10 European Ceiling Paint Trends That Are Coming Over

The world has always looked to Europe to set a fashionable precedent for all things, and home design is no exception. For centuries, lavish palaces and stately manor houses ruled architectural and interior design trends for the fashionable, and many of those elements have stood the test of time and endured in Europe. But now, many of those European touches have spread to other parts of the globe as chic decoration ideas. Today, it's not uncommon nor out of place to see these historically inspired pieces in homes all around the world. Of course, Europe's design influence isn't just limited to what was popular in bygone eras, but European modernism – a la Scandinavian interior design — is most definitely a staple in international design palettes. European antiques, too, are having a moment. Whether it be historic or contemporary, there's no shortage of European inspiration for our homes here and elsewhere.

With European design fashions in mind, an often-overlooked area to bring design to is a room's ceiling, and European designers have long looked up to fill out the room's aesthetics. From the lavish frescos of history or today's contemporary plays on lines and materials, we're also starting to look up at our ceilings, from this side of the pond. There are many eye-catching ways to decorate your ceilings, but among the easiest ways to achieve these European-inspired looks is to use a DIY favorite: paint. The ceiling, for many designers, is thought to be the "fifth wall" of a room, and with paint you can easily execute some of our favorite inspired-by-Europe ideas.

The key to a European modern cottage look (if that's the European design you're going for), is to fill your design with earthy neutrals to connect with the natural appeal of a bucolic setting. To create that warm foundation for your rustic details, but in a more interesting way than simply painting your walls, is to extend that paint onto your ceiling. This creates the ultimate color drenched canvas. Dress up your ceiling with the additional moldings or medallions, or leave as-is, particularly if your home already has historic textural accents.

For a European countryside, cottage-inspired ceiling and room decor, lean into the idea of neutral pastels. While that may seem like an oxymoron at first, we're looking at Benjamin Moore's European Countryside Collection for inspiration. The palette includes a pastel blue and pink, both of which feature a muted, cool undertone that skews it more neutral than bright. These colors give a light, airy, and rustic appeal to the room, and on the ceiling it'll brighten up a space. Think of this look as shabby chic's older European sister: a pastel ceiling gives off similar vibes but slightly more refined.

This European design trick isn't so much trend as it is an enduring design element that many grand, palatial European homes have seen in some shape or form. Adding drama to the ceiling was once accomplished with painted accents like larger-than-life frescos. If you're a natural artist, try painting a dark background with overlaid floral motifs for a baroque look. Or, opt for medallion stencils if you want to go for a more classic look with a DIY twist. While yes, you could paint a big mural on the ceiling, for a modern bold makeover, opt for the ceiling wallpaper trend. 

Adding gold or silver to a ceiling was, in truth, a historic flex for an estate owner. In this day in age, you may not be able to add hammered gold sheets to your living room any time soon, but there are some updated versions of this trend. In contemporary European design, a matte, warm metallic paint mimics the worn-in gold of an old manor house, but with modern flair. For an extra-authentic touch, paint faux tin ceiling tiles with a metallic acrylic paint.

Dark tones evoke similar sumptuous feelings to darkly colored quartz or marble. This color palette shows off the most romantic bits of a Euro-inspired, dark academia design theme, but can also be extremely modern depending on which European design trend resonates with you. For the latter, a rich burgundy ceiling can harmonize with antique furniture and existing historic elements for that Gothic castle vibe. At the same time, with some slightly warmer wooden pieces and crisp minimalist lines, the darker ceiling transforms into part of a Nordic-modern design palette.

Venetian plaster recalls antique Italian building techniques, with a patina-ed and aged look. In your home, you can mimic this vibe with a couple of DIY solutions. Limewash paint, for instance, allows for a purposefully uneven finish, and is one of the easiest ways to create the effect. While using actual Venetian plaster is also an option, it's thick and can be tricky to work with on a ceiling. You may be better off using a limewash paint trick to fool the eye and save your arm muscles.

Long gone are the days when ceiling medallions were reserved for formal dining rooms or parlors; today ornate ceiling medallions can be used on any room's ceiling, to dress the space up a bit. Using a medallion also doesn't mean you need to lean your entire design palette towards the vintage or antique, either. Today, mix and match contemporary with historic vibes by painting the medallion to match the walls in the room or going full monochrome and painting both the medallion and the ceiling the same color.

Another simple painting solution, jewel-toned ceilings are both historic and modern. In past eras, jewel-toned ceilings graced some of Europe's most ornate royal palaces, often painted between spots of complex plaster work. For a modern take, incorporate pops of unexpected color in places you wouldn't necessary think of to be colorful, like the ceilings in kitchens and bathrooms. For inspiration, the Fine Paints of Europe's color of the year is Swimmingly Blue — a deeply saturated, rich, royal blue that exemplifies the jewel tones that once befitted palace ceilings. 

For that rustic European look, you can't go wrong using an earth-toned paint to complement ceiling beams. This pairing is a staple of Provencal interiors, new and old. A classic shade of cream will stay on-trend for years to come, while a rusty terracotta leans more Mediterranean for a design inspired by antiquity. If your beams are looking a little tired, don't be afraid to sand and re-stain them to keep them looking fresh and clean.

While some of us may get some 80s-tastic flash backs of wallpaper trims, the reality is that ceiling borders, in many forms, are back in style. Segmenting your ceiling with the use of moldings has been a traditional element of European design for centuries, and no longer are designers relying simply on plain white moldings for this effect. Paint your crown molding a contrasting color to your walls to highlight the ceiling, or if you don't have a crown molding, use a stencil to create your own painted border.