shot
(Melissa Gulley Style)
Above is actually a picture of the family room in my last house.  Let me tell you, the ceiling made the room so warm and fun - it changed the feeling of the room entirely.
apartmenttherapy- painted ceiling
bath with orange ceiling
(apartment therapy blog)
The above all white rooms get a huge boost of character with the red and orange ceilings.
SherrillCanet- painted ceiling
(Sherrill Canet)

Dining spaces, like the two pictures above, are a great place to play with color on the ceiling.  People are so absorbed in what’s happening at eye level while eating, that this can provide just a pop of the unexhousebeautiful2009- paited ceilingpected.  It pulls the eye up so one can appreciate the entire space.
 Inspirationfordecorationblog-paintedceiling
(House Beautiful)                                                      (Inspiration for Decoration Blog)
Often people want the feeling of outdoors- a blue sky has a wonderful effect on people’s moods, so why not steal a little of that for the indoors?
Makingarrangementsblog- blue ceilingIMG_0334
(making arrangements blog)                                         (Melissa Gulley Style)
This incredible porch (below) is from the amazingly talented Amanda Nesbit.  We have all seen the aqua painted ceilings in porches - well, Mrs. Nesbit took it up a notch with this fabulous purple.  Do you know why porch ceilings were painted blue like the sky?  I didn't either, until my contractor and old house buff told me.  It was to fool the spiders into thinking it was the sky so they wouldn't settle there.  Hmmmmm, not sure spiders can even see color? 
Amanda Nisbet- painted ceiling

Color

To me experiencing color can literally change my mood, my day and inspire my thoughts.  The idea that by giving my house “flow” and “continuity” might require me to have an overall color and style theme connecting all the rooms is such a kill joy!  Sometimes I need warm and cozy, or fun and wacky, or serene and tranquil all in the same house and all within the same day. 
Wake up to sunny and pretty:
alexa Hampton yellow bedroom
Make the kids lunch and eat breakfast in sunny, uncluttered and clean:
brookegiannetti wht kitchen
Go to work in exciting and vivid:
Jessica Clair yellow office
OR
Kelly-Wearstler111-739607 colorful office
Then come home, Pour a glass of wine, read a magazine, open mail and return emails on the laptop in warm, familiar and sophisticated:
JaneMcGarry_9 fireplace
Homework with the kids and dinner in warm cozy and casual:
sunny_breakfast lucite amanda nesbit
Kids in bed, watch your favorite TV show with Hubby, just before retiring for the night:
steven-gambrel-urban-loft2 yellow ceiling
Then so sleepy you go to bed in the coziest bedroom ever:
dark warm cozy bedroom
Now how you go to sleep in dark, warm and cozy but wake up in Sunny and pretty………….well that’s why you hire a designer!