The perception of color is largely influenced by the light we shine on it. The same color can be perceived completely differently depending on where it’s painted. And since daylight has a different tone depending on which direction you’re facing, the color in your home is affected in the same way.
In this blog post, we will walk you through all directions and what you need to consider depending on where your room is facing when choosing colors.
Examples of how colors change depending on if you add a cool light or warm light to it. Original color in the middle – cool light added on the left side and warm light on the right side.
Rooms facing North
If your room is facing north, it’s generally one of the darkest rooms in your home, and colors will appear cooler in tone when the windows face this direction. White tones may appear more blue, and yellow may appear green.
This suggests that it’s a good idea to choose colors with a warmer undertone if you want the room to feel neutral.
Rooms facing East
Walls in rooms facing East will appear yellow in the morning due to warm light; however, the evening light is grayish in tone, making the same room and walls appear neutral white or slightly cool in tone.
This means that it might feel particularly challenging to decide whether to go for a warm or cool undertone in your color choices because the color will change significantly throughout the day.
Our best tip is to start from the time of day you most often spend in this room. If it’s a room you typically occupy in the evening (when the sun is still up, of course), then it’s a good idea to consider the light that enters the room during the evening, which in this case would be grayish in tone and therefore cooler/more neutral in light.
Rooms facing South
South-facing rooms are bathed in warm yellow light, intensifying many colors and making them feel warmer and stronger. Lighter color choices are therefore often excellent for these rooms if you don’t want them to feel overly vibrant.
Small amounts of color go a long way here, and if you don’t want to lean too much into the warm, yellow tones, it may be a good idea to choose a color with cool undertones.
Rooms facing West
If your room is facing West, it will have a light similar to that of South-facing rooms, but it’s often more orange than yellow in tone. Red and yellow undertones will intensify, although not as much as if it were facing South, but colors will still appear warm.
