on my radar: painted ceilings

Some designers swear by painting the ceiling a different color than the walls, and I have to agree with this philosophy. I'm particularly fond of the combination of cream walls and ceiling painted in the lightest shade of blue.
Source: Veranda | Photography: Melanie Acevedo
Source: Lonny Magazine, July/August 2011
Source: House Beautiful | Photography: Francesco Lagnese
What do you think? Would you paint your ceiling a different color than your walls, or do you prefer to keep them the same color?

accent walls: yea or nay?

I need some opinions here. I really want to paint a few rooms in our apartment, the only problem is that it says in our lease agreement that we may only paint one accent wall per room, or we get charged a pretty hefty repainting fee for each room. My question for you is: What do you think about accent walls? Are they outdated? Does it look like you are just too lazy/afraid to paint the whole room?
Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated!