Which Paints Are Best to Use in North Facing Rooms?

It is paint’s most distinctive asset: light!

Ever wondered what paints to use for a north facing room to maximise natural light?

Did you know the month’s of October and November are popular for decorating in preparation for Christmas and the New Year?

Did you also know that your choice of paint colour can have a dramatic effect on the amount of natural light and temperature entering the room?

SPEAK Interior Design, Interior Designer, Manchester, UK, A collection of paint stripes on a white wall, blue, red, green and orange with a giant roller at the bottom of each stripe

HOW DO YOU KNOW THE DIRECTION OF YOUR ROOM?

As a general rule the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. There are an abundance of compass apps available for free on your phone, we do recommend

Iphone: Compass

Android: Android

Otherwise it might be worth investing in an actual compass we recommend:

Suunto: Suunto

Is one of the best names in compass making. They’re known for high quality products made in Finland and reliable navigation equipment from digital wrist computers to highly accurate orienteering compasses. Suunto’s new global compass needle has been modified to maintain a higher degree of accuracy from anywhere in the world.

A great review of all compasses can be found here

SPEAK Interior Design, Interior Designer, Manchester, UK, A close up of a gold compass on an old vintage world map

Photograph Credit: Cherise Evertz

HOW TO USE YOUR COMPASS:

There are many basic questions about how to read a compass. Should you take a reading at the front door and the back door? Should the door be closed or open? Do you need a magnetic north or geographic north? Can you use a regular compass? All of these are good (and common) questions, and whilst you might be thinking all of this effort for a tub of paint!, it really does make a difference to your interior space and is so worth it!

Compasses respond to the north-south magnetic field of Earth, and a compass reading indicates magnetic north. Geographic north (also called true north), essentially is the location of the North Pole, found on maps and globes. The difference between magnetic north and geographic north depends on where you live.

Stand at your front door hold the compass or phone directly in front of the centre of your body, keeping your back parallel to the front door. With a traditional compass, usually, you rotate the dial to match the needle's position, and the numbers on the dial indicate the compass direction. With a smartphone compass, you simply read the number on your phone's screen. 

Photograph Credit: RhondaK

Photograph Credit: RhondaK

NOW YOU ARE IN THE KNOW?

Now you know the direction of your room, you can proceed with making preparations for which colours will enhance the natural light within your space. In this article our focus is on North facing interiors which are one of the hardest rooms to accommodate when selecting colours due to the lack of natural light.

Northern light tends to bring out the cooler tones within a colour, so if you’re using a lighter tone, avoid anything with a green or grey base. Another approach is not to fight nature, but to embrace the cooler light that comes into your north facing room with darker wall colours such as Railings or Down Pipe by Farrow and Ball, which create a cosy, cocooning feel.

DOWN PIPE:

Down Pipe, a dark lead grey, has definite blue undertones to it which deepen the complexity of the finish. Originally inspired by the colour used to paint downpipes and guttering, it has been embraced for use inside the home with fanatical zeal! This daringly dark hue is fabulous as a background to art, and extremely effective for use in halls to create a deeply dramatic entrance to the home. 

Photograph Credit: Farrow and Ball Down Pipe

Photograph Credit: Farrow and Ball Down Pipe

RAILINGS:

More blue than black, Railings is a softer alternative to black which is particularly suited to the ironwork it takes its name from. When used in Full Gloss on front doors it creates a handsome and commanding entrance, but becomes much more relaxed in feel in our Estate Eggshell finish. The bluer undertones of this dark hue transform rooms into dramatic and enveloping interior spaces.

Photograph Credit: Farrow & Ball Railings

Photograph Credit: Farrow & Ball Railings

There are some truly amazing companies whom are constantly investing in innovation and reshaping pigment additions in order to capitalise and maximise light. Companies like Farrow & Ball who use high quality ingredients and artisanal methods, renowned for their wait-list colour combinations and unique colours.

Take a look at this amazing video produced by Farrow and Ball at the role of light within an interior space

Watch as the colour of Peignoir by Farrow & Ball gently shifts throughout the day

WHAT ARE MY BEST OPTIONS FOR SOUTH FACING ROOMS?

FARROW & BALL:

Yellow based colours like Yellow Ground, White Tie and New White will help to bounce as much light as possible around the room. If you have the space, hanging a mirror to reflect the light will do the trick, too.

YELLOW GROUND:

Photograph Credit: Farrow & Ball Yellow Ground

Photograph Credit: Farrow & Ball Yellow Ground

Photograph Credit: Farrow and Ball White Tie

Photograph Credit: Farrow and Ball White Tie

Photograph Credit: Farrow & Ball New White

Photograph Credit: Farrow & Ball New White

DULUX LIGHT & SPACE:

Dulux Light + Space Matt makes any room feel brighter and more spacious. Its patented LumiTec formulation works with light-reflective particles to reflect up to twice as much light back into your room, when compared to thier conventional emulsion paints!

Photograph Credit: Dulux

Photograph Credit: Dulux

LITTLE GREENE:

Colours in North facing rooms tend to appear consistently flatter and cooler than they would do bathed in natural light. Paler blues and greens may appear cold but experiment with stronger green-blues such as 'Air Force Blue' or 'Canton' for a warming impact. If you're looking for something more neutral, shades with a pink or yellow undertone such as 'Rolling Fog' or 'Stock' provide an uplift when used in an all-over scheme.

Photograph Credit: Little Greene Air Force Blue

Photograph Credit: Little Greene Air Force Blue

Photograph Credit: Little Greene Linen Wash

Photograph Credit: Little Greene Linen Wash

We hope you enjoyed this informative interior content:

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Hello From Speak,

We relish the opportunity to home stage and create interior design’s that inspires. We love to maximise space, leverage colour, and blend architectural features with modern design.

Contact us to SPEAK about your home staging or interior design project’s. We would love to hear from you and explore the rich possibilities!

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