Why I'm Not Painting My Walls | domino

By Lydia Geisel

Published on Sep 3, 2024 6:34 PM EDT

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A few days after our phone call to discuss her latest project in Austin, designer Taylor Clouse sent me an email sharing some extra tidbits about the house. “It was risky suggesting to paint the ceiling green,” she noted. Green? I don’t remember a green ceiling! I thought to myself. Confused, I sifted through the photos of her client’s new build, and sure enough there it was: the kitchen and living room ceilings swathed in Farrow & Ball’s Vert de Terre. “In person, you almost don’t notice,” Clouse wrote, “but it actually helps the space feel larger.” As someone who writes a lot about DIY and renovation, I pride myself on catching these details right away—this one surprised me in the best way possible. It was so subtle, so smart, and such a good reminder that paint isn’t just for walls. As I looked around our very white, very boxy, very builder-grade apartment, I turned to my boyfriend and said: “Maybe we should paint our bedroom ceiling this weekend. And we might not stop there…” —Lydia Geisel, home editor

Here’s a controversial opinion: Leave your walls white. While I love to see a room drenched in color as much as the next design editor, I’ve seen paint have the biggest impact on a space when it’s used in surprising places. Ceilings are just the start—I’m talking crawl spaces, basic wood tables, and kitchen countertops. Bonus: The smaller the project, the fewer cans you have to purchase and lug home.

Home Editor

Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. Today, she writes and edits home and renovation stories, including house tours, before and afters, and DIYs, and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.

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