Acoustic ceiling paint???

There are many ways to deal with the ceiling acoustically that are aesthetically pleasing, but acoustic paint is not one of those. Things such as diffusion hidden by fabric covering, to "floating" clouds, to coffering can work very well. But your going to need some depth (at least 4 inches) to have diffusion.

Here's a very cool, very slick, very cheap solution for achieving both absorbtion and diffusion (and I can hear the screams, but I'm an architect, I've done this many times, so let me 'splain Lucy :~)

Have a company come in and spray a "cottage cheese" (acoustical plaster) ceiling. OK you can scream now, then shut up! This treatment actually works great acoustically, but nobody likes the way it looks, right? HOWEVER>> they look lush and velvety when painted a medium dark color like medium gray, dark tan or dusty rose, or leafy green. You get the picture. BUT, when you paint, you MUST use what's called and "airless" spray gun. (No rollers, brushes or regular paint sprayer!) Only an airless spray job will allow the pores of the "cottage cheese" to remain open which is essential to preserving its absorbtive properties.

The result is very rich looking and you'd never guess it's a "cottage cheese" ceiling.

Call Mike at Audio Video Logic he can help you

I remember an episode on This Old House a few years back where the homeowner was a musician and he did some kind of special treatment and paint that worked with the surface. Maybe you can search an archive and find what they used or possibly e-mail them.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm hoping I can persuade my wife to soften her inflexible interior design tastes. I've come to the conclusion that anything other than acoustic panels with some depth will be a compromise in sound.