How Paint Color Effects The Color Of Light

Learn How Light Affects Paint Color

Has this ever happened to you... You've agonized for days over picking the perfect paint color for your living room and finally found a swatch that makes your heart sing! You bring it home and tape it to the wall in the room for a few days.

Ready to take the next step, you pick up a sample to paint on the wall, and after living with it for a few more days, decide you've found the perfect color! You spend a hundred bucks and pick up a couple of gallons of eggshell finish, paint the room, and are shocked that the color you've picked is drab or has undertones that are too red, or too blue, or just plain looks... well, wrong.

You've just experienced the sometimes dynamic effects that light can have on color!

You can take the exact same can of paint and paint two rooms, one that receives limited natural light and one that's flooded with sunlight, and it will read as two different colors. The fact is color and light have a sort of symbiotic relationship. Different types of light – artificial light, sunlight, daylight – can dramatically change the way a particular color appears. "Color is light made visible and the atmosphere of the air we breathe and the quality of light passing through it affect how we see color," according to David's Kaufman's book Color and Light: Luminous Atmospheres for Painted Rooms.

That's why it's essential to educate yourself as much as possible about light and its effects. In fact, when your picking colors for a space, you need to take the light into consideration – it's presence, its absence, and its source.

Let's explore how different light can affect your paint color choice and whether you should embrace it or offset it to get the look you're going for.

The Many Color Challenges of Natural Light

the difference in lighting and the surrounding colors can have a dramatic impact on the appearance of a paint color. compare these two photos of the same room, taken from two different angles.

Sunlight is the purest light. It provides the purest color in terms of color perception. But you need to consider that even natural sunlight is not consistent. As the day progresses from sunrise to noon, too late afternoon, to dusk, the light changes in intensity, creating shifts in how color appears and is perceived by the eye. For example, an east-facing bedroom will be washed with light in the early morning and will look very different when seen at night in artificial light.

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it’s interesting how the photo with the barn door makes the paint color appear distinctly among the grey tones, while in the photo with the large window and curtains, the same grey takes on a hint of purple color.

Basically, the quality of light, the time of day, and even the time of year can affect how we perceive color in natural light. That's why it's challenging to adjust to every element that may affect your paint color. However, here's a hack for outwitting unfavorable light... take into account the direction the room you're painting is facing – east, west, north, or south.

Northern Facing Rooms

Northern light brings out the cool tones in color, so if you're using a light tone, avoid colors with a green or gray base. Yellow sub-tones can help bounce light around the room, and consider hanging a mirror to enhance the effect. When in doubt, embrace the cooler light that comes in and consider a darker wall color to create a cozy feel.

South Facing Rooms

South-facing rooms can be filled with warm light from dawn until dusk on a clear day. This makes them one of the easiest rooms to choose a color palette for. Soft pale tones are an excellent way to maximize the feeling of light and space. Blues create a calming effect, while red-based neutrals project a warmer feel.

East and West Facing Rooms

When decorating a room, the faces either east or west, before choosing a paint color, consider when you'll be using the room the most. West-facing rooms are cooler in the morning and brighter in the afternoon, the opposite is true for rooms facing east. East facing rooms embrace the cooler evening light and choose light blues and greens for a soft calming effect. West-facing rooms can handle warmer tones to make the most of late-day sunshine. You can also go with a color like a blue/white that will look cooler in the morning but will neutralize in the warmer late daylight.

Different Artificial Light Sources and Their Effects on Paint Color

In many homes, artificial lighting is often used to replace or enhance daylight. They type of artificial lighting, and the source plays a significant role in how a color looks. For example, halogen and incandescent bulbs emit yellow light, which makes colors appear warmer. Cool white bulbs tend to give off a "bluer" light making your paint color seem cooler. For the best representation of your color, try using a neutral white bulb. These most accurately replicate natural daylight.

The type of light fixture and how it disperses light can also affect the coloration in a room, for example:

Sconces: These types of fixtures provide indirect lighting aiming the beam toward the ceiling, or directly toward the walls.
Shades: Lampshades can affect the coloration and strength of the light bulb used. If the lampshade is "warm," it will cast a glow onto the other colors of the room. Strongly colored shades will mute surrounding colors, while white, or ivory shades provide the brightest light.
Parabolic Lights or Downlights: These fixtures direct light straight down from the ceiling. They can provide a lot of light on work surfaces or floors but can make ceilings, and the top of the walls appear dark.

You can also experiment with wattages and colored bulbs for effect. For example, to show off bright colors, consider using bright-white bulbs, or some of the newer fluorescents or halogens. For a warmer look that works with darker colors and rich textures, try light pink bulbs, or amber-colored bulbs in sconces.

Don't Forget The Actual Paint Qualities

The characteristics of your paint also affect color perception. All paint colors have a light reflectance value – the amount of light they reflect – and it plays a key role in choosing the right color, especially in rooms that don't get a lot of natural light.

Lighter paints have a higher reflectance value than darker colors. So, painting the walls of a recessed nook off the main room, a lighter shade of the color used in the main room will lighten the area and maintain a sense of cohesion.

Gloss level also affects color, and how light works with it. The higher the gloss level, the more reflective the surface, the more light that will bounce off the surface. As a general rule, the gloss level tends to brighten the color.

The Takeaway On The Effects Of Light and Paint

When choosing a paint color and decorating your home, it all comes down to balancing these three elements – the type of lighting, gloss level, and the impact of other colors in the space. Some factors are controllable, others, not so much, but it all comes down to creating harmony and balance with these three elements.

Degnan Design-Build-Remodel

If you have questions or would like to learn more, why not contact the award-winning designers at Degnan Design-Build-Remodel? Call at (608) 846-5963 or click here to schedule a consultation. We're always happy to answer your questions and can help you to choose the perfect color palette to meet your personal aesthetic style. Call today for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your creative vision!

This article was updated by Abe Degnan on 8/28/2022.

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An Above the Garage Master Suite Addition Remodeling Project

We recently completed an addition for our clients, John and Amy, a professional couple with young children living in the Blooming Meadows neighborhood in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

Their home featured three bedrooms on the second floor. The existing master bedroom was outdated and impractical for modern living, and with three young children, two needed to share one of the two remaining bedrooms, and all three kids shared the second-floor bathroom. Another problem the family needed addressed was that John needed a private home office, and the one they currently had was a shared space that did not work well for his job.

Let's take a look at our creative solution for this young family!

A New Private Bathroom for the Adults!

One of the major elements on John and Amy's wish list was a private bathroom space just for them. They wanted plenty of space to get ready in the morning, away from the kids, and we delivered! The bathroom features a handcrafted Amish custom double vanity with a tower cabinet in alder wood, stained Carbon Gray. The contrasting Linnstone Quartz Calcutta pattern countertop brightens the space and ties in visually with the elegant tile work in the spacious walk-in shower. We added custom alder wood framed mirrors stained in the same Carbon Gray as the cabinets to complete the vanity. Over each of the mirrors, we installed Quoizel 2 light vanity fixtures to provide plenty of warm light.

In the shower, the 21st Century Tile 12x24 floor-to-ceiling tiles in Tivoli Silver give the room a bright and modern feel, and the low entry shower makes entering the shower safe and easy for the couple. We included a helpful niche in the shower for shampoo and other toiletries and, for contrast, used a beautiful hexagon mosaic accent tile. The glass doors give the space an open feel, making it bright and inviting. The Arbor Hills luxury vinyl plank flooring in timber adds a warm feel, giving the room a natural look with the benefit of waterproof LVP.

The Result

The final result of this second-floor master suite addition is a home that fits John, Amy, and the kid's needs and lifestyle perfectly. John now has the perfect private office space. Since John and Amy now have their private master suite, and each of the kids has their own bedroom giving them their own space to grow as they grow, their home is more comfortable and functional. And on the exterior, you can't even tell there's been an addition!

Are you considering an addition or other home improvement project? Let us help you design the perfect finished space! If you live in the Greater Madison area, call the experts at Degnan Design-Build-Remodel at (608) 846-5963. We can take your home to the next level of comfort, design, and function! Ready to learn more? We're always happy to answer your questions.