question about painting picture rails

[flipflopsonfifthavenue]

So, we're painting our bedroom next week - F&B Parma Gray on most of the walls, and Skylight above the picture rail, All White on the woodwork and doors.

I don't want to paint the picture rail white as I don't like the stripe-around-the-room look.

Question is, should the picture rail match the colour below - Parma Gray - or above - Skylight?

Am guessing it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but my instinct is that it should be the lighter colour of the two, which is Skylight.

Thanks

[peggyundercrackers]

A you say picture rails are normally white or they match the roof colour which kind of acts as a break between the two colours on the wall. i would also go with the lighter colour if I had to choose between the two colours on the wall.

[spotty26]

I have recently done three rooms where I took the wall colour all the way up to the cornice and included the picture rail... I like it!

[MrsJohnDeere]

The lighter colour

[Smudge588]

We have always done ours to match the top colour (skylight in your case), but it's never occurred to me to do it any other way.

[wonkylegs]

I personally like the picture rail as a break and mine are white except in DSs room where it's bright red. In your situation however I'd go with the lower colour as it will leave you with a neater join as it will be on the upper side (out of sight)

[minipie]

If you're doing different colours above and below the picture rail then you're going to get a stripe around the room anyway, surely?

Personally I'd do white ceiling, then white down to and including picture rail. No break and you get a white picture rail. Or as spotty says, just one colour all the way to the ceiling, including the picture rail. A more modern look.

[Pinkje]

There's a nice trend at the moment to paint the darker colour all the way up, including the cornice, leaving just the ceiling the lighter colour. Living Etc current issue features a house with this. Looks very modern and I'm going to copy that soon.