Push It up

• Light colors reflect light, making your ceiling feel like it's receding, as though it's higher than it actually is. If you're looking for a grander looking ceiling, opt for a light shade, like snow white, cream, lightest tan or latte. The higher you would like the ceiling to appear, the lighter your paint choice should be. Choose a satin or eggshell finish for even more light-reflecting power. High gloss will do the same thing but is quite unforgiving of any imperfections in the ceiling.
  
  

Pull It Down

• Dark colors absorb light, making a ceiling feel lower and a room cozier. Popular ceiling colors for dens, home theaters and studies are medium to dark shades of brown, navy blue, forest green, burnt orange, burgundy and deep, true red. The trick to applying any of these deeply-pigmented paint colors involves applying a tinted primer first and following it up with a minimum of two coats of paint.
  
  

Go Monochromatic

• Monochromatic ceiling colors help create a warm and sophisticated space. You achieve a monochromatic look by layering in varying shades of the same color. For instance, if the walls of your room are a deep lilac, you would paint the ceiling a lighter shade of lilac. If the walls are a toasty tan, you would choose a lighter or a darker shade of the same color for the ceiling. Continuity is in a monochromatic color scheme that promotes tranquility.
  
  

Make It "One" With the Walls

• No rule says that a ceiling has to be painted a different color than the walls. If you love that spring green on the walls, extend it to the ceiling. Painting your walls and ceiling the same color achieves two things. It creates the optical illusion that your walls never stop, making the room feel higher, and it gives you a solid decorative backdrop of color to decorate around.