[Updated 4/2021] Gentle Readers, there is a long-running debate between my painters and me as to whether we paint the underside of soffits. (You know, those bump-outs that contain ducts and things.)
I generally say yes. Paint them.
Here’s what happens when you don’t paint the underside of a soffit:
Doesn’t that look choppy? (Let’s not say anything about the rest of the room, other than it makes me very, very sad. Perhaps it’s a work in progress.)
The darker the paint color, the more egregious the crime. See?
(By the by, the picture above — which I generally love! — is the reason I recommend lighter colors when you have very little wall space. The color becomes a graphic pattern rather than a unifying element. Anyway.)
As you might imagine, I’m a fan of wrapping wallpaper under soffits, also. See this?
It’s such a pretty nook, but it would have been so much prettier if the wallcovering were unbroken. Don’t you agree? Here’s what happens when you do wallpaper the underside of a soffit:
Ahh! Success! Lovliness! Here’s another example of “let’s just wallpaper the whole darn thing.”
I think it works.
And back to where we started.
So. Please paint the undersides of those soffits, ok?
If you enjoyed this post, be sure and check out My 3 favorite kinds of window treatments and Upgrading your home office. It’s time. Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, DC, with offices in St. Michaels, Maryland and Middlebury, Vermont. Annie’s design work and insights have appeared in numerous local and national publications, including HGTV Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Washingtonian Magazine.