To paint or not to paint above the picture rail?

To paint or not to paint above the picture rail? That is the question. So what do we mean by this and what are the options?

Well. The picture rail is the horizontal wooden feature rail that runs around the room, normally around 12-15 inches lower than the ceiling.

This creates that weird bit between the picture rail and the ceiling, which some people call ‘the frieze’, and it’s this bit that causes all the headaches.

When it comes to decorating, do you treat it as part of the wall? Or do you treat it as part of the ceiling? Or, do you treat it as a separate, decorative feature all of its own?

This all depends on what mood and feeling you are trying to create in your home. So let’s explore the most common scenarios to help you decide what’s right for you.

 

You want to make your walls appear taller and your ceilings appear higher.

Solution: Take your wall colour above the picture rail.

This will instantly make your walls appear taller and your ceilings higher. The colour draws the eye further up the wall elevating them to the max. So if you love your high ceilings and want to accentuate them then absolutely get that wall colour above the picture rail.

You want your room to feel calming and relaxing.

Solution: Take your wall colour above the picture rail.

The more you see of one colour, the more calming your room will feel as the colour will wrap around you like like a blanket. To enhance this even more paint all your woodwork in to match your walls. The picture rail itself, as well as the skirting, architraves, door etc. Having everything all the same blurs the boundaries and means there is no distraction to the eye which gives the whole space an enveloping and cocooning feel.

You want the room to feel snug and cosy

Solution: Stop your wall colour at the picture rail and bring your ceiling colour down the wall.

Sometimes a very high ceiling can create a feeling of anxiety or unrest, particularly in a room where you want to feel secure, like a bedroom. So visually lowering a ceiling may actually be something you want to do.  In this case, bring your ceiling colour down the wall to meet the picture rail. You will enhance this visual effect even more if the colour of your ceiling is darker than the colour of your walls. Your room will feel much more snug and cosy with a lower ceiling.

You want the room to feel traditional

Solution: Stop your wall colour at the picture rail and bring your ceiling colour down the wall.

Having the frieze in a different colour to the walls will accentuate all the features like the picture rail and the cornicing. So if you are a fan of your period features and want to show them off, then stop your wall colour at the picture rail.

You want your room to feel modern

Solution: Take your wall colour above the picture rail.

If you want your traditional home to have a more modern feel then take the colour up and over the picture rail, and onto the ceiling if you want a full colour-drenching, contemporary look. The more elements you have in one colour the more modern your room will feel.

Your room is taller than it is wider

Solution: Stop your wall colour at the picture rail and bring your ceiling colour down the wall.

This doesn’t happen very often, but there are sometimes rooms in the home like WCs, pantries and utility rooms, where the longest dimension is the height. This is never a good thing as you will feel like you are standing in a lift shaft if the walls are taller than they are wider. To rectify this bring your ceiling colour down the walls to the picture rail. This will visually lower the ceiling and make the proportions of the room feel more comfortable.

Your room is a bedroom or playroom for children

Solution: Stop your wall colour at the picture rail and bring your ceiling colour down the wall.

This is another scenario where you probably don’t want your ceilings to feel super high. Children’s rooms are often full of child-sized items so you don’t want the room to feel totally swamped with lofty high ceilings. Lower ceilings may feel more appropriate for kids’ rooms. So visually lower the ceiling by stopping the paint colour at the picture rail.

Your room also has a chair (DADO) rail

Solution: Take your wall colour above the picture rail.

If you are using the same colour paint above and below the chair rail, then this is straightforward. Just simply choose whichever of the above scenarios applies to you. The fact that you have a chair rail has no bearing on the decision.

BUT. If you are going to use two different paint colours, one below the chair rail and one above the chair rail. Then I would take the colour you are using above the chair rail up as high as you can. If you only take it up to the picture rail and then have a different colour on the ceiling, you can start to create the effect of horizontal stripes which can stunt your walls and make the room feel busy.

You are using wallpaper

Solution: Stop your wallpaper at the picture rail and bring your ceiling colour down the wall.

If you are using your wallpaper on all four walls then, again, this is straightforward. Just simply choose whichever of the above scenarios applies to you. You can take your wallpaper right up to the ceiling, or just up to the picture rail depending on what effect you want to create.

BUT. If you are just doing just one wall, or some alcoves, or just a chimney breast then I would recommend stopping the wallpaper at the picture rail as this tends to create better-looking proportions. But this does vary from case to case, just trust your instinct on this one. Just make sure that you take your wallpaper and coordinating wall colour, up to the same point. And, when choosing your coordinating wall, woodwork and ceiling colour consider picking out one of the stronger colours from the wallpaper colour palette, this will elevate the impact of your wallpaper.

What have we missed?

If you are still left wondering then comment below and we will be in touch to help you. Or if you would like to book a design surgery consultation then check out the service here.

Happy decorating,

Sarah x