Aggie Purvinska Yes, but paint the walls white. no crown molding.

Annie Nozawa Hi Aggie, thanks! I would want to keep the walls black -- my idea is to make the space all-black by painting the ceilings!! Would you say no crown moulding if ceilings AND walls were black?

monica15 Your home is beautiful! I agree with Aggie, if you paint the ceiling black, lighten up the walls. I prefer the black walls with the white ceiling.

Aggie Purvinska Were you thinking of white crown molding? I think, no.

But before you go all black, I would also play with some kind of Mother of Pearl Version of Gray...on the ceiling

ruthmand You have a very modern looking space - no crown moldings, please.

cypress Your condo looks fantastic! I would not add crown molding to this space regardless of the colors you choose. If you have been dreaming of black ceilings for such a long time......then go for it! Worst case would be you would have to repaint. Good Luck.

lefty47 HI -- Look up Kimberly Seldons condo - she has done it in black and it's wonderful . You have to be careful doing this but when done right it's fab. Look on a google search to see vidios of her place - CityTV and I think she also shows it on either Benjamin Moore's Paints site or Behr paint's web site also.

Chandani How about grey on the ceilings?

claudiann I vote no. It looks great as is. Black ceiling reminds me of a planetarium.

PVK Studio Lot of other factors are important. How is the weather where you live? If is cloudy, raining a lot, you might start feeling depressed. Also, If you or other family members are tall, you might feel the ceiling is getting close you in. What about white ceiling, white walls and a stunning black crown molding?

Frances Temple-West Architect Go for it but make sure you get the finish right. I'm thinking eggshell but you may want to consult a painter. Also, maybe not a true black but something that has some depth to it - again, consult a good painter. (You have one of my all time favorite tables!)

mckstacy If you go with a black ceiling - consider using a retro looking large stencil design - and just use glaze in the stencil!

Barbara Griffith Designs I would paint the ceiling, but not black, I think it actually loses some of the drama. I would paint the ceiling BM Smokey Taupe #983. I always paint ceilings a color..because it is such a huge space. In your case, I would add a contemporary ceiling treatment of a 6" x 1" board on the ceiling up to the wall, on top of that add a 3" x 1" board on top of it also touching the side to the wall. Paint it all the ceiling color. Very contemporary and beautiful.

AMN I like it as-is, but I like the black ceiling too. I agree with cypress. Worst case is you'd have to repaint.

adm1002 Love it as is, beautiful condo!!!

Interiors International, Inc. I flippen love the idea of the black ceiling. It is so dramatic and chic. Your ceilings are high enough to handle this and crown molding. Here is a picture of a custom crown I did in black. It looks so cool and it is in a room with 9' ceilings. I also did the door, window and base board trim in black and chrome.

Annie Nozawa Thanks so much, everyone!! Keep the feedback coming -- super helpful to get all these different opinions.

@Interiors International, I LOVE the idea of black molding. Was also debating doing the window frames/base boards in black. That would be a production, though, so I'm starting with figuring out the ceilings. @Barbara Griffith, I am intrigued by the 6x1 + 3x1 boards too. @Lefty -- thanks for sending me to Kimberley Seldon's apartment. That's exactly the look I was looking for. Totally want my space to be chic, dark, and sexy without being too heavy and drab. My inspiration for the black ceilings: Cindy Gallop's black apartment in NYC:

Thomas Wakeman It sounds silly, but in the Abercrombie Stores, they paint the ceilings a dark grey color and the walls are white and light grey, and it's very dramatic, although, you have to have VERY good lighting e.g. recessed lights, as it would be too dark at night without them. I've painted a wall black before, I liked it for a while, but now I just look at it, and think it looks too much, greys are just as dramatic, but look so much better

Christine Go for it... I think it would be stunning but I think you need to do a black ceiling in such a way that it pops. There is a application where you (if your handy) can put gold leaf on the ceiling and then burnish it with black so it looks really elegant. I saw it in a magazine once and got chills. Then you have to keep everything modern and your accent pieces have to be on point (so grandma's old crocheted blankie is a no-no). I think that guy Martyn Lawrence Bullard did the room I saw. Tres Chic!

Of course none of the pictures I found are good examples but hopefully you get my drift.

Maria Billingsley of J Hettinger Interiors It does look great if you reverse it!

DIAspoton i like the black walls with white ceiling. just looked at houzz browse living rooms: black ceilings.
many photos of black ceilings but not with black walls. see page 13 for white and charcoal walls with black ceiling. crisp and elegant.

loroca I like it. If you want some light reflection, lacquer it! i don't think there's any need for crown moulding. You wouldn't notice it much if everything is black. Good job dressing the place!

LM Designers Sorry but I like it as is. The black walls and ceiling feel like a theater to me.

Barnhart Gallery Not every space would lend itself to so much black, but yours can pull it off. Yes, go for it.

Aja Mazin My first thought was:
"will someone turn the lights on?"

Sharer Design Group LLC I like the white ceilings with the black walls. No crown since it does not go with the condo style.

curacaoblue There is one thing that you need to remember about this photo that you shopped in order to consider the black ceiling: It is showing the room with light in a room with a white ceiling. If you paint it black you won't get the same reflected light. You will darken the room and it will NOT appear as light as it does in your photoshopped photo. Black paint absorbs light and does not reflect it. The large windows will help lighten the room but it will not look the way the photo does. The room will be significantly darker even on the brightest day. If you want a black ceiling i highly suggest doing white walls. Very nice space though!

Annie Nozawa Thanks, Curacaoblue. I did think about the black absorption, but I'm lucky to have southern and western-facing exposures with floods of sunlight everyday. I am hoping to make the living space a little cozier, sexier by painting the ceiling, so I do want there to be less brightness bouncing around!

But I also like the idea of doing a lacquer or high-gloss finish on the ceilings, to help some light/shine bounce around.

sparksue Definitely it's nice with all the black color all over the place but one things for sure is whether are you able to take it in long run? Colours affect our moods too..i suggest go for shades of black/grey which you can play with. crown moulding? I think paint with Gold / bright colour will definitely add some character to your house. if you intend to color all in black. hope this help.

zenhome Agree with Lefty's comment above. Kimberley Seldons's condo ceilings are gorgeous in black and were featured on Cityline and magazine print. Definitely worth googling.

USI Design & Remodeling Annie since you follow me I see a theme to your ideabook collecting and its rooms with drama or more precisely darkly tinted backgrounds, so paint your ceiling black it will not only stun but be the best choice for you.

Amplio Go for the black ceiling, maybe a grey on walls ?

nononanna Go for it. I don't know about gray - have you tried that on your tester? Personally, it's either black or a sky blue, nothing in between.

Susanna Paint it black. All black. Because you want to so badly, nothing will make you happy until you do.

nononanna And it's only paint! Although it is a little easier to paint white black than to paint black white...

ASVInteriors Black - is almost as liberating as white. It will emphasize your views outside and it is so dramatic. Go for it - I had to swim uphill to fight this battle as well!