Are you trying to decide what color to paint your house? Whether your house is looking a little worn out or you just want a change, picking an exterior or interior paint color is a big decision. It all has to do with how we see color. If you’re in a dilemma about how to paint the house, the types of light we’re experiencing at the time can make a huge difference in how the color looks in a room. For example, if you’re looking at a shirt under incandescent lighting, it might appear black. But if you look at the same shirt in natural daylight, it looks navy blue. This effect is known as metamerism and it’s the same thing that can make your paint color seem different once it’s actually on the walls.
How Lighting Affects Painting a House
As a result of this, it’s necessary to consider the type of lighting that exists in the area you’re painting. A dark hallway that does not have a lot of natural light will need a color that works well in artificial lighting, while a sun-soaked room with lots of windows will work best with a shade that reflects natural lighting. The perfect way to see how the light works in your space is to do a few test spots on the walls. Choose different walls so you can see how the color looks at various times during the day. After that, you can adjust the color with a few shades darker or lighter to get the exact look you’re after.
Natural Lighting
The location of the room in your house it’s also very important and also makes a big difference in how much light you get each day. You might get a lot of morning light in a room, but if you spend most of your time there in the evening, you’ll want a color that makes the space seem brighter without relying on natural light.
North Facing Rooms
Every north facing room can be tough to work as a result they tend to be on the darker side. Light from the north is cooler and tends to make colors look duller. Anything with gray, blue, green, or lavender undertones is going to look darker. As a company with long experience, JXF Painting Service recommends the use of colors with warmer undertones, to avoid your space looking dark and dingy. This is especially key if you’re going with white— we ensure to go with a creamy, warm white. Dark colors also work well in north-facing rooms and can make space feel bigger.
South Facing Rooms
Southern facing rooms are probably the easiest spaces to work with. They are filled with light for most of the day, so most colors will look great in these spaces. To take advantage of the light, we use lighter tones that amplify it. Dark colors work well in these spaces too, but we try to may need to adjust the shade accordingly.
West Facing Rooms
Rooms that face west get a few different types of light throughout the day. They don’t get much morning light, so they tend to be a bit gray at this time of day. As the light shifts, the room will warm up and make bright colors seem brighter. We take care of want to consider when you spend the most time in the room and recommend you to choose the color accordingly to balance the gray morning light or the warm afternoon/evening light.
East Facing Rooms
East-facing rooms are the opposite of west-facing rooms. They get that gorgeous glow of morning light and get progressively darker and more gray throughout the day. So it’s the same consideration—when do you spend the most time in the room? Do you want to highlight the warm morning light, or do you need to warm it up in the afternoon and evening? Cool colors will look their best in the morning, while you’ll want something with warmer undertones for later in the day.
Artificial Lighting
Artificial light comes into play during those hours when your room isn’t getting much natural light. If you’re spending a ton of time in this space in the evenings or very early mornings when it’s still dark out, you can expect to rely on artificial light and will want to choose a paint color that works best for the type of light in that room. However, not all artificial light is the same, so JXF Painting Service helps you to think about what kind of bulbs you have to use in each room.
Fluorescent Lighting
Fluorescent bulbs give off an unmistakable blue-tinted light. This works well with cooler colors like blue and green. We know where to find some fluorescents that are designed to give off warmer lights, but they aren’t quite as warm as incandescents. This type of lighting tends to dull warmer colors, so you may need to go a bit brighter to balance it out.
Halogen Lighting
Halogen lights are the closest to natural light. They give off a white light, which means they don’t change the appearance of colors as much as other types of light. Halogen works well with both warm and cool colors. As a painting company, we tell you that, when you decide to paint a house it is a good idea to test out your colors first with halogen though since it can sometimes cool down colors.
Incandescent Lighting
Incandescent bulbs give off a warmer light with yellow or amber undertones. This can enhance warmer colors like red, orange, or yellow and make them seem brighter. It does the opposite with cool colors like blue and green, making them appear duller and muted. One thing to consider is that incandescent bulbs are being phased out in many places, so you may not be able to get that same level of warm light when it comes time to replace your bulbs.
In addition, to how to paint a house, we have some color recommendations for baby rooms: NURSERY COLORS
As you start getting ready for your new arrival, you’ll want to think about what kind of nursery you want to create. Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Let’s take a look at some of the things you should consider when choosing your colors.
How Nursery Colours Can Affect Your Baby
Babies have a whole lot going on! They’re constantly growing and developing, so you want to make sure you keep this in mind. You want something that is both soothing and stimulating. Brights like red, orange, or yellow should be used sparingly. They’re great colors, as they bring some energy and liveliness to a room, but can be very jarring to a baby if used as the main wall color.
Baby Girl Colours
Pink is the most common color for baby girls. In its softer forms, it can be quite soothing to babies. It’s considered a warm color and makes spaces very homey and pretty.
Baby Boy Colours
Blue is the classic baby boy hue. It has the soothing vibes of nature, which makes it ideal for use in a nursery. However, the shade makes a big difference. Softer blues are best for overall wall colors, as darker tones mostly are too heavy.
Neutral Baby Colours
If you don’t want to stick to a color that is strongly masculine or feminine, you have plenty of options. Green is great for use in a learning environment, which makes it ideal for a nursery. It’s energetic and stimulating, but also very calming. Yellow is also a great neutral choice. Its bright and sunny feeling brings a certain warmth to a room and it’s also said to help with concentration. Just make sure you stick to softer yellows if you’re going to paint all the walls yellow—a yellow that is too bright might agitate an infant.
Do not hesitate to contact us! JXF Painting Service is the best solution to paint your house. With a long experience and qualified staff, we are your best choice.