Paint Colours for North-, South-, East- and West-Facing Rooms

What you need before you start

The direction a window faces changes the light in a room, and light changes how paint looks. This guide shows how to find your room’s aspect, read the light it gets and choose paint colours accordingly.

You need a compass (a phone app is fine), a notepad, large paint samples, a tape measure and about an hour. Our guide to building a colour scheme with the 60-30-10 rule covers the next step, balancing the colours once you have chosen them.

One caveat first. Paint companies agree on the basics but disagree on detail, especially for north light, and none of their advice replaces looking at a sample in your own room.^[1][2][3] This guide uses northern-hemisphere logic; the sources assume it without always saying so.

Step 1: find which way the room faces

1. Stand in the room, facing out of the main window with your back to the room.
2. Open a compass and read the bearing. Roughly 315–45° is north-facing, 45–135° east, 135–225° south and 225–315° west.
3. Note any other windows. A room with windows on two sides gets a mix of both.
4. Note anything outside that blocks light: a tall building, a hedge, a deep porch.

Use the compass on the window side, not a doorway, and keep it away from metal or magnets as these can skew the reading.

Why direction matters: the sun’s path

In the northern hemisphere the sun rises in the east, is highest in the south at midday and sets in the west. South-facing windows therefore get the most sun; the Building Research Establishment’s daylight guidance says south-facing windows receive the most sun, while north-facing ones receive direct sun only occasionally, mainly early morning and late evening in summer.^[4]

The sun’s height also changes through the year. The noon height is roughly 90° minus the difference between your latitude and the sun’s declination.^[5] At about 52.7°N, a latitude close to Shropshire, that works out to around 14° in midwinter, 37° at the equinoxes and 61° in midsummer. These are my calculated figures, not measurements; they show why winter light is so low and weak.

BRE’s guidance also notes that living rooms are where sunlight is most wanted, and that a home with no main window wall within 90° of due south is likely to seem insufficiently sunlit.^[4] If your living room faces north, that is a reason to plan the colour and the lamps with extra care, not a reason to despair.

What each direction does to colour

The advice from the paint companies, in summary:

• North. The least light and the coolest, most even. Farrow & Ball says north light brings out cooler tones;^[1] Dulux says it is cooler and dimmer, so warmer hues help;^[2] Sherwin-Williams suggests warm neutrals with a higher LRV.^[3]
• South. Clear, bright light that stays warm through the day. Dulux suggests cooler hues to soften it;^[2] Sherwin-Williams calls south light consistently warm.^[3]
• East. Warm and bright in the morning, cooler later. Sherwin-Williams describes it as warm early and cool as the day goes on.^[3]
• West. The reverse of east: cooler in the morning, warm and golden in the evening.^[3]

The sources do disagree on north rooms. Some advise warm, light colours to compensate; others say to embrace the shade with deeper colours. Neither is wrong; it depends on whether you want brightness or mood, and on the room’s use.

Step 2: decide what you want the room to do

Choose a goal before a colour. A study used in the day may want brightness; a bedroom used in the evening may want calm. Ask when you use the room most, because the light at that hour matters more than the average.

Write it down: “Living room, used evenings, north-facing, want it warmer.” That sentence tells you what to test.

Step 3: check the paint’s LRV

Light reflectance value (LRV) is a percentage from 0 (black) to 100 (white) for how much light a paint reflects.^[6] In a dark room a higher LRV reflects more of the light you have. Homebuilding & Renovating’s advice for north-facing rooms is a mid-to-high LRV with a warm undertone, tested in the room, and it points out LRV is not the same as saturation.^[7]

Check the LRV on the tin or the maker’s website. It is the one number that lets you compare two colours on lightness alone.

Step 4: allow for artificial light

After dark, your lamps decide. Candlelight is about 1,850 K and an incandescent bulb about 2,400 K; bulbs sold as warm are around 2,700–3,000 K, and daylight is about 5,500–6,500 K.^[8] Note that the lighting trade calls low kelvin figures “warm”, the reverse of the physics of a glowing body, so read the label.^[8]

Farrow & Ball notes that bulbs can warm colours, so a colour that looks right at noon may change at night.^[1] Choose bulbs first, then test paint under them.

Step 5: test samples properly

1. Paint a sample at least A3 size on lining paper, or on a board you can move.
2. Fix it to the wall you will paint, away from corners, and place a second sample on the opposite wall.
3. Look at it at three times: morning, midday and evening, plus once after dark under your lamps.
4. Check it next to the floor, the curtains and your largest furniture.
5. Take a day to decide. Farrow & Ball advises viewing colours in situ through the day.^[1]

Reading the results. Ask three questions of each sample. Does it still look like the colour you wanted at your busiest time of day? Does it turn muddy, green or pink at any hour? Does it look good next to the things that will not change? Reject any sample that fails the first question, even if it looks lovely at noon. Rule of thumb (not sourced): if two samples tie, choose the one with the higher LRV in a dim room and the lower in a bright one.

Worked example: a north-facing living room

A 4.8 × 3.6 m room faces north and is used mostly in the evening. The owner wants it to feel warmer. These facts are invented for the example.

1. Aspect: compass reads 350°, so north-facing, with one window and a tall neighbouring house.
2. Goal: warm, calm, evening use.
3. LRV: choose around 60–70 with a warm undertone, so the room reflects more of its limited daylight.^[7]
4. Lamps: 2,700 K bulbs for a warm evening feel.^[8]
5. Samples: three warm neutrals tested for three days; the one that stays warm at noon and at night wins.

A south-facing room of the same size would run the other way: the owner might choose a cooler colour to soften strong light, or keep warm tones and accept a glowing room.^[2] The method is the same; only the sample results differ.

Common mistakes

• Choosing from a small chip under shop lights. Test large samples in the room.
• Ignoring the bulbs. They change every colour at night.^[1]
• Fighting the light. Trying to make a dim north room look sunny with paint alone often disappoints. Use light colours, mirrors and better lamps, or embrace the mood.
• Testing on one wall only. Light changes from wall to wall.
• Forgetting the season. Winter light is lower than summer light.^[5]
• Assuming a rule. Direction is a guide; trees, buildings and window size change the result.

Quick reference

A summary of the sources. Treat it as a starting point, then test.

Glossary

Terms used in this guide.

What to do next

Find your aspect, write your goal and buy three samples. Once you have chosen a main colour, balance it with the 60-30-10 rule. If you want strong colour on every surface, read our colour drenching guide, and for lamp choices see layered lighting for a living room. To make small rooms feel larger, read making small rooms feel bigger.

Keep reading

• How to build a colour scheme with the 60-30-10 rule
• Colour drenching guide
• Heritage colour palettes for period homes
• Ceiling colour ideas
• Making small rooms feel bigger
• Layered lighting for a living room

Shop the look

Duchess Ceiling RoseLuna Japandi Wall LightMarlowe Light Switch Surround

Frequently asked questions

What colour should I paint a north-facing room?

Paint companies commonly suggest warm neutrals with a mid-to-high light reflectance value, though some advise embracing the shade with deeper colours. Test large samples in the room before deciding.

What colours suit a south-facing room?

South light is bright and warm, so you have most freedom. Dulux suggests cooler hues soften it, while warm tones will glow.

How does east-facing light affect paint?

East-facing rooms get warm light in the morning and cooler light later in the day, so a colour looks different at different times.

How does west-facing light affect paint?

West-facing rooms are cooler in the morning and warm in the evening as the low sun shines in.

How do I find which way my room faces?

Stand facing out of the main window and read a compass or phone app. About 315–45° is north, 45–135° east, 135–225° south and 225–315° west.

What is LRV and why does it matter?

Light reflectance value is the percentage of light a paint reflects, from 0 to 100. A higher LRV reflects more light, which helps in dim rooms; it is not the same as saturation.

Do light bulbs change paint colour?

Yes. Warm bulbs of about 2,700–3,000 K shift colours toward yellow, so test paint under the lamps you use at night.

Does this apply in the southern hemisphere?

No. The advice here assumes the northern hemisphere, where the sun is in the south at midday. In the southern hemisphere the directions are reversed.