You’ve spent weeks searching for that perfect color. You’ve tried out dozens of color samples and now you finally have a winner. Or so you thought you did. Now that you’ve painted the space that seemingly perfect maroon color, you find that it looks drastically different!
A common mistake is that the color of any object will always look the same. The way color is reflected largely depends on two factors.
- The color of the object: While white absorbs all colors, black absorbs none, yellow absorbs red and green.
- Source of light: Natural sunlight changes throughout the day. This means that a room that has lots of sunlight the color will look different during the day than how it is at night time. On the other hand, artificial lighting alters depending upon the type of light bulb that is used.
Before settling on a color for a room in your home it’s important to consider how lighting will affect the color scheme.
When selecting shades for a room, experts say that you should always consider the role natural light will play. The amount and angle of light that the sun casts on a room will determine how much the color changes. Below are some helpful guidelines for choosing appropriate shades.
- Bold colors are more vibrant in rooms in north-facing rooms while light shades will have a subtle effect. Therefore, you should opt for strong hues in north side locations.
- South-facing rooms receive more light from the sun. You’ll notice that high in the skylight brings the best out of warm colors and lighter hues will have a beautiful sheen.
- East- and west-facing rooms often have a warm yellowy light that causes rooms to look beautiful. Red, yellow and orange tones look best in east and west facing rooms.
What about artificial lighting? Yes, the type of lighting fixture and bulb you use in a room can determine how colors play off in a room.
- Indacascents lights provide a warm yellow light that makes yellow, orange and red tone colors look warm.
- Fluorescents are flat and enhance cool tones such as blue and green.
- Halogens lighting can simulate natural lighting. This type of lighting makes monotonous colors more vivid.
To achieve the color that you desire consider the following.
- Paint drywall samples of the color you interested in seeing how both natural light and artificial light reflect light.
- Be careful when using glossy finishes because paint sheens can reflect light.
