Choosing Paint Colours Based on Room Orientation
When selecting a shade for your home, the orientation of the room is a big consideration.
The amount and direction of light entering a room can completely alter the appearance of a colour. Once you have created a shortlist of options from our colour card, we always recommend sampling the colours in situ to ensure you select a colour that sits comfortably in your scheme.
Whether a space is bathed in natural light or has vastly changing light throughout the course of the day, the orientation of each room should be considered separately to ensure that you pick a shade that complements the space.
South Facing Rooms
South facing rooms tend to experience warmer light, so colours can often appear more yellow. This means cooler whites such as French Grey - Pale or Gauze will read as more neutral whites. Warmer whites such as White Lead or First Light will appear quite cream in tone.
Strong, bold yellows like Yellow-Pink and Light Gold will radiate warmth, whereas dark blues like Marine Blue and Hicks' Blue can be used in place of greys and blacks to achieve a neutral scheme with more depth.
Paint Colour Inspiration for South Facing Rooms
Wall: Royal Navy
North Facing Rooms
Colours in north facing rooms tend to appear consistently flatter and cooler than they would do bathed in natural light. Paler blues and greens may appear cold, but experiment with stronger green-blues such as Air Force Blue or Canton for a warming impact. If you're looking for something more neutral, shades with a pink or yellow undertone such as Rolling Fog or Stock provide an uplift when used in an all-over scheme.
Paint Colour Inspiration For North Facing Rooms
Woodwork & Walls: Linen Wash
West Facing Rooms
The natural light in west and east facing rooms changes dramatically throughout the day, so the function of the room is an important factor. Maximise the changing light by varying the strength of shades used within the neutral colour scheme. The Colour Scales families provide four strengths of the same pigment which can be used in combination for a harmonious scheme. Utilise bold accent colours on architectural features or woodwork for a strong highlight.
Paint Colour Inspiration for West Facing Rooms
Ceiling: Portland Stone– Pale
Upper Walls: Portland Stone – Light
Chair Rail, Door & Trim: Portland Stone
Cupboard: Dark Brunswick Green
East Facing Rooms
If your bedroom or kitchen faces east, make the most of the morning light with a strong or radiant colour. Neutrals with a cool, blue or green undertone will help to create balance and will appear more subdued and restful in the evening light.
Paint Colour Inspiration For East Facing Rooms
Natural light
There are many factors that can affect how a colour appears, and natural light is one of the most important things to consider when selecting a colour for your scheme. The natural light in your room can vary according to the time of day, so it might mean that a single paint colour seems to change in hue slightly throughout the course of one day.
Other factors such as the size of your windows and the time of year can also have an effect. This is why we always recommend testing sample pots and viewing them in your space at all times of day - morning, afternoon and evening. By doing this, you can have full confidence in the way your paint colour will look in your scheme.
Wall: Flint
Ceiling: Deep Space Blue
Window: Marigold
Artificial light
You should also try and view your paint samples in artificial light, as this too could alter the appearance of your chosen paint shade. Testing in artificial light is especially important in rooms you will use in the evening or at night - such as your bedroom or living room.
Just as natural light can appear warm or cool depending on the orientation of your room, artificial light bulbs can tend to be warm and yellow, or cool and blue. As such, it can be helpful to test your paint samples within the exact lighting conditions you plan to have in your final scheme, to confirm if you are happy with the appearance of the paint colours.
Walls: Basalt
Stool: Orange Aurora