The 15 Best Paint Colors for East-Facing Rooms
Wondering why your paint color looks so different from morning to afternoon in your east-facing room? Because eastern exposure isn’t easy – I curse it and throw a quarter in the jar every time (I’m on my 3rd jar).
However, once you understand and accent how your paint color might change from morning to afternoon, it can be easier to find your room’s best paint color.
To help you on your colorful way, I’ve strapped on my big girl undies, pulled all my thoughts together for you (scary), combined them with my 24+ years of color experience and 12,000 consultations, and finally made some sense of it all. However, it’s a lot of info, so you better get comfy.
EAST-FACING LIGHT & PAINT COLORS
When discussing the best paint colors for north and south-facing rooms, it’s a bit easier to pin down good color options as their natural light is a bit more reliable throughout the day. However, with east-facing rooms having split personalities, it isn’t clear-cut, and there’s no exact recipe for the perfect paint color. Let me rephrase that…on a larger scale…
There’s absolutely no way to predict exactly how a paint color ABSOLUTELY WILL look in any exposure – there are waaaay too many variables. However, with knowledge and experience, you can narrow down your options and end up with your best color.
MOVING ALONG!
PAINT COLORS IN EAST-FACING MORNING LIGHT
Rooms with a prominent east-facing morning light get a gentle, slightly clean dose of warm sunshine in the early morning (but not the same as the more intense golden warmth you’ll get in a west-facing afternoon). As the sun rises, you’ll also notice a lot of shadows.
- Warm paint colors can be slightly enhanced in eastern morning light without picking up a strong glow (unlike western afternoon light).
- If you paint your east-facing room a cool paint color, it could feel refreshing and soft in the morning and, if it has enough color (chroma), it can hold up well in the afternoon.
- You might find that blues that lean green can look a bit softer and more inviting, overall.
- Green-yellow, more so than green blues, can offer a soft warmth to an eastern room. However, ensure they’re not too neutral, or they could look murky in the afternoon.
As we move towards noon, the light will slowly get brighter and whiter, and the chances of being judged for day drinking (which you may be doing shortly) will be greatly reduced. This bright light can start to wash out colors, making them appear lighter.
For example, in the above photo, check out the walls facing you; they’re a bit shadowed, but the paint color on the wall with the TP holder is completely washed out as it’s getting a direct hit of Eastern light.
PAINT COLORS IN EAST-FACING AFTERNOON LIGHT
Whether it gets a little natural light or a lot, an east-facing room will look grayer and flatter in the afternoon – I can hear the crickets chirping now- oh wait, that’s my phone with a message – which I’ll never check.
- Warm colors can help balance the more shaded, slightly dull look of east-facing afternoon light. The more neutral the colors, the dirtier they can look, so choose wisely. As mentioned earlier, look at those with a bit more color (chroma).
- If you choose a cool color with a bit more ‘color’ and less gray, you may find it holds better in the afternoon.
- A gray paint color’s inherent bias (scientific lean towards a certain color) can be a bit more noticeable in east-facing afternoons. That said, there are so many other things affecting paint colors that I wouldn’t put too much on that. Sample your colors carefully and see if you notice more undertone in the afternoon light!
- If you go for cool paint colors or gray neutrals, you may want to add warm accents and texture to your room for balance and visual warmth.
Don’t expect a paint color to save you and your room – help it out by giving it LIGHT!
Notice how the same paint color (Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White) changes on each wall
WHEN CONSIDERING YOUR EXPOSURE, IT’S ABOUT YOUR ROOM AS A WHOLE
It’s easy to get caught up in how our paint colors look on a wall-to-wall basis. However, natural lighting changes drastically throughout the day, as will the paint color on your walls. How your room’s exposure will affect your paint color is never predictable.
When considering your room’s exposure, focus on the overall appearance and FEELING of your room. The natural light your room receives (quality/amount/etc.) can easily affect this.
Afternoon east-facing light, morning western natural light, and the same paint color.
Here’s a short list of the many factors that can affect how your paint color looks (related to exposure).
- How big your window is
- How tall your wall/high your ceiling is
- If you have landscaping outside the window that partially blocks light, or the light filters through it
- How close to the equator are you
- The time of year
- You live in a place that’s cloudy a lot of the time
- If your neighbor’s home or a tall building blocks some light.
STEP 1: IT’S ALL IN THE TIMING
I know, this is a TON of info – it’s like verbal diarrhea on my end, so I can’t imagine how it’s being received on yours (might be time for a wipe). So, you can take that all into consideration OR take a deep breath, totally ignore me (Tim has an uncanny knack for this), and start sampling paint colors.
But before you do that, take a quick second to answer these two questions…
- Do I use my room more in the morning or the afternoon?
- Am I more comfortable in warmer colors or cooler colors?
If you can’t find a color you love at BOTH times of day and can’t adjust your interior lighting (I bet you can), decide whether you naturally lean toward warm or cool colors (and decide which temperature your room best suits). Then, choose the color you like the most during the time of day you’re in the room.
Does this mean you completely ignore the other half of the day?
No, you just don’t give it priority. And while you may LOVE a color in the morning light, but not the afternoon, as long as it’s ‘okay’ and doesn’t go against your religious beliefs, it might just be a good choice.
But what if you’re in the room in the morning AND the afternoon?’ Well, then we move on to STEP 2.
STEP 2: LIGHTING IS YOUR FRIEND
For the time of day when your room is at its drabbest (the afternoon for eastern rooms), use interior lighting as a supplement. This can give your paint color an ENTIRELY new look and make it more livable during shaded hours. Taking the time to improve the lighting in your room will make ALL of the difference in the world in how your paint color appears and how your room feels.
In this next photo, look at how much the different light bulbs change the look of the paint color (Sherwin Williams Shoji White)…
How the Kelvins of Light Bulbs Affect Paint Colors
While they say that ‘daylight’ bulbs best mimic natural daylight, that’s a dang cool light (5000K) and isn’t always a ‘liveable light’ compared to what we’re used to with our old-school bulbs. I would opt for a warmer light (lower Kelvins) over a daylight bulb…unless I’m in a doctor’s office. Even then…
So, what is a girl (or guy) to do now? DRINK UP BUTTERCUP! That’s right, you might need to call in the reinforcements (Mr. Pinot and Ms. Merlot) when choosing the best paint color for your east-facing room. So, grab that sippy cup, and let’s get started.
This is where the fun starts!
THE BEST PAINT COLORS FOR EAST-FACING ROOMS
Remember…
- You might not find a color you love at ALL times of the day, which is why your interior lighting plan is so important!
- Exposure doesn’t matter NEARLY as much as the needs of your room’s interior finishes, size, etc.
- Be patient with your paint color; it’s likely doing its best, given the drastic shift in natural light!
I mention afternoon light a lot in the comments below. This is because it’s harder to accommodate, whereas east-facing morning light is much more flexible!
1. SHERWIN WILLIAMS CASA BLANCA SW 7571
Casa Blanca is a slightly brighter shade of cream than Gentle Cream, which is coming up shortly). It offers a gentle, slightly cheerful warmth to an east-facing room, making it a beautiful color to wake up to and a warm and inviting one in the afternoon light.
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca
2. BENJAMIN MOORE CLOUD WHITE OC-130
Cloud White is a white paint color with a creamy backdrop. With this bit of yellow, Cloud White has the warmth to stand up to a flat eastern afternoon while looking soft and subtle in the morning hours.
FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Cloud White
If you’re considering white for your east-facing rooms, focus on warm whites (yellow undertones) and ones that are perhaps a bit BRIGHTER than the softer, creamier end.
- Benjamin Moore Simply White
- Sherwin Williams Cheviot
- Sherwin Williams Greek Villa
3. SHERWIN WILLIAMS NATURAL LINEN 9109
Natural Linen is a light shade of beige. Like ANY color, it can lose some of its luster in the afternoon light; however, it’s still a beautiful, muted, warm neutral. If you want warmth on your walls without too much gold, Natural Linen can be a great fit.
Just remember, it can lose some of its warm appeal in the afternoon. That said, your interior finishes take priority over your exposure. In my experience, Natural Linen suits A LOT OF interior finishes, which is why I’ve included it…even if it falls a little flat on you. Either you’ll still love it, or you might choose a beige with a bit more noticeable warmth.
If you like the look of Natural Linen but want a lighter shade, here are a few to explore…
- Sherwin Williams Moderate White
- Sherwin Williams Divine White
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Natural Linen
4. SHERWIN WILLIAMS RAINWASHED SW 6211
Rainwashed is a beautiful blue-green-gray blend. In the morning, Rainwashed is a beautiful shade of light blue with a whisper of green and gray. In the afternoon, you might notice its cool hue come to life a bit more, but it won’t look any lighter and brighter.
In this next image, notice how Rainwashed has less gray and more color than Smoky Green and Comfort Gray…
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Rainwashed
5. BENJAMIN MOORE MUSLIN OC-12
Muslin is similar to Natural Linen but has more undertone (orange). So, if you find that Natural Linen is a bit flat for your space, Muslin offers a similar degree of warmth with just a bit more backbone to stand up to those gray hours.
Look at the difference from the left wall to the right – all thanks to natural light!
FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Muslin
Many of the colors that I recommend for east-facing afternoons (in particular) ALSO suit north-facing rooms!
6. BENJAMIN MOORE BALBOA MIST OC-27
Balboa Mist is a light shade of gray that winks politely at the warmth of taupe.
The undertones in Balboa Mist often appear purple-pink. If you don’t love these undertones, you might want to be careful, as while they’re reasonably subtle compared to some other colors…they ain’t THAT subtle.
FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist
7. BENJAMIN MOORE NATURAL WICKER OC-1
I LOVE Natural Wicker for an east-facing room. Some homeowners love heavy cream but get nervous about too much yellow. The great thing about Natural Wicker is that it’s a REAL cream-beige hybrid. Compared to Gentle Cream, you’ll see that it has a similar yellow-orange blend, but Natural Wicker has a bit more gray, which calms it down. Add a bit of warm interior lighting, and you’ve got one gorgeous east-facing room!
Remember, you can’t change the fact that many colors WILL fall flatter in the afternoon. If you want to avoid that, you need to choose a color with more life/color.
Just remember, it has to suit your interior finishes, AND you have to live with it at ALL hours of the day!
Alternatively, choose a color you and your room love and improve your interior lighting (I know, I’m like a broken record). If you don’t have enough lighting, Amazon sells battery-operated wall-mount sconces!
8. BENJAMIN MOORE FERNWOOD GREEN 2145-40
Maybe you want to leave the neutral world entirely and embrace some COLOR in your life! Color is a great way to battle those afternoon Eastern blahs.
Fernwood Green is a charming shade of leafy green. Being a warm green (green-yellow), it will sit strong in the flat afternoon light while not being completely obnoxious in the morning hours.
Sure, I could go wild and crazy and suggest dark shades of green or some beautiful medium-toned blues to you, but these colors are intended to appeal to the masses and the AVERAGE home – not a particular set of personal tastes! I offer an awesome Online Paint Color Consulting service if you want something fine-tuned for you and your home.
9. SHERWIN WILLIAMS KILIM BEIGE SW 6141
Kilim Beige has a lot more meat on its bones than the more modern beige world. With an LRV of 57, Kilim Beige is darker than Natural Linen and Muslin. While it has the same intention – to be a warm beige, it has more depth and noticeable undertones.
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Kilim Beige
10. BENJAMIN MOORE TAWNY ROSE 2173-20
For this one, I thought I’d have a little fun! Tawny Rose is a darker, rust, cinnamon-inspired shade with a gorgeous red-orange-brown blend. If you want to warm up your east-facing room and add some personality, a color like Tawny Rose will do the trick.
Benjamin Moore Tawny Rose with Gentle Cream
What’s awesome is that it’s not only a ‘whole room’ paint color but also a great accent wall color. This is a great way to add personality to your room without overwhelming it.
Why Does Your Paint Color Look Different or Wrong?
11. SHERWIN WILLIAMS SEA SALT 6204
If you like the idea of Rainwashed, but it’s a bit colorful for your tastes, check out Sea Salt. Sea Salt is a muted green-gray. And while its roots suggest it might ALWAYS look green-gray, this color ninja is well-known for leaning into blue. However, overall, it has a more toned-down approach compared to Rainwashed.
Sea Salt can look as green as it does in this dining room…
Or as blue as it is in this bathroom…
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Sea Salt
12. BENJAMIN MOORE WOODLAWN BLUE HC 147
If you’re in the mood for blue, it’s hard to beat the comforting look of Woodlawn Blue. Woodlawn Blue is a light green-gray that OFTEN appears with some blue.
In this next photo, Woodlawn Blue looks a bit softer and warmer compared to Sherwin Williams Rain. This is thanks to the green in it…
What is the Best Blue Paint Color for Your Walls?
Again, I’d love to show you the wild and wonderful end of color, but that would appeal to the minority. Instead, I’ve selected colors with a BETTER chance of working in the average home. If you want color suggestions personalized to you and your home, check out my ONLINE PAINT COLOR CONSULTING – I’d love to help!
13. SHERWIN WILLIAMS CONTENTED 6191
Contented is a light-medium depth shade of green-gray that appears green-blue while still remaining wholeheartedly green. However, it does have some gray to calm it down, leaving you with a softened, more muted approach to a light evergreen color. Remember, it will lose a bit of its glory in the afternoon eastern sun, so get those interior lights going!
The Best Green-Gray Paint Colors
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF CONTENTED
14. SHERWIN WILLIAMS MOODY BLUE SW 6221
I want to show you the more FUN end of cool colors, as we did with Tawny Rose in the warm section. I am a BIG fan of Moody Blue. It’s a medium-toned mix of blue-green with a touch of gray to calm it down. It adds richness and warmth to a room just via its depth.
And it’s not just for accent walls. At this saturation, you can cover an entire room in Moody Blue’s glorious blue-green hue!
The 13 Best MEDIUM DEPTH Blue Paint Colors
15. BENJAMIN MOORE CLASSIC GRAY OC-23
Classic Gray is a gentle, off-white, warm shade of gray (also perceived as taupe). A warm gray like this can look flat in a room without enough light, but its gentle softness can help offset any dull light in a reasonably well-lit room.
FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
Will Classic Gray look dingy or dirty?
It can. Any warm shade of gray, greige, or taupe can look dirty in certain lights – it’s the nature of the beast, as these types of neutrals have brown in them! It comes down to a) whether your room SUITS dirty colors (many/most do) and b) whether it’s a color you love, regardless of whether it’s dirty or not. Personally, I LOVE dirty colors!
You might look at the above suggestions and think, ‘Hmmm, why are there so few grays?‘
While colors like Balboa Mist and Classic Gray (and others) can be beautiful, grays, greiges, and taupes can be tough in east-facing afternoon light – especially if your room isn’t super bright.
Why?
While some shades of warm or stormy gray are good in the morning, many will look dirty, dull, and uninspiring in the afternoon. Cool grays often fare better because they don’t contain brown, and their undertones can pop a bit more. However, the average home doesn’t suit many cool grays (in the lighter range), as many popular finishes need at least a little (or a lot) more warmth.
If your eastern windows are LARGE and you don’t have landscaping or an overhang blocking them, it will be way easier to get away with a gray, greige, or taupe (good interior lighting, too). All the same, I might still choose those that are a bit more inclined to grab an undertone than not.
Just don’t expect a paint color to save your room all by itself.
COORDINATING WITH INTERIOR FINISHES
Oh, you don’t get off that easy – there’s a whole ‘NOTHER side to choosing the best color for your room – your interior finishings.
The interior of your room adds a whole DIFFERENT set of rules, but there is only SO much I can do with a blog post! If you don’t know which paint color is best for your exposure, countertops, flooring, you know who can help.
READ MORE
The Best Warm Off-White Paint Colors
The Best WHOLE HOME Taupe & Greige Paint Colors
The 8 Best Blue and Green Paint Colors
Get the best paint color advice with Kylie M’s Online Paint Color Consulting!
Written in 2017, updated in 2023
My master bedroom faces west on the golf course in sunny Las Vegas. I need a tan/beige/timeless color that really doesn’t pull any definite undertones. What would you suggest?
Hi Kymber! There are SO many other things to consider, like furnishings, flooring, the amount of light coming in! Without seeing photos I’m totally just guessing, but will say that one of my fave tans is SW Canvas Tan…
If you’d like me to take a look at your room, I do have affordable (and fun) E-design! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
~Kylie
Hi Kylie,
I happened upon your very informative website and I glad to see Grant Beige on the list for a south facing room. I am actually trying to find a close math to Grant Beige in Behr Marquee paints. We are painting a very large room with high walls, and know my husband would appreciate the benefit of the one coat coverage. Behr doesn’t guarantee this coverage in other brands of paint. Thanks.
Well Andrea, I’m a big sceptic of the 1 coat coverage paints. It has to be the right colour and the right application (thickness). I’ve yet to see one that I’m 100% happy with, where the original colour doesn’t flash through – but maybe I haven’t seen the right one yet! I’ve found that some painters use the ‘good from 4 feet’ rule – if it looks good from 4 feet away, then it’s fine. I’ve found to get the true colour, that 2 coats are best…
Hi Kylie
I have indeed invited Ms.Merlot to join me while I read the information you provided about color. I have learned so much from your wonderful suggestions. I have an east facing open living room , kitchen and dinning room. The space has a lot of natural light. I was hoping you could help me decide between Grey owl or Revere Pewter. I I know they are different but i am open to suggestions. I would love to accentuate with grey and navy furnishings, I have a leather dark brown couch, actually it’s all I have left after hurricane Maria hit the island where I lived. So it’s a clean canvas to work on. Btw i love your sense of humor.
Thank you
Hi Kristy! Oooo, of the 2, I might lean toward Revere Pewter as it has a bit more softness to it. It would look gorgeous with gray and navy as long as the gray isn’t a purple base…I think Gray Owl might be a touch too flat perhaps…
Cheers!
~Kylie
Kylie! You are the best! I just wish I had read this before I painted my dining room. I used BM Windham cream. We have an East facing traditional home. It is fine in there but now so love that Carribean teal. I also was thinking of a gray in the foyer which has been BM Wilmington tan for years…But after reading this, I honestly don’t think it’s a good choice. I think it would be drab at night . I will say the gold holds up well in all lights…But would like a bit of a change… Used as repose gray in a bedroom upstairs and just love it…But the foyer is really tough…And I have a country red kitchen…Still love it . Thanks for your great posts!!!
Hi Kylie
Love your ideas and suggestions for each room of house.
We have an East facing kitchen with no window. Lots of light in morning and gradually decreases throughout the day. We are going to be painting our U-Shaped kitchen cabinets soon and decided not to go with BM Chantilly Lace or BM Decorators White as they are to stark looking, in addition to the fact we have Dunn Edwards Miners Dust on the walls and throughout the living room which the kitchen opens into.
We now have BM Crisp linen on the cabinets and although it is a creamier white (and yes has yellow) it seems to be consistent with the change in lighting throughout the day. Just want to get your thoughts on the cream “white” and gray combination. We originally wanted to do BM Van Coulter Blue on lower cabinets and the creme on top, but not sure now.
Your thoughts appreciated.
Paula
Hi Paula, it is ALLLL in the type of cream and the type of gray. The more yellow you have in the cream, the more it can react with a cooler toned gray or even a warm-toned gray – and unfortunately I’m not familiar with Dunn Edwards colours. My advice – err on the side of caution and try to hit a warm white, but one that isn’t TOOOO obviously warm/yellow toned as that can also be tricky to coordinate with down the road for trim and decor.
Aloha Kylie! I love reading your blog, so informative and funny! I am having my 90’s kitchen raised panel maple cabinets redone soon and I want to have them painted white. I have one east facing window and so the kitchen doesn’t have very much natural light. I have read your blog posts about the best white colors from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams and have gotten 5 different samples to see how they look. So far, the samples aren’t looking as white as I want, one of my problems is that I need to redo my lighting in the kitchen and right now it’s not sufficient enough to get a true evaluation of the colors. Is there a color that you would recommend so that the cabinets will have the best chance of not looking drab and dingy? My 90’s Corian counter top is in good shape so I am hoping to keep that…so funny, it looks white but now that I have all of my color samples it is really grey with white and “peppered” with black specks. Lol, I never knew picking out a white color would be so difficult! Thanks for taking the time to read this, I really appreciate it.
Aloooooha! Yes, it can be SO hard when you don’t have the lighting in place! If I had to put my money on a non drab/dingy white, it would probably be SW Pure White. It’s pretty white and has just a weeee lil’ wink of warmth in it. Simply White is similar, but can come up a touch TOO warm if your countertop is more gray base…
Other than that, you’d look at more standard whites, like SW High Reflective White…
I hope that helps Janet!
Mahalo Kylie! I think that Pure White looks a little better with my counter tops than the Simply White and is one of the colors that I like a lot. The other color I kind of like is BM Chantilly but just not sure if it’s the right tone. I will go and get a sample of the High Reflective White and see how that looks. I painted my samples on computer cardstock type paper and hung them on the cabinet for comparison. I have such a hard time trying to visualize off that small paper so really appreciate your experience!
Hi Janet,
Which color did you choose and are you happy with it?
Kindly,
Joy
Hi Kylie,
I really like your blog and you are really good with colors. My home faces south east. I had my husband come out here and the living room to check. Our floors are a red gun stock. I’ve noticed you like gentle cream so I thought I would paint our open floor plan with that. Our kitchen cabinets are white dove. Thanks so much for all the info. We live in the Blue Ridge mountains and I was wanting something soft and neutral with no pink.
Hey Kylie..I totally love your blog. I had a few questions regarding our east facing kitchen and living room. My wife and I our trying to pick a light Greige that does not look pink or yellow. I would prefer a color that looks light grey, brown or a little blue. We our planning on a farmhouse theme and putting Navy blue accents with a Steel color couch. Our kitchen cabinets our Espresso color and unfortunately we have a dark black counter top. My wife likes Repose Gray , but I think it’s abit dark. I read that we could possibly lighten up 25%. What do you think about Agreeable Gray? Or possibly Edgecomb Gray or Revere Pewter (these seem to be the most popular) ? Thanks for your input.
Hi Mike, it sounds to me like Agreeable GRay ALL THE WAY! I have clients who want a greige, yet find it a bit too gray/blue (particularly with north facing and you will get ‘similar light’ in the afternoon with east facing’. I would TOTALLY lean toward that more so than Repose, which can be a bit unpredictable…
Kylie makes me laugh outloud. My advise to easy facing living room with a green wonderland outside, don’t use accessible beige. It was really pretty when I moved in. It was winter and no beautiful green grass yet. I have poured over all this advise for hours and am ready to move.
I have a east facing living room and I tend to pull yellows no matter what ….. my recent paint trial was Ben Moore White Down which changes in every room of course. Do you think Gentle Cream or Creamy would pull less yellow than this? Or which white would be nicer to have a clean wall with Extra White Crown molding ?
Trying to just kill the YELLOW!!
Hi Holly, thank you for asking! I actually have an e-design business just for questions like yours – otherwise, I’m guessing as to what your home REALLY looks like with its eastern light/interior finishes/interior lighting, etc… I do try to give as much complimentary, helpful info on my blog as possible, and if that doesn’t work, it just might be time for me to take a look! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
~Kylie
Do you think Creamy or Ballet White is better for a living room area with North and West windows? I was thinking Colonnade Gray but I’m so confused on warm and cold light!!
Hi Heather, well I would lean toward Creamy as it is a bit more of a fresh look, but even it will soften with that gray light!
Hi Kylie,
We are building an East facing lake house with lots of light (basically all windows on east side). Right now we have picked out SW Pure White for trim/doors/cabinets and SW Downing Slate for island color. Agreeable grey is what we are planning on going with for kitchen/living room. Do you feel our choices may work out? (We are no experts, but this color talk is really intriguing – I want to make sure we get it right!)
Hi Meg, it all sounds pretty! Just keep in mind that Agreeable Gray can be unpredictable and often turns out more like a gray-blue than a greige – it’s a funny one! However, that being said, it would still be nice with Downing Slate !
Would you recommend any of these (or anything else) as a ceiling color? I have a sloped ceiling that is currently knotty pine that has yellowed over time. I was the thinking of painting the walls SW Creamy but want to do the ceiling and trim in another (not white) color. My instinct was Light French Gray but I’m worried about it pulling too purple (nice on walls, but maybe not for the ceiling). This room tends to pull very blue/purple – BM moonshine just looks like ice blue. I looked at SW Twilight Gray, Mindful Gray and Useful Gray, but now I’m worried they will be too muddy. Just wondering if the same rules apply to the ceiling as the walls. Thanks for all your help! This post made me realize why I don’t like any of the griege swatches I put up on the wall.
Hi Leslie! Sloped ceilings are tricky. Unlike normal ceilings that tend to look a shade darker than the walls, sloped ceilings often look lighter as the light pans across them! Of course, that depends on how much light they get! But I would expect undertones to be slightly enhanced on a sloped ceiling and am grateful you went away from Light French Gray as the purple really can come up – especially with a warm colour like Creamy!
That’s great info, thank you! I’ve continually returned to your blog while painting my first fixer upper. Your posts and comments are the most practical, logical and helpful of anybody.
Please help :)!!! I’m on my 15th paint sample and still can decide on color. Ugh! South east facing great room with large windows. Open floor plan, so I’m painting family room, kitchen, hallways, entryway and dining room. The 2 colors I’ve narrowed it down to are Edgecomb gray and Wordly Gray. I love Edgecomb gray in most areas but a few places it looks too yellow which I do not want. Wordly Gray looks a little dark in the North west facing rooms. Just can’t decide what to do! Between those 2 colors, what do you recommend?? Thanks!!!
I love this post and your others about N-W-E-and South facing rooms. I painted SW accessible beige in 2 rooms, and it’s a lovely soft ‘zen’ grey . So calming and soothing….really nice!!
THEN! I tried it out in part of our downstairs hall….dull and drab. Thanks to your posts, I understand why! I’m trying some of your rcommendations for EAST facing walls So helpful..thanks Kylie!
Hi Kylie,
First of all, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! Your expertise amazes me.
I recently bought a home and am looking for a neutral color to use in vsrious rooms facing different directions: living room (east)
dining room (west)
master bedroom (east)
guest bedroom (south)
I love the following BM neutrals:
Stonington Grey
Revere Pester
Collington Wood
Balboa Mist
For now, I’m thinking of doing most of the house in 1 color aside from my son’s room and possibly my master bedroom. Which of the 4 BM colors do you recommend?
Thank you so much!
Erin
Hi Erin, thank you for your note! When it comes to personal questions, especially ones that are multi-room, I do refer to my E-design. I try to give away as much complimentary info as i can on my blog and if that doesn’t work, it might be time for a closer look. Otherwise I’m 100% guessing at your flooring/exposures/lighting/countertops/etc… 🙂 https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
~Kylie
Thanks for doing this! I just bought another home I’m fixing up. I had hardwoods put on most of the main level in Jacobean. Dining room & 2 story foyer face west with lots of natural light. Study faces west with very little light. Living room faces east and gets okay light. The only room we didn’t change floors is the kitchen, because the kitchen is brand new! It faces east & gets great light. Light gray tile floors, stark white cabinets, subway tile in varied shades of gray, and moon white granite (white/gray with big specks of plum). I thought repose gray might work throughout but my husband prefers to bring in more color with mindful gray. What are your thoughts? I noticed neither color was suggested . I love purples & we’re not afraid of color but we we’re leaning towards grays because of what’s already in the home. Do you have suggestions for 1-2 colors that might work throughout?
Hi Jae, thank you for your note! I actually have an E-design service just for this! I try to give as much complimentary as I can on my website, but if that doesn’t work you might want to think about sending me photos and doing the questionnaire so that I can spend some time with your home! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
~Kylie
I am so glad I found your site this morning! I was about to make some color choice mistakes! I need to select a kitchen color. My kitchen faces the east and a good bit of my morning light is filtered because of a cluster of trees on the NE side of my back yard. The kitchen has a small breakfast seating area with big windows on the east and south walls. The appliances and sink are opposite of the windows in a U shape configuration with the sink placed in the peninsula facing the windows. I already determined that I need a reflective tile backslash to help make the U shaped area brighter (I ultimately need under cabinet lighting). I have white cabinets and nice crown molding detailing so I was initially thinking of going with a darker color to give the room some contrast between the wall, cabinets and moldings but from what I have read, I need to stay above a LRV of 62 which is a lighter color. I am tempted by gray but perhaps that would make the room drab most of the time because of the filtered light.
What are good kitchen colors for this scenario? I am tempted by all of the shades of gray because they are so popular but I wonder if this is a good choice for my house which faces West in the front (Dining room / Living Room / Foyer) and East in the back (Family Room / Kitchen / Laundry). I have been strongly considering the Benjamin Moore 2019 colors and their color of the year, but again, I wonder now that I have found your site. Those colors are kind of muddy.
Too stressed to paint!!
Janet
Hi Janet, thank you for your note! When it comes to personal questions, especially more detailed ones, I do refer to my E-design, which is my main business. I try to give as much complimentary info on my blog and if that doesn’t work it might be time for me to take a closer look! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
~Kylie
Hi! Great article! But! I am hoping to paint my NE facing master in SW inkwell. Or do I stay away from black on the walls? Maybe put it on the ceiling instead? And if another black is ok what do you recommend? Thank you for our time & knowledge! Cannot wait to hear what you have to say!
Hi Rachel! WELL, ou are talking to the right gal! In our last home I painted my office in SW Iron Ore, which is a soft black and LOOOOVED it because it had a LOT of natural light, even if it wasn’t overly warm/sunny (it was south facing but blocked by a hill). In our current home I chose to do a feature wall as I love the darkness, but my north facing master bedroom has looooow light. I partnered up BM Wrought Iron (another soft black with a hit of blue in it) with BM White Dove on the main walls and DAMN it’s pretty! I think that all black would’ve weighed too much for me – and i love dark colours. SO, for me, it’s more about how much light the room gets as to how much black I will consider!
Hi Kylie,
What about aesthetic white in an eastern facing room with afternoon/evening use ? Seems like it may be good because it has some warmth to it? Was thinking white heron for west facing rooms afternoon/evening use . Trying to go for the lighter look across the house, but not pure white all over.
Thanks!
Did you end up using Aesthetic White? That is what we are thinking for our new build with East facing windows in the Great room and kitchen. I’d love to hear how you like it!