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Colour on a ceiling is not unheard of. Many colour consultants and decorators see white ceilings as a “white sheet thrown over a room.”
Lets say for example you have a very large open concept room. The new fad: The “great room”. Perhaps you have some really attractive good quality pieces to fill the room and you want to bring attention to these. Keeping the walls slightly lighter than the ceiling can do a great job bringing the viewing level lower. Your eyes will automatically drop down and focus on the possessions of your room.
Potentially, you could paint the walls a lighter neutral colour and the the ceiling could be the accent colour. How would you tie it all in? Have some accent pieces, perhaps different textiles or patterns with the same tone, to tie it all in.
Imagine a sage green ceiling with a taupe beige wall and dark wood floors and table set. Why not? Colour does not have to be intimidating. Keep in mind that solid plaster ceiling does much better than stucco. Stucco is harder to toss a colour on because its not as appealing to the eye. You could however paint a stucco ceiling in a super light almost white shade of the colour on the walls. It would certainly help to blend it all in. I had a client once ask me for a dark red ceiling to create a bistro look in his downtown loft! Enjoy colour. And hey, if you outgrow it, re paint!!