How to choose the right color based on the specific light of your room

The effect of light on color is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing paints for your future interior design project – and precisely because the shades change in different lighting conditions.

In this article the specialists Murali Store They prepared some suggestions to choose the right paints, in the right colors, depending on the degree and type of light in your room, but also based on the direction of the orientation of the camera, in order to enjoy the best visual and chromatic experience.

Determine how long you spend in that space

Often, we fall into the trap of the planning of our chromatic schemes only in conditions of natural light and we do not consider how those colors will appear in artificial light.

So, to begin with, think how long you will spend in that room and discover the main source of light in those moments and periods of time.

Identifies the source of natural light

Natural light contains both hot and cold tones, combined in a perfect balance, but it can vary according to the hour of the day, the place where you live and the direction where the camera is oriented.

If the room is oriented to the north, the light is indirect and tends to be «cold», sometimes even with gray colors. If the room is addressed to the south, the light will be warmer and will be able to obtain an intense character in the middle of the day.

The East-East rooms enjoy a yellow and intense light, while the rooms addressed to the west enjoy a diffused light at the end of the afternoon.

Balances artificial light

Incandescent bulbs, old models, emit a light with hot tones, similar to natural light. As the technology has evolved, every type of light source, whether LED, fluorescent or halogen bulbs, emits a different color and less balanced from a tonal point of view. The use of a variety of types of bulbs in a space is an excellent way to create a more balanced lighting scheme, which, in turn, will guarantee a stronger color.

Consider the glow

The term «shine» refers to what the bright or opaque paint is chosen Aura AND Regal Select From Benjamin Moore, they are the right choices, precisely because these two ranges of paint offer different levels of brilliance and successfully work on different types of surfaces.

The most reflective level of shine, such as egg shell paint paints, are particularly suitable for indirect and indirect light rooms, while a more flat shine works in direct light rooms.

Color test before application

Our recommendation is to test the color before applying it on large surfaces.

After selecting one or two final colors, paint some squares of color on all the different walls of your room and evaluates how the shadow of paint appears in darker and brighter areas. We advise you to paint an area of ​​at least 50 cm2, to eliminate the influence of the current color of the wall on your perception on the new color.

So leave those spots of color for a few days, to welcome you and observe if you meet your expectations, in all the lighting conditions in that room.

Rooms with northern exposure

When the lighting level is low, instinctively we seek the lightest color we can find. But the light in the north rooms is cold and with blue tones, which makes the shades of gray, blue or lavender more sterne. To counterbalance this opt for more saturated colors, like a warm shade of yellow or red.

To counterbalance it, choose more saturated colors, with a warm shade of yellow or red. For example the shadow Sunny Soleil AF-330 OR Isolated beach 899 From Benjamin Moore will work wonderfully! If you want to choose a white shade, we recommend you Cotton Perini OC-122 – a clean and bright white with hot shades of yellow and if you want to obtain an optimistic and energy atmosphere, making, at the same time, a declaration of modernity and drama, opt for the shadow RAVISHING RED 2008-10.

Southern exposure rooms

In the southern rooms, direct light is hot and sometimes intense. Therefore, any color is suitable in this environment. However, sometimes, the rooms to the south can benefit from colder and gray tones to create a more widespread and calming sensation.

A popular shade like Thunder AF-685From Benjamin Moore, it will seem fresh during the day and full in the evening. Wythe Blue HC-143 -I perfectly extinct blue is another popular choice and in the image you can see its effects on the room.

Rooms with oriental exposure

The rooms aimed at east abound with light and hot light in the morning, but turns into cold and blue light until late afternoon. So, think at the time of the day you spend more time in that room and choose the colors so that they do not seem to light the day.

Hot pink and yellow like Pink Bliss 2093-70 OR Ylang Ylang AF-305 (also used in the attached image) by Benjamin Moore, they are perfect for improving light, while blue and green, such as Bird’s egg 2051-60Vor temperature.

Rooms with western exposure

These rooms benefit from sunlight since the end of the afternoon, which means that green and cream shades work very well. Try to combine HC-117 by Hancock Green Cu Easter Lily 2150-70And if you are looking for the ideal gray for a West -Facing room, opt for OC-23 Classic Gray (Paint also applied in the interior design project in the next image) or Balboa Mist 1549From Benjamin Moore, shades fairly hot to counteract the blue tone of evening light.

Now that you have all this information, everything you need to do is buy your favorite paints, in your favorite shades, from Benjamin Moore and put at work!

And if you need further advice and advice from specialists, do not hesitate to contact us, because our professional team is available to help you color your interior design project.