Dancing with Light: How Sunlight Changes Your Paint Colors

Let's talk about the power of sunlight in a room, and how incredibly it affects the colors in a space. Here, I am testing a bedroom that receives noon light from its south-facing dormer window, and gets golden light from another. I am running the test with afternoon sunlight in mid-summer in Southern California, and if your house is in the northern hemisphere, the behavior of light is very similar.

When you want to paint a bedroom receiving this warm, golden light, the most important thing to consider is how the pigment balances the light. If it amplifies the warm wavelengths of the sun, it is like adding oil to a flame! Let me show you what I mean:

To start somewhere safe, I tested an off-white neutral color. I tried to replicate Farrow & Ball Wimborne White with a limewash finish. It is a warm white, but a small amount of gray neutralizes it, making it a calming color for this specific room. As shown below, the room works, and it looks quite beautiful.

What if you want to add more character by introducing wall paint? Paint is one of the easiest, most affordable ways to transform a room. And... since soft/warm pink is one of my favorite colors, for the first test, we will look at how this closely replicated beautiful Scallop from Farrow & Ball with a limewash finish behaves in this golden light.

Looking at the visuals, even though the pigment is dreamy, in this case, the room is pinker than it needs to be. With this golden sunlight, the pink paint just gets warmer and warmer. The warmth looks overwhelming. It is just too pink.

As a counterpoint, I tried Light Blue limewash finish from Farrow & Ball. Some people think blue, being a cooler color, will wash the soul right out of a room and make it feel bleak. But look how beautifully this light blue works with the warm sunlight in this bedroom! The blue balances the light. It absorbs the warmth, reflects the softness, and makes the room look like it is immersed in an ocean haze.

Understanding the balance between pigment and light is one of the pillars to designing a room that feels alive and in harmony with its environment. So it is quite important!

If you liked what you just saw, I have put together the sourcing directory for the furniture here:

Bedroom 

• Birch Lane: Mia Writing Desk
• Birch Lane: Benbrook Nightstand
• Birch Lane: Benbrook Wood Spindle Bed (Queen)
• Magnolia: Carlotta Chair
• Magnolia: Lavinia Turned Leg Stool (Tall)
• Poly & Bark: Ligna Chair
• Four Hands: Toulouse 6 Drawer Dresser
• Pottery Barn: Baylor Pleated Shade Sconce 
• Magnolia: Carolyn Enamel Table Lamp 
  
• Olde Brick Lighting: Penn Gooseneck Sconce 8"