What colour to paint picture rail & above (plus coving & ceiling!)

[odetothewestwing]

Am about to start painting ds's bedroom and have (I think!) decided to paint the dado rail plus all below (incl. skirting boards) in one colour - and above the dado rail in a lighter, toning colour. BUT am stuck after that! Unsure what to do with the picture rail, bit above, coving plus ceiling! Should ALL of that be a shade of off-white?

Am using Dulux Authentic Origins paint (I think!!) - Found Fossil, Favourite China (below dado) & Clouded Sky (above dado). Not sure what bit will be Found Fossil - am not very creative!!

Is there any way to take the picture rail off? That would solve the problem. Also they are really old fashioned. Especially if you also have a dado rail, imvho it is just too much for the eye.

Please give us the proportions of the room, ceiling heights, size of the room and age of the house and then we can make more informed suggestions.
thanks

Personally I would paint the ceiling and down to the picture rail in white.

Don't remove the picture rail.

Picture rails aren't "really old fashioned" they are a "period feature".

Unless your house is a modern box which has had them added. Where the picture rail is an original/reinstated feature they should, IMO remain.

I do think that having both, unless in a proper high ceilinged Victorian house is too busy though. If you have fabulous 10 feet high ceilings its not an issue :)

Don't remove the picture rail! That would be bonkers!

My mum has picture rails and in a couple of rooms has a brighter shade above, not just lighter - that can look really nice too.

Oh, thanks, all for your replies. Yes, it is a victorian house - room is not huge - about 11 ft x 9ft. South facing so gets plenty of light. Soupdragon, maybe I will do just that - perhaps a warm white. I see what some of you are saying about being too busy - but would be loathe to remove the picture rail, I am a lover of period houses

hi Ode,
I think that the old fashioned look was to "pick out" the period details; the ceiling would be one colour, the cornice picked out in white, the frieze the same as the ceiling while the dado and picture rail would be picked out in white gloss.
he more modern way is to do as you intend and "paint in" the features in toning Colours. Handkerchief white would be nice.

7to25 - thanks! Handkerchief white looks like just the job - will get a tester tomorrow. Hopefully all the colours will work - I had been sooo keen to go Farrow & Ball - but have decided that it is too £££ for a 3 year old boy's room and hopefully I can get a similar result with Dulux!

Hi can I ask did u use hankerchief white? Am about to paint whole flat in this? Is it white with a very very slight grey undertone or is it more creamy? ;)