Light

Why does the same colour look great in one room, and forbidding in another? How we see colour depends on the light - and this in turn is dependent on many factors including the orientation of the room, the size of the space, the furniture you use and so on.

Which Way Faces Your Room?

This is an often-neglected element of decorating, but it really is vital to know because the quality of the light is different according to whether the room faces north, south, east or west. North-facing rooms have cold light, and it's more limited. However, it will be a steady light that doesn't alter much, so the colour won't look vastly different as the day goes on. South-facing rooms have plentiful, warmer light, and allow using colours that feel warm or cool. East-facing rooms will receive sunlight in the mornings, so the light is going to appear warmer then cooler as the day proceeds. West-facing rooms will receive sunlight in the afternoons, so as with east-facing rooms the light will change - here from cooler to warmer.

North

With no direct sunlight, a north facing room can be a challenge – to decorate, to live in. You can use more dramatic colours like red, yellow or pink hues in these types of North facing rooms because the colour doesn’t change much from morning to sunset. Use warm tones if you want to offset the coolness of the light. Pale yellow or pink and neutrals or whites with a creamy base rather than a grey one will make the light in the room feel warmer.

Pink is a great colour to use in a north facing room, it warms up the naturally cool light

South

The colour of the light in a South facing room is warm. The light is plentiful. that feel naturally warm (reds, oranges, yellows), or those that are naturally cooler (green, blue, violet) because of the light. The best rooms to face South are the main living areas.. Be careful to pick too bold of colours in these rooms because there is so much light already they will appear brighter. One should always go with a lighter hue then one would like it to be.