How light affects interior colour schemes

Feature

Most homeowners fail to consider one of the most crucial aspects of choosing colour schemes for the different rooms of their homes: the effect that natural light sources will have on the colour once applied on the walls.

It’s a fact that a colour in a south-facing room will look drastically different from the same colour in a north-facing room.

The orientation of your room should always be taken into account when viewing colour schemes, though it isn’t always easy to predict the outcome, even for designers. This is why it is so important to apply a tester pot on a large area of the wall and wait you see that colour both in the morning and evening light.

A bedroom that faces east and receives strong sunlight in the early morning will look very different when next seen late at night in artificial lighting. A west-facing room that has a warm glow in the evening can look dull in the mornings. Your choice of colours should take this into account to create a balance.

Of course, an ideal aspect is not always possible for everyone. City flats may enjoy little naturally available light and be overlooked on all sides. A north-facing room can expect less sun than a south or west-facing one. But whatever the aspect, with clever lighting and colour scheming, the interior can be made to feel welcoming and attractive.

The style of house you live in can also make a great deal of difference to the amount of available light in an interior. A country cottage may be in a sunny location but have a low ceiling and tiny windows, which can make the interior feel dark and gloomy. Rooms with such low levels of natural light will benefit greatly from light or warm colours to compensate for the lack of sunlight.

Modern homes with spacious open-plan interiors and large picture windows will be even more affected by their characteristic and seasonal changes. Here, you will be flooded with warm, natural light in the summer but you may suffer from a dull outlook in the winter. Strategically placed artificial lighting and the addition of warm colours in interior colour schemes will create a balance through the seasons.

If you have a living room with an extension or a conservatory attached, this will affect the natural light reaching the living room. Again, light colours applied on the living room walls will help distribute the most natural light available.

For people in doubt over lighting and colour schemes, some top interior designers suggest painting a room white before making a final colour choice. This is a good way to observe how changes in natural light affect an interior and helps you make the most of it when choosing a colour scheme. For instance, walls with windows will appear darker as they only receive reflected light, and ceilings always looks darker than walls painted the same colour.

Picture caption: Natural sunlight will bring warmth to the colours of a room, making it look welcoming and attractive.

MyVillage, 31st May