Natural lighting instantly beautifies any living space. By gently illuminating the room and giving you the sense of being in touch with the outdoors, natural lighting is an asset in your home. However, colors can appear different in natural light. This makes it important to take care with your selection of paint color, as it may interact differently with natural light than with artificial light.

For those about to begin a Denver home painting project, considering the impact of natural light on the color of the room will create a better result. Keep reading to learn more about how color and light interact, as well as the best paint colors for natural lighting. 

The Impact of Light on Paint Color

There are two main factors that determine how people see color. The first element is the light absorbed by an object (in this case, a painted wall). The color that you see is the wavelengths that are reflected, not absorbed. When all of the wavelengths are absorbed, black is the resulting color. When no colors are absorbed, you see white. 

The second factor is the light source. The light source can change how you see color. Natural light changes depending on the hour of the day. Artificial light is consistent, but can be changed with a different light bulb. 

Since light wavelengths are critical in our perception of color, the light in your home will impact the appearance of the paint colors on your walls. 

Choosing The Right Paint For Natural Lighting

Natural light is a critical element in your perception of color within your home. There are different qualities of natural light, and the quality of the light will determine the most flattering paint colors in a room. 

The direction that the windows in a room are facing affects the quality of natural light. Whether the room is north-facing, south-facing, west-facing, or east-facing will make a large difference in the type of natural light that will shine into the room. 

North-Facing Rooms

North-facing rooms typically receive cool, blue-tinged natural light. This can make a room appear dull and chilly without paint colors to complement it. 

The amount of light that a north-facing room receives can vary. If you have a north-facing room that gets a lot of natural light through large, unobstructed windows, the light will often appear quite bright. This doesn’t, however, mean that it will have a warm quality. It will still have the blue quality associated with north-facing rooms. But, the additional brightness can give you the freedom to play with lighter, more subdued colors. 

In north-facing rooms that receive little natural light, bold, bright tones typically produce the best result. These colors will showcase the natural light that the room does receive, even if it’s minimal. 

Generally speaking, if your Denver painting project involves a north-facing room, we recommend bright, lively tones to bring energy to the room. North-facing rooms don’t have the benefit of warm natural light, so the paint color will need to help elevate the space. 

South-Facing Rooms

South-facing rooms provide more promising natural light than north-facing rooms. The light that flows in through south-facing windows often comes when the sun is positioned high in the sky. This complements both cool and warm tones, giving you many paint color options. This also means that south-facing rooms typically receive a good amount of natural light throughout the day, not just in the morning or evening, as is the case with west and east-facing rooms. 

Both dark and light tones work well in south-facing rooms. The dark tones will be brightened by the natural light, while light tones will appear luminous. 

West-Facing Rooms

West-facing rooms receive warm, pleasant light in the evening. However, light in the morning in this type of room is usually lacking. This can create shadows and mute otherwise lively paint colors. Additionally, the bright evening light can take over warm paint colors, making them unnoticeable. So, cool paint tones like green and gentle warm tones like pale yellow can balance out the light in a west-facing room the most effectively. 

East-Facing Rooms

East-facing rooms get warm, yellow-tinged morning light. As the day progresses, this light becomes bluer. We recommend light colors and neutral tones for east-facing rooms, as these gentle shades will balance out the bright morning light. Neutrals will also be enhanced by the bluish natural light in the evenings. 

For professional help with your Denver painting project, contact Brush Strokes Painting today.