Best paint colours for north-facing rooms

The orientation of your room (which is the direction it faces), is one of the key considerations when it comes to choosing a paint colour.

This is because the direction it faces impacts the quality of the light it receives, which impacts how the room feels, which then impacts which e colours could work in the space.

Every orientation has its perks and challenges.

Here’s what to expect from your north-facing room

• You don’t get any direct sunlight shining through your windows.
• Instead, your room only receives indirect light, which basically means the sunlight reflects off other things, like the side of a building, into your room.
• This creates a light that is grey and flat which can make the space feel a bit gloomy and cold.

But it’s not all bad news.

• In north-facing rooms, the level of light will be consistent throughout the day, so it will have the same feeling in the morning as it does in the afternoon, unlike other orientations.
• You won’t get any glare, or deep shadows from the rising and setting sun, so it makes for a good home office or studio where you need the light to be consistent.

The upshot is that your room is never going to feel glorious and sunny. The physical temperature will be cool and the quality of the light is also visually cool, which basically makes for a colder feeling space.

So how to decorate a north-facing room? The thing to focus on is bringing warmth to the space.

You have three options….

1. Warm off-whites and neutrals

If you want to make your gloomy room feel as light and large as possible, then an off-white is going to be your friend. But, it must have the right undertone (which basically is the base colour the white has been derived from). The right undertones are yellow, red, pink or brown. These colours are from the warm end of the colour spectrum so they are going to give your white a warm cosy feeling.

Consider…

Colours like Linen Wash by Little Greene, Wiltshire White by Dulux Heritage or Farrow and Ball’s Wimborne White or Pointing, all have yellow undertones.

Dimity and Joa’s White by Farrow and Ball, or Skimming Stone, have red undertones.

The Rolling Fog and Clay family from Little Greene have brown undertones.

They will warm up the space while keeping it as light and airy as possible. Download our ‘100 paint colours for north-facing rooms here.

Avoid…

Any whites that have blue, green or grey undertones, including pure brilliant white. These colours are from the cool end of the colour spectrum so are going to make a gloomy room feel even cooler.

2. Warm, soft pinks

Soft pinks are going to keep the space feeling light but will also wrap around you like a warm blanket. It’s a very uplifting colour so works to brighten the atmosphere of the space.

Consider…

Setting Plaster by Farrow and Ball, Powder Colour by Dulux Heritage, Castell Pink by Little Greene or The Powder Collection from Paint and Paper Library. These pinks all have brown undertones which makes them feel warm, elegant and grown-up. Download ‘100 paint colours for north-facing rooms’ here.

Avoid…

Pinks that are leaning toward purple or lilac such as Great White and Peignoir by Farrow and Ball. Purple is from the cool end of the spectrum so these could feel chilly in a north-facing space.

3. Darks

Rather than fighting the problem you could try celebrating the natural characteristics of the room and go dark. Deep aubergines, inky blues and forest greens could be perfect for your naturally dark space. These sorts of colours work particularly well in smaller spaces such as a snug, home-office, hallway, or small bedroom.

Consider…

Anything deep and dark that takes your fancy. My favourites are Green Smoke Inchyra Blue and Brinjal by Farrow and Ball. Or have a look at Scree, Nether Red and Livid by Little Greene. Download our 100 paint colours for north-facing rooms here.

Avoid…

Any dark colours if your room is a large, open-plan, north-facing space, or if it is a very practical focused space such as a kitchen. In these instances going with the warmer neutrals and off-whites will cosy up the space whilst allowing them to feel as large and bright as possible.

We hope this has been helpful 🙂

If you are looking for more inspiration download our ‘100 paint colours for north-facing rooms’ here. Or check out our ready-made colour palettes.

Happy decorating 🙂

Sarah x