20 Best Statement Ceiling Ideas for Living Rooms

Blank spaces in your home are important when it comes to maintaining that clean, airy look, but what about the largest blank canvas you have? There's one major area in every house that almost always remains untapped, and it's a great opportunity to flex your decorating muscles: the ceiling.

While this area often remains forgotten, the fifth wall can also be a key element in your living room's design scheme. The empty, usually white space hangs above impeccably decorated rooms—and with a few simple design hacks, it can be the focal point of your entire living area. After you've finished installing new floors, invested in furniture, and spend hours curating bookshelves and tabletops, it's time to turn your attention upwards. We've gathered the best ceiling design ideas to make an impact in your home (including tips that will only cost you a single can of paint).

Ahead, discover 20 living room statement ceiling ideas that guarantee your guests will do a double-take every time.

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Go Monochromatic

Never underestimate the power of a few cans of paint and a ton of creativity. Painting your living room from floor to ceiling gives any room a cozy, moody vibe, especially when you stick to a single color. Create contrast by opting for accents that stand out: In this space, natural wood doors offer an earthy touch, while gold metallic light fixtures add a luxe hint of elegance.

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Be Natural

Why should hardwood floors have all the fun? Rather than keeping the exposed wood to just beams, try installing a hardwood surface across the entirety of your ceiling for natural warmth that can bring character to your space. Paint the walls in a clean bright white to make the ceilings pop.

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Stay Classic With Coffered Molding

This classic molding design can make a dramatic impact in your space with the right color scheme. Coffered ceilings instantly draw the eye up and elevate a room with a classic, elegant vibe. Not a fan of the traditional look? Opt for more modern furnishings or take a cue from this design: Antique furniture is mixed together to complement the room's pastel walls and ceiling accents. The finished design makes for an intriguing composition with a color selection that feels equal parts serene and energetic.

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Paint a Black-and-White Design

Some homeowners choose to camouflage their exposed beams, but we love how this designer went in the opposite direction by painting them black. The clean color scheme, focused on black-and-white architectural details with neutral furnishings, feels modern while expanding the space. Similar hues in the wall décor tie the space together for a fresh, airy finish.

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Make Skylights Moody

We've always been fans of skylights, but we've never seen them look quite like this. By taking the dark forest green paint to the ceiling, this designer made a dramatic, moody impact in a classic living area. Rather than leaving the fireplace's exposed brick in its original finish, the cohesive color scheme allows each detail to stand out with a pop of texture.

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Tile It Up

You could spend hours composing a brilliantly balanced gallery wall, but everything can fall flat north of your highest-hung frame. This metallic tiled ceiling adds the perfect touch to complement the room's wall art, while a contemporary chandelier serves as a focal point for the entire space.

Choose a ceiling color that balances your space: If you're working with limited natural light, opt for brighter shades that make the room feel larger. In rooms with large windows, dark ceilings can make a bold impact.

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Contrast from Room to Room

Welcome to the living room of our dreams. The designer utilized every inch of this space for décor real estate, and it truly paid off: This coffered ceiling is a statement on its own, but what really makes this room stand out is its contrast. In an all-white home, this formal living area is set apart by a burst of navy blue. Minimal details, from the white coffee table to the bronze light fixture, add enough visual interest to draw the eye around the room.

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Offset Your Walls

While we've seen ceilings painted in vibrant colors and interesting textures, sometimes all it takes to make a statement is to go dark. This designer expertly achieved an element of contrast by pairing black ceilings and window trim with an all-white room. Monochromatic colors in the room's architecture allow colorful details in the décor to feel natural.

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Get Printed With Wallpaper

Wallpaper is a genius addition to any room—you can transform a space in just a few hours with the right print and color scheme. But don't be fooled by the name: Wallpaper can be used in places beyond the walls. This patterned blue design on the room's angular ceilings instantly makes the entire space feel balanced and intentional.

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Achieve a Glossy Finish

If you love shiny things as much as we do, you're probably adding this design to your Pinterest board as we speak. The glossy paint color in this living room feels glamorous without looking too busy. Along with taking the same shade to the walls, the designer played up the statement color with wall art, earthy curtains, and warm leather furnishings.

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Choose Texture

It's amazing the difference that a bit of texture can make in a room, and this living area offers plenty of proof. For an easy DIY project that makes your ceilings stand out, install shiplap across the entire surface. This simple touch helps an all-white room feel lived-in and inviting.

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Try a Classic Tin Look

While you may be familiar with tin roofing, using the same material indoors can make a statement unlike any other. In this cozy, cabin-inspired space, dark metallic ceilings offset natural wood walls and bright white furnishings. The earthy charcoal color complements the room's floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and darker hues in its décor.

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Make Lighting a Focal Point

If you aren't ready to commit to a full-blown ceiling project, you can still draw the eye upwards by focusing on lighting. In this great room with vaulted ceilings, three similar chandeliers are hung at varying heights for a contemporary design. By opting for bright white fixtures with black hardware, the lights seamlessly blend into the walls with just enough contrast to create a focal point.

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Create a Grand Medallion Display

Maximalists, take note: Your living room filled with global décor and luxe furnishings can still use a finishing touch. This grand ceiling medallion, built into the room's coffered moldings, creates the perfect setup for a vintage chandelier to stand out. Dark charcoal paint throughout the room makes this design feel as elegant as it is inviting.

To make your trim feel even more elevated, paint its smaller details in a contrasting color to prevent intricate designs from blending in.

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Play Up Architectural Angles

Give angular architecture the illusion of more space by contrasting colors between each wall. We love the mostly-white details in this room that allow its shiplap to create texture, but the single blue section of the ceiling brings out a hint of character. By painting the highest wall, the ceilings feel taller than they actually are—and low-seated furniture exaggerates the visual effect even further.

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Master the Cabin Vibe

If you're currently working with wood ceilings in their natural, rustic state, don't be afraid to keep them that way. This cabin is as inviting as it gets, and the ceilings make all the difference: Rather than painting over earthy wood accents, sand them down and restain them to change up your color scheme without losing the room's original character.

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Introduce Color

If you think of your ceiling as another wall, you'll find a way to tie it into the room's design in a way that feels cohesive and beautiful. We love how this accent color, sky blue, is utilized in this cheery living room. Paired with white walls, neutral furniture, and a vibrant red rug, the contrasting colors in this design feel balanced without overtaking the airy space.

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Stay Bright

If you've fallen for the contrasting ceiling beam look, you might want to consider its alternative: Blending the beams in for texture. We love how these classic white-on-white ceiling beams look clean while adding depth to the space. Additionally, placing them parallel to your longest wall will open up the space and make it appear larger.

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Define Your Lines

This look is similar to a monochromatic design, but one important detail changes the vibe. Rather than including the trim when painting the ceiling the same color as the walls, this designer opted for a bold line of contrast by choosing white. The result defines the lines around the top of the room, allowing dark furnishings to blend into black walls without overwhelming the space.

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Play With Patterns

We're huge fans of using wallpaper on the ceiling, but we're also swooning over these built-in shiplap lines that create a focal point at the center of the room. This designer utilized angles to achieve a geometric effect that still feels modern thanks to its all-white color. Along with patterns on the ceiling, a variety of prints from the throw pillow to the area rug make the room's lines feel balanced.

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