The Relationship Between Light and Your Paint Color
How many people have looked at a paint swatch in the store, fallen in love with the perfect shade, bought 2 gallons of paint, rushed home to get it up on the walls…annnnd hated the final result? A lot.
Why does this happen so often?
*Lightbulb turns on.* (Literally, people.)
Lighting is key. Tug on that thread and you’ll realize that there’s a lot more to it than you thought. Natural light vs. artificial light? How much of each? LED vs. incandescent vs. halogen vs. fluorescent? Lumens? Kelvin? Light tone and color? Overhead lights or floor lamps?
But don’t get overwhelmed. Here are some pointers for you to consider to help get the ball rolling…
When we’re talking about natural light… The direction your windows are facing will change the timeframe, strength, and shade of the sunlight your room receives. Trust us, light from east facing windows will be very different than light streaming through windows that look towards the south. We’re obviously not suggesting you rip out your existing windows and move them to the opposite wall (especially if on the other side of that wall is a bathroom…that’d be weird.) Just keep it in mind…especially as we get to our next point…
Test. Out. The. Paint. First. In the words of Michael Scott, “Don't ever, for any reason, do anything to anyone, for any reason ever, no matter what, no matter where, or who, or who you are with, or where you are going, or where you've been, ever, for any reason whatsoever...” buy gallons of paint WITHOUT TESTING IT OUT ON YOUR WALL FIRST.
When you’re testing, it can help if you paint an area—not too small—on more than just one wall in the room. This allows you to see the impact of where the lights falls. If possible, try putting up the paint the night before so that you can make your observations when it’s dry. Then, on the following day you have the whole day to monitor how any and all light—natural and/or artificial—affects each wall. You’ll see, for example, how the color on a wall opposite from a window is going to look different [i.e. lighter] than on the windowed wall…or how your favorite lamp will throw the color into a totally different shade in the evening.
And speaking of artificial lights, don’t forget them! You’ll want to monitor them particularly in rooms that don’t get as much natural light or where you spend the majority of your time in the evening. Unlike sunlight, this is a light you have some control over. Not all artificial lights are the same, but most fixtures and lamps have bulbs that are easily interchangeable, so if you love the paint color, but don’t love what your lamp or light fixture does to it, you can usually find a different bulb that pairs harmoniously with your paint. We’re not going to give you a specific rundown where we compare and contrast each kind of lightbulb because, well, we’re not light experts, but as painting experts we know that the relationship between the two is closely intertwined. Warmer lights will do different things to different paint colors than cooler lights. And hey, you may decide that you love the undertones that a warmer lightbulb pulls out of your paint (what looked sharp and bright with lots of sunshine streaming in during the day may soften to warm and inviting at nighttime in the glow of your lamps!)
Remember your furniture. The color of the items in the room matters too, even if it’s all neutral…and you want to make sure the overall design of the room is cohesive.
Ultimately, we can’t tell you what colors you’ll love. But we can tell you, just like most things, designing your home is a process that involves some trial and error and most definitely some paint samples!
And, when in doubt, give us a shout! We’re here to help take care of those details.
