The Effects Of Light and Lighting Design On Wall Paint Color
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.
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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