Need help picking out a color for North facing room please!

9 years ago

Hi, I am looking for advice on what color to choose for my new apartment. Both
the livingroom and bedroom face north and are currently painted a light yellow. In the livingroom, there is a good bit of light coming in
from one side of the wall as there is a sliding door that leads to the balcony
and a window. The room is long although I do have mirrors on the other side of
the room to reflect some light. The bedroom is a bit darker as the window is
smaller. There is light colored carpeting in both rooms.

Everything I have read so far tells me I need dark paint colors to warm the
room up but I would like to go with the coastal, airy look. My preference is
for a light gray blue but everything online says I need an orange or yellow
based color - the two colors that I don't want. I don't like yellow. Does anyone have any recommendations of
Benjamin Moore or Behr paint colors that can make a North facing room look airy
and coastal? I'd like to stay away from green, oranges and red as well, if possible. White, pale
gray, pale blue or even a pale pink is fine. Has anyone had any success in making a North facing room look coastal and airy? Recommendations for ceiling
paint welcomed!

The pictures attached are not mine but from the previous
owner - I'm attaching it so you can see the size of the room and where the
windows are. I will be putting in my own furniture: white couches/sofas and dark coffee tables. Haven't decided on a dining table yet. My bedspread is a crisp white. Any ideas? Thanks!!!

Featured Answer

PRO

Lori A. Sawaya

9 years ago

50-ish, if you find one at 45 or so that you like don't discount it just because of the LRV number. Unless there are standards/color specs involved, LRV is more like a loosey-goosey guideline, not a formula or prescription to follow.

And, yes, colors with a higher LRV number have better odds of delivering the light and airy atmosphere you're after vs. darker colors.

A dramatically shifting paint color has more to do with its own metameric tendencies vs. the quality of light. A rule of thumb is if your color stays consistent in appearance when viewed in fluorescent and incandescent lighting, it will *probably* be consistent in any light source.

More about north light:

North exposure is not direct rays of sunlight. Very different from south light beaming into your kitchen almost all day long, or the morning sun bursting through your east facing bedroom windows at the break of day.

North light isn’t necessarily reflecting or bouncing off of something else to get inside the space, it’s just that when your windows face north you don’t have actual, direct beams of light entering fenestration.

North light is the most balanced from a spectral distribution perspective, it has a nice, even collection of all the wavelengths though it tends to be heavier in the blue range. Because it’s a balanced bundle of wavelengths and also because it is not a direct beaming, or spot-light effect of natural light, north facing rooms are ideal for any kind of artistic work environment.

The pronounced blue of north light is a factoid that's been blown way out of proportion. Blogosphere has taken that one single aspect of north light and made a huge deal out of it - I guess because it makes a good 'sound bite' or something. I dunno. But it's kind of a dumb thing to hyper-focus on.

Heavy in blue doesn't mean it's gray. Doesn't necessarily mean it's cool either.

North light is simply indirect light that's balanced over the visible spectrum as a whole but with a pronounced bump of blue.

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Comments (15)

debbie12153
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I used Behr balmy seas in a Lake house. It would be good for coastal.
rebeccayliu thanked debbie12153
rebeccayliu
Original Author
9 years ago
debbie12153- Thanks for the suggestion. Do you know if the windows of your house are north facing as well?
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debbie12153
9 years ago
They were not north facing but that will not be a problem, as long as you keep it light and bright with paint and furnishings
rebeccayliu thanked debbie12153
rebeccayliu
Original Author
9 years ago
debbie12153 - thanks for your input!
brit5467
9 years ago
I'm curious.....wanna learn.....why does it matter if room faces North? Is is something about how much light it gets? Thx, Bonnie
rebeccayliu
Original Author
9 years ago
brit5467 Yes - northern exposure rooms do not get direct sunlight so apparently while it's "bright" for most of the day, the light that comes through is cold and blue. So lighter, cooler colors like light blues, whites and even cool yellows will look dirty, muddy and dark. Here is a very informative website about the problem: http://laurelberninteriors.com/2014/10/05/im-losing-sleep-north-facing-room-paint-color/ There are tons of other articles online dealing with this issue however everyone's suggestion is to go dark which isn't what I want....
brit5467
9 years ago
Ahhhh....I get it. THANX!! I don't care for dark either. I like coastal too. Altho my paint isn't my preference (landlord chose it)...I decorate with coastal colors and a white slipcovered couch. They are so calming and serene (but I face east/northeast.

I believe my Mom's LR faces north with a large window to floor and she has a light grey blue....lighter above chair rail, one (barely detectable) shade darker below....looks great to me.
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Lori A. Sawaya
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wow. That's some link. Incorrect and confusing. The parts where I do understand (I think) what the blogger is saying, I don't agree with the info. Especially that your only choices are dark and/or warm colors.

Choosing paint color for a north facing room is about nuance. You have to partner the right pitch of nuance with the inherent quality of light.

Nuance is the simultaneous consideration of a color's brightness (luminance) and saturation (grayness).

For a north facing room, you want to look for a color with an LRV greater than 50-ish and one that is not too grayed/dull/muddy. Something brighter and cleaner.

Colors that are bright to mid-value and muted to clean is what you want to look for.

You can choose any hue family you want. But keep in mind in a dim quality of light, red, yellow, orange appear darker. Blue and green look brighter.
rebeccayliu
Original Author
9 years ago
Lori - Wow...I never knew about LRVs! Thanks! I'm looking up all the swatches I have now to see what colors are above 50. =)

So basically, even if the light coming in from my North facing windows is a gray or cold light, as long as the LRV of my color choice is above 50, it'll look bright and airy? Will the color not change under lighting? Like for example, what looks like a blue will turn into a greenish color on the wall? Thanks in advance for the tutorial!
rebeccayliu
Original Author
9 years ago
Lori-So glad to read your post! Very comforting! I've been stressing over this for weeks now and have actually postponed moving in because I'm paralyzed by having to pick a paint color!
Debbie Downer
9 years ago
Maybe its my monitor, but I can see why you want to paint - that yellow kinda has a hard, acidy yellow-green edge to it. And I like yellow - usually! Ive heard you can compensate by a teench of red to neutralize the green... but then you run the risk of it turning peachy on you.

Sorry don't have much to suggest. Im trying to work out a similar problem Im having. Look forward to seeing what you come up with.
rebeccayliu thanked Debbie Downer
graywings123
9 years ago
I just suggested Ellen Kennon Gustavian Grey to someone on the Home Decorating Forum. Maybe it would work for you, too. It has an LRV of 68.9.
rebeccayliu thanked graywings123
divecaribbean
6 years ago
I painted my north facing bedroom ceiling BM Cotton Balls and paired that with BM Affinity Slip and wow, what a difference. My room was fresh and airy and the ceiling was bright (not in a stark or bad way) since the LRV of cotton balls is high it worked great in my room. What a difference it can make from one white (there when we purchased the home) to another.
Sofia Akhter
3 years ago
@divecaribbean, is it possible to share some pics of your room with these colors, please? Thanks