Anyway to de-emphasize a popcorn ceiling?

[bisous]

Yay, us. We have popcorn ceilings in bedrooms and living areas. And the one thing the landlord asked us NOT to do was touch the ceilings. We have radiant heating panels and they fear (reasonably) that alterations would damage them.

But the ceilings are so hard to NOT notice.

Do you think adding other architectural detailing to walls or putting in a canopy bed would emphasize or de-emphasize this "lovely" feature? I'm mostly thinking about my master bedroom. I'd love a sophisticated space but feel like the ceiling makes any dramatic treatment likely to backfire.

[crl]

I think anything that draws the eye up, like crown molding or a canopy bed, will just emphasize the ceiling. I would chose a wall color that isn't a huge contrast to the ceiling color and then I would just ignore the ceiling.

Catherine

[Melaine]

Ugh. Hate popcorn ceilings, we have them everywhere.

[twowhat?]

How tall are the ceilings? We had popcorn in our old house and it looks the worst on shorter 8 ft ceilings. On our 14-ft ceilings (which had crown molding) it was much easier to ignore.

So - we scraped the popcorn off of the 2 bedrooms with 8-ft ceilings and wow it felt like 2 feet of height was added to the ceilings!

But if you're in a rental, there's not much you can do. Choose a wall color that is a hair darker than the ceiling color (which I assume is probably a dingy white so you'd want to choose something a bit darker than that because a lighter-color ceiling will create the illusion of height). I don't think the color itself matters so much, as long as it's just a hair darker than the ceiling. So definitely don't paint the room a bright white!!!! But maybe a creamy yellow or a sophisticated shade of light bluish-gray would work.

Then I'd create a focal point (a piece of artwork on the wall above the headboard or if the room is large enough, a seating area with a fabulous floor lamp or something).

[pinkmomagain]

Just got rid of the last of ours! Previous owners had it sprayed on because of cracks in the original plaster.

I agree not to put up crown molding...I think it would just draw the eye upward towards the ceiling more.

[bisous]

Thanks for weighing in. I appreciate it. Yes, 8 foot ceilings. At least they are recently painted. I do seem to notice them less when ALL the architectural detailing is the same color. I really appreciate your suggestions, all!

[twowhat?]

Thanks for weighing in. I appreciate it. Yes, 8 foot ceilings. At least they are recently painted. I do seem to notice them less when ALL the architectural detailing is the same color. I really appreciate your suggestions, all!

Well, this will make you feel better: painted popcorn is a BEAR to remove because it creates a barrier so that water (which is used to soften up popcorn so it can be scraped off) cannot penetrate it fully enough for removal! It can be removed by mechanical means (it's already messy with water...to remove it without water would be even worse dust-wise) or by using a solvent (ick!). So even if your landlord would let you do it, you won't WANT to do it!!!

[sariana]

Fabulous eye candy lower in the room will keep everyone's eyes away from the ceiling. Don't try to "hide" the ceiling; just decorate in a way that keeps attention on the lower part of the room. Keeping everything on a "lower" scale will help to make the ceiling look higher, too.

[SASM]

We have popcorn in our main living areas. I, honestly, do not notice them. We have light-colored walls. It is kind of like a creamy beige light yellow color. I love it and never stress over the popcorn.
ETA: The color is Sherwin Williams Netsuke SW 6134. Looks very different with various finishes, as we have one finish in the LR and another in the hallway. :) Same color.