How Natural Light & Exposure Can Affect Paint Colors
North, east, south, west – which paint color is the best? Unless your room has no windows or you’re a vampire, you’ve likely considered natural light and exposure when choosing paint colors.
Or maybe you didn’t even know it was exposure that was messin’ with yo’ mind as your gray went blue and your beige went flatter than me in Grade 10. Let me enlighten you: your room’s natural light and exposure are forces to be reckoned with and can greatly affect your paint colors (I ‘reckon‘ most things with wine; it helps).
WHY EXPOSURE DOESN’T AFFECT EVERY ROOM THE SAME WAY
If your room has a window, the paint color on your wall will change how it looks throughout the day – maybe a little, maybe a lot. This is because many things affect how much exposure your might affect your room, such as…
- The time of year
- Whether your natural light is blocked by a neighboring building, fence, landscaping, etc
- Where you live
- How big your windows are
- How large your room is and how high the ceiling is – how high or low they’re placed on the wall
- What else is outside in the area, such as a pool, strongly stained deck, etc.
Anyone who says exposure doesn’t matter should spend some time with this photo—it’s the same color, but with different exposures (no interior lights are on, either).
Of course, the way the paint color looks will change throughout the day – that’s the beauty of it. But while it’s rarely the boss (we all know who the real boss is – Tony – and yes, I did just date myself), a room’s exposure can suggest some great baseline features to start your color search from.
At the end of the day (the start, too, really)…
…the BEST paint color for your room is the one that suits its interior finishes. In most cases, exposure should be your second (or even third or fourth) consideration, not your first.
I say this because many people get bent out of shape, considering how their paint color changes on each foot of wall at every hour of the day. Yes, paint will do this.
When considering your room’s exposure and how it affects paint colors, it can be easier to consider your room as a whole, rather than a bunch of wee sections of wall. Consider how a room’s exposure, in general, can affect how a room feels.
For example…
NORTH-FACING ROOMS: Often appear cool and unwelcoming. Bright north-facing rooms can be better, but dark north-facing rooms can struggle more.
This next living room has a reasonable amount of north-facing light. The soft, subtle warmth of the wall color, plus texture and lighting help this room look more inviting and cozier…
SOUTH-FACING ROOMS: Often appear warmer and more inviting. However, that warmth can feel oppressive and overwhelming to some, depending on where they live, window size, etc.
While these small windows face south, being so wee tiny and having trees nearby, this room’s southern exposure doesn’t call the shots…
WEST-FACING ROOMS: These spaces can seem flat, dull, and uninspiring in the morning, but some pick up a shocking amount of warmth by late afternoon (depending on the factors above).
This next room’s warm, west-facing afternoon sunshine is pretty darn happy with its blue-gray wall color. That said, there’s some decent greenery outside that window, filtering the amount of natural light…
EAST-FACING ROOMS: In the morning, a room with eastern exposure can seem soft and welcoming, with a gentle warmth. However, they can look flat and dull in the afternoon.
While this next room’s east-facing morning sunshine is bouncing off the oak floors, adding warmth to that side of the room, this space will look MUCH different in the afternoon…
The above notes on exposure aren’t RULES to follow, as each room/home is affected differently. They’re simply CONSIDERATIONS when choosing the best paint colors for your room.
SHLONG story short – does exposure matter? Sometimes yes, sometimes a bit, and sometimes not at all. Your room’s unique finishes and conditions dictate a lot.
YOU CAN’T PREDICT HOW A PAINT COLOR WILL LOOK
Regardless of how strong or subtle your exposure is, for the above reasons (and more), you can’t predict how a paint color will look in any room – there are waaaaay too many variables.
For example, while this next room gets southern light, there’s a buttload of trees (it’s a technical term) and a porch ceiling that block the natural light and exposure from fulfilling their destiny…
However, based on what we know about exposure and how it affects a room’s appearance and feel, you can learn which colors are more likely to work with a room’s natural light rather than against it.
Consider this next room and its Sherwin Williams White Snow walls…
And look at how the paint color changes in appearance…
In the above examples, you’re looking at a room with west-facing morning light (top) and west-facing afternoon light (bottom).
By learning and sampling, you can get a good idea of which colors have a chance of working in your home’s conditions.
NATURAL LIGHT VS. EXPOSURE – WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
EXPOSURE: Exposure is either indecent (can we make ‘mooning’ trendy again?) or, more appropriately, is the direction your room’s window(s) open to. Or, when looking out your window, what direction are you facing?
NATURAL LIGHT: For our goal (of finding the best paint colors), consider how much natural light your room gets – is it bright – too bright? Or does it get minimal natural light and is dark? The amount of natural light your room gets can affect how much your exposure really matters.
Consider whether your room’s natural light comes from DAYlight, SKYlight, or direct hits of SUNlight (which is warmer).
NORTH-FACING ROOMS & PAINT COLORS
A room with northern exposure gets a cool gray light that can look a bit flat, especially if your north-facing room is also dark. While northern exposure is one of the most consistent light sources, it can make a room look unwelcoming and drab.
NORTH-FACING ROOM ON A CLOUDY DAY: Is lit by cool, gray daylight, as the clouds block the effect of blue skylight. This can make many paint colors appear a bit more muted and drab.
NORTH-FACING ROOM ON A SUNNY DAY: Is lit by daylight and blue skylight. This can make cool colors appear a bit stronger.
Check out this next home and consider the wall color in both spaces…
- Both spaces are north-facing
- The dining room has a lower ceiling, but is also being supplemented by warm interior lighting.
- Compare the dining room to the living area (on the right), which is bathed in north-facing natural light – daaaang, that’s a cool light. While there’s a table lamp, it does little to offset the cool, flat natural light/exposure.
That said, just because it’s a cool light doesn’t mean it’s always dark (as shown above). A north-facing room can be very bright, depending on window size and other factors – but it can still look a bit lifeless and flat without the right paint colors and interior lighting.
Benjamin Moore Seapearl Paint Color Review
- North-facing light is way more consistent throughout the day than east or west-facing rooms.
- This type of exposure is gray and cool.
- If the room has a big window (or multiple windows) that aren’t overly blocked, they can be bright, but bright doesn’t mean WARM.
- If you paint a north-facing room a cool gray, blue, green, or purple, you risk the room feeling DOUBLY as chilly. Painting a north-facing room a warm neutral or warm color can help balance the cool natural light.
- If you still want a gray, north-facing room, consider a warm gray paint color.
- It might be tempting to paint a north-facing room white, especially a warm one, but some whites won’t react as well in a northern space.
PAINT COLORS I RECOMMEND FOR MANY NORTH-FACING ROOMS
Because rooms with northern exposure can look a tit bit nipply, there are 2 great ways to add some warmth…
- Warm paint colors, including warm whites, creams, beiges, tans, greige, and taupes
- Colors with a bit more ‘color’ (chroma), especially for dark, north-facing rooms.
And rather than talking endlessly (which, in all fairness, I love to do), I have a blog post on this exact subject.
The Best Paint Colors for North-Facing Rooms
The Best Off-White Paint Colors
WEST-FACING ROOMS & PAINT COLORS
West-facing rooms tend to be a bit flat and gray in the morning hours, but once noon hits, things start to lighten and brighten, and you may hear the faint sound of Kylie poppin’ a wine cork (hey, it’s 5 o’clock SOMEwhere).
Remember (because I’m a broken record at the best of times), the AMOUNT of natural light your room receives affects how much your room’s exposure matters (along with other factors).
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99.5% of the photos in my blog are of REAL HOMES from my Online Color Consulting clients, readers, and friends. While not always magazine-perfect, they’re packed with ideas and proven color choices to help you create a home you’ll love.
How on EARTH do you choose paint colors for a room with such drastically changing natural light? (Insert Kylie HERE).
- Remember, your exposure is often low on the hit list when it comes to choosing paint colors. Focus on your room’s interior finishes first.
- Keep reading.
- Before noon, a west-facing room can look similarly flat and dull as a north-facing room. While it receives DAYLIGHT and skylight, it doesn’t get any SUNlight.
- As the afternoon progresses, the light coming in appears warmer and warmer as the sun gets closer to setting, becoming CONSIDERABLY warmer in mid/late afternoon (yellow, orange, red).
- When it comes to west-facing rooms, I often suggest ‘considering‘ the fact that your room can look obnoxiously warm in the late afternoon hours. However, focus more on the pre-noon, flat times of day.
PAINT COLORS I RECOMMEND FOR MANY WEST-FACING ROOMS
West-facing rooms can ruin any well-intentioned color near the end of the day, as those walls can look incredibly golden and warm. I suggest cool blends of blue and green, along with moderately warm neutrals.
Here’s a room (my client’s barndominium) with super high ceilings and southwest-facing morning light…
And here it is in the late afternoon…
This is exactly why I don’t focus too hard on the afternoon – it can skew things WILDLY out of proportion – sometimes you can’t win no matter which well-intentioned color you choose.
The Best Paint Colors for a West-Facing Room
EAST-FACING ROOMS & PAINT COLORS
East-facing rooms have soft, bright morning light that is sliiiiightly warm. Not as warm as south-facing exposure or west-facing afternoon, but it certainly is pretty.
The Best Blue-Green Paint Colors
I love how east- and west-facing rooms shift their look between morning and afternoon. Each type of natural light offers a different look.
Using timers on your lamps can help your room look more welcoming and less flat during the dull hours (morning west-facing and afternoon east-facing).
The above image shows Benjamin Moore Natural Cream in east-facing and west-facing afternoon light.
- As the day progresses, eastern light gets whiter and brighter until noon. Paint colors can be washed out at the height of the day.
- In the afternoon, east-facing rooms become more gray and subdued, acting a bit more like north-facing rooms and west-facing rooms (in the morning).
PAINT COLORS I RECOMMEND FOR MANY EAST-FACING ROOMS
When choosing paint colors for your room’s exposure, I find east-facing rooms often suit colors with a bit more ‘color’ (chroma) to add more life to the flat afternoon light. They can also suit a range of warm paint colors.
The Best Paint Colors for an East-Facing Room
While my next client’s family room has small south-facing windows, the east-facing windows (left) make a bigger impact…
SOUTH-FACING ROOMS & PAINT COLORS
South-facing rooms have a warm light throughout the day – this can be more SUNlight, rather than just skylight or daylight. While the light can seem consistent, environmental factors make southern exposure appear warmer as the day progresses – washing out colors around noon and picking up more golden warmth towards late afternoon.
The Best Blue-Green Paint Colors
- South-facing rooms can make paint colors appear washed out during the middle of the day and create more shadows.
- Rooms with south-facing exposures are often seen as more ‘welcoming and inviting’ via their natural light.
PAINT COLORS I RECOMMEND FOR MANY SOUTH-FACING ROOMS
Barring any interior finishes you need to coordinate with, choosing paint colors to balance a south-facing room’s warmth can be hugely satisfying. But then so can crop dusting your local Walmart (wink wink).
When considering your room’s best colors, if your south-facing room looks roasty-toasty, you might want to avoid overly warm paint colors. Instead, consider a beautiful blue or green paint color, a muted greige or taupe, a subtle white, or a glorious shade of gray.
The Best Paint Colors for a South-Facing Room
ROOMS WITH TWO OR THREE EXPOSURES
If you have a room with two or three different exposures, it’s not a bad thing at all. In fact, some (ahem, me) might even consider it a win.
Whereas some rooms with dedicated exposures are victim to their ‘less than optimal’ times of day, dual exposures can offer your room a wider range of lighting shifts throughout the day. For example, a west-facing window’s warm afternoon light can compensate for a nearby north-facing window’s lack of warmth.
Sherwin Williams Popular Gray Paint Color Review
Just remember, many things will affect how much your room’s exposure even matters – look at the wall of trees outside the above window!
Our family room has pretty even amounts of south- and north-facing light…
Naturally, I’ve changed the decor and layout about 10 times since this image, but you get the idea.
Whereas 100% south-facing light could make the room feel too warm, and north-facing light could feel flat and dull, the combo gives the room a calming, balanced vibe. I chose Benjamin Moore White Dove as my ‘perfect’ shade of white 8 years ago, and haven’t changed it since. I’ve almost kept it longer than my husband (lucky bugger).
Ideas to Update Your 2000s Home
Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray Paint Color Review
In rooms with multiple exposures, things get tricky to explain; again, it greatly depends on which windows are larger, whether there’s any shrubbery/grass/patio overhang, or any other exterior influences that could block the light. SO, generally speaking:
When an Online Paint Color Consulting client fills out their questionnaire, letting me know they have 2 or 3 exposures, THAT fact drops to the bottom of my list.
Why?
Unless one exposure is morbidly dominant, there are just way too many factors. Sure, I might tuck a nugget of it in my brain when considering their best options, but their room and personal tastes are my 95% focus. I’d rather staple Jello to a tree than try to accommodate each exposure at every hour of the day #impossible.
However, for those of you who still want to slide down the splintered log of colorful goodness…
The Best Paint Colors for Rooms with 2 OR MORE Exposures
EXTERIOR PAINT COLORS & EXPOSURES
Just when you thought choosing interior colors was a challenge! The direction your home faces can play a huge part in which paint color looks best. It’s time to READ UP, BUTTERCUP!
The Best Exterior Paint Colors: Why Your Home’s Exposure Matters
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
For any random quandaries, questions, and concerns.
WHY DOES MY PAINT COLOR LOOK DIFFERENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY?
Many people paint their room thinking they’re choosing a single color that will look consistent throughout the day. Then, all of a sudden it looks grayer in the afternoon, or more green in the evening. WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING?
Unless your room is windowless, your paint color will change depending on the light. This is because it reflects the light it’s given (the simplified explanation). So, as your natural light changes throughout the day, or when you turn on lamps or overhead lighting, your paint color WILL change how it appears.
If you want a paint color that doesn’t change throughout the day and one that looks the same on every wall, board up your windows (or close your eyes) #itdoesn’texist.
SHOULD I CHOOSE PAINT COLORS BASED ON MY ROOM’S EXPOSURE?
While your room’s exposure can be a consideration, sometimes an important one, your paint color should be chosen because it suits the room’s interior finishes FIRST. Here are a few situations where I might put a room’s exposure near the top of the list…
Benjamin Moore’s Best Warm White Paint Colors
- If I’m choosing a white paint color for a room’s walls. Whites reflect the most light, and choosing the right one for a room’s exposure can be pretty dang important, seeing as a room’s exposure can easily affect the visual temperature of your walls/room.
- When there are no bossy interior finishes, and my client isn’t too fussed about what’s on their walls. In this case, yes, I’ll consider the exposure quite a bit.
- While the AMOUNT of natural light can affect how light-dark or clean-dirty a color I suggest is, that’s more about quality of light rather than exposure.
DO CLOUDY DAYS VS. SUNNY DAYS AFFECT HOW A PAINT COLOR LOOKS?
Absolutely. Again, it depends on how much quality natural light your room gets, but if it’s easily affected by exposure, a cloudy day will change how a paint color appears.
How much a color’s appearance changes depends on many factors, including the quality of natural light, the type of cloud cover, the time of day, etc. This means there’s no way to predict how a color will appear on a cloudy day.
This is an important consideration for those living where it’s cloudy for many seasons/months, including the UK, the upper States, and parts of Canada.
Generally speaking, if you live in a cloudy area, you might consider colors that are a bit warmer and brighter, along with slightly more colorful (higher chroma) colors – so long as they suit your room! I advise my cloudy-inclined clients to be cautious with grays and some more drab greige, taupe, and muted off-whites.
WHAT PAINT COLOR BEST REFLECTS LIGHT, ESPECIALLY IN A DARK ROOM?
White is the most reflective color because of its high LRV. Add a bit of SHEEN to that white paint color, and light will be bouncing around more than me without a sports bra. That said…
Paint colors need LIGHT to come to LIFE!
- No paint color will save your dark room if you don’t add interior lighting.
- And while more vibrant colors won’t necessarily reflect more light than white, they can appear more cheerful and upbeat than some neutrals in dark spaces.
The Best Paint Colors for a Dark Room
WHAT PAINT COLORS ARE BEST FOR A LOT OF NATURAL LIGHT?
For many rooms, colors with an LRV below 50 are a great way to calm an overly bright home. Colors with high LRVs will wash out more in natural light, while darker colors will hold better (while still appearing lighter than normal).
READ MORE
5 Reasons You Keep Choosing the Wrong Paint Colours
Kylie M’s Quick Guide to Paint Colors & Their Undertones
Get the best paint color advice with Kyile m’s Online Paint Color Consulting!
Updated with images and content in 2026
I love your informative posts, thank you! I am stuck for a paint color selection for my entry, family room, and hallway. I have multi-colored swaths in each room and each time I think I’ve made a decision – BAM! it changes. First I settled on Revere Pewter but it looks so flat and not at all like the photos of the lovely light rooms wearing it. Then I went with Sea Salt. My family room has a large window and door that face East/Northeast so I get some direct bright light in the morning. Seat Salt almost looks “minty” or even baby blue in this light (not what I hoped for). However, as the light moves on to the front of the house to my south windows it looks darn right gray with a hint of green. I have poured over plenty of “what color to paint” articles and blogs, and I just paid a professional $300 to help. Basically all things should be “neutral” for a buyer, but I am an artist who favors, rich color (as evidenced by my turquoise and white kitchen). I welcome any suggestions for this difficult situation!!
Hi Ellen! It’s hard to say without seeing your home, finishes, lighting, etc… but check out BM Edgecomb Gray which is a light greige, I’ve had a lot of success with it!
Kylie, when a room face a point in between two points on the compass ( for example north east or southwest), how does this effect paint choices?
Good question! I actually have a blog post that covers 2 or 3 exposures that should be helpful for you! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/how-to-choose-paint-colours-for-a-room-with-2-exposures/
~Kylie
Hi! I just bought a new house and it has skylights in both the living area and the dining/kitchen area. It’s really messing with my color sense! The walls are currently a greige that looks lovely in some light but ugly and flat in others but I can’t quite find the pattern. How do skylights affect colors?
Hi Liz! I’ve found that skylights will pick up a bit on their main exposure (like if they are slightly sloped south/east/north/west), but generally act a bit like an eastern light, particularly at the height of day where they can EASILY wash out a colour as they get the midday sun that is the most lightening!
Hi Kylie, love your website and posts! Is it a faux pas to simply use a lightened version of the same color for darker rooms in the house (i.e., hallway)? Or should I be looking for a lighter, but different/complimentary color for those darker rooms? Thanks!
Hi Shani, it’s not a faux pas at all! But when you lighten your colour make sure you still like the undertones, as colours WILL shift undertones when they are lightened/darkened 🙂
Hi Kylie! I love your blog. I painted my north facing living room and hallway SW Creamy which I love thanks to your advice! I have a south facing den with an accent wall I painted BM Tyler Gray. I tried painting the walls that flank the accent wall SWCreamy also but because they are south facing it looks much too yellow when compared to the Tyler Gray. Do you have any suggestions for a white or warmer white color that could go with BM Tyler Gray without going too yellow in a south facing room?
Hmmm, maybe take a look at BM White Down, that might calm things down for you 🙂
I’m late to this party, but wanted to say thank you for this awesome website! I recently used your advice to pick colors for the walls of our condo that was going up for sale. I used SW Vanillin for the living and bedrooms which are mostly east/somewhat north facing and SW French Grey for the kitchen and bath, which have no natural light (and the kitchen has awful fluorescents). (If only we had looked at a blog for how to hire painters…that went less successfully!) Thanks!
Hi Kylie! I love Colonnade Gray! My new great room/ kitchen will face northwest. Do you think it could work? If not, is there a SW greige or white that works in that light? Thanks!
I love your articles. I’ve corrected quite a few painting mistakes from the past, but this one has me confused. I have a mud room that has an east morning window. The sun swings away and in the afternoon has a west glass door. Then goes darker. Do I go cool or warm with the paint color? The room has lots of soft white trim and the floor is a gray/blue tile. I’m drawn to BM Pebble Beach. Thank you.
I find a lot of people talking about how direction affects your paint colours but could somebody please talk about how the colour is affected by where you live? If a Brit takes a trip to Cancun and loves all the colours at the beach house, then comes home to the misty moors of Yorkshire and paints with the same colours, how will it turn out?
That’s an interesting thought, Layla! I do know that the more south you go, the warmer the light gets, whereas if you’re me, living in a gray, moody place, colours tend to get more muted and grayed out in this environment. That being said, SOME colours with blue-green cool tones can be slightly enhanced by a cooler light!
We have just painted our living room and dining room dove white and the walls look lovely. The ceiling doesn’t though as it looks too greige. We are going to use a Benjamin Moore white ceiling paint that has a white tint added to it. We were advised by the people at the paint store. We put some sample paint on the ceiling in the living room and it looks like it will probably work. This is a north facing living room with two small east windows and of course the window that faces north. The dining room has a window facing east and some south exposure from the small TV room that is right next to it. Kylie can I get your thoughts on this ceiling paint. It would be much appreciated.
Kylie, I so appreciate your posts. Your explanations are the best I’ve found for guidance on the unique lighting challenges in my home. Would you be willing/able to say what the paint color is that appears in the picture above with the ginormous windows? My home has a similar set of windows/lighting situation and I’m wishing for a warmer feel than the very neutral white I have now.
You’re welcome! If it’s the photo where you’re in the kitchen looking out into a living area and you can see two crystal type chandeliers – THAT is the lovely Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca and it is such a warm soft feeling! I also love Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White. It’s FAR more passive, but I’m really enjoying its subtle warmth 🙂
Help. In our last two homes, we’ve used an off-white with a hint of gray something like friend Lee Gray so I wanna go a new direction. I’m looking for something creamy. Off-white with a hint of cream/tan/beige. Suggestions?
There are SO many! Check out SW Shoji White, White Duck, Aesthetic White – just a few to get you started! There’s more here, too 😉 https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-best-off-white-neutral-paint-colours-undertones-and-more/
Thank you for this great post!
We are looking at Origami White (technically an off-white at LRV 76) for our walls and Extra White for our kitchen cabinets…. Would you pair these two together? Thanks!
Hey Elizabeth! FIRST, make sure to get a quart of paint mixed up in Extra White in the same paint/finish you plan on using for your cabinets – it can look a bit warmer in cabinet paint vs the sample you have 🙂
Hey Kylie! Love your blog, really do appreciate your expertise and heapin’ helpin’ of humor on the side. My question is: Husband is not budging on painting 1965 wood paneling. Paneling is in south facing living room, with wood privacy shutters. Kitchen is the same, but rest of home has “standard” walls. Any suggestions for ceiling, floors, and the rest of my turf? Thank you! -KC
ugh. I have a condo with only east and west facing windows. Figures I’d get the bipolar directions.
Quick question – would you say that this advice only applies to the Northern Hemisphere? I live in Hawaii and the light is always strong, even when its cloudy. The trend here is dark colors (browns, grays etc.) to soften the light and “cool the room” but I’m not a fan and perfer color like blues, greens, etc. I’m trying to figure out what to do paint these bipolar east west rooms of mine….
Hey! YES, these mixed exposures can be tough! First off, I’m jealous. I also live on an Island, but we get sun for a bout 8 weeks a year ;). I actually think blues and greens coudl be fabulous for what you’re wanting. These can be super calming, relaxing shades and their cool tones can definitely help take the edge off a warm room. Maybe you’ll find a nice one here? https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/8-most-popular-blue-green-paint-colours-mix-sherwin-williams-and-benjamin-moore/
OH! Thank you! I’ll have a look.
I came from a place with limited sunlight in the winter originally, so I can feel you on the less than 8 hours. That’s part of my struggle now. I got used to decorating to let the light and warmth in as much as possible. But, uh, I…tried to do that here and I needed to wear shades in the house. 😎The sun is just so powerful here!