The Best Paint Colors for Rooms With Lots of Natural Light (Complete Guide)
How Lighting Impacts Paint Color
Lighting can have a huge impact on how paint colors look in a room. Whether your space faces north, south, east, or west, the amount and quality of natural light will shift the appearance of your wall color throughout the day. Here’s how to choose the best paint colors for every type of room exposure.
There are many factors to consider while choosing a paint color: design scheme, furniture, and lighting. The direction that your room faces should also be taken into consideration, especially if you have lots of windows that let in beautiful natural light. There are unique colors that work well no matter where your windows are, but it is a smart idea to learn a bit about how and why geography and positioning make a difference.
Whether your room is north facing, eastern facing, southern facing, or western facing, here is Paintzen’s complete guide to choosing a paint color based upon the direction your room faces.
Northern Facing
Eastern Facing
Southern Facing
Western Facing
The Best Paint Colors for North-Facing Rooms
North-facing rooms are cool. Not in that hipster sort of way, but the form of light. The indirect sunlight keeps them feeling chilly, even on bright days. When choosing colors for these spaces, avoid those with gray, blue, green, or lavender undertones, including stark white. In these tones, even a well-decorated room will look dingy and uninviting. So how do you make north-facing rooms appealing? Use warm colors to balance them out. Here are a few of the best paint colors for north-facing rooms that you might consider using.
Northern Rooms with Plenty of Exposure
Just because your room faces north doesn’t mean it can’t get a lot of natural light. North facing rooms with lots of windows can still get plenty of sun exposure that stays relatively consistent throughout the day. For well-lighted northern rooms, choose more neutral shades, like Dover White or Softer Tan.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Dover White for a similar paint color.
Sherwin-Williams Dover White is a soft off-white with creamy undertones. It’s a versatile neutral that brightens up a space while avoiding the sterile look of pure white—perfect for north-facing rooms that might otherwise feel a bit dim.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Softer Tan for a similar paint color.
Softer Tan is a warm tan with golden hues that help reflect light and create a sun-kissed ambiance. In north-facing rooms, it adds a welcoming earthiness that feels balanced and grounded throughout the day.
Northern Rooms with Fewer Windows
However, many northern-facing rooms seem dimly lit in the house, especially if your room only has one window. For these rooms, feel free to choose bolder shades of paint, such as Fired Brick. These make excellent choices for accent walls.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Fired Brick for a similar paint color.
Fired Brick is a bold and earthy red that adds depth and visual interest to a space. It works particularly well in north-facing rooms with minimal windows by bringing in a sense of warmth and drama without making the room feel closed in.
Final Tips for Northern Rooms
Picking colors for north-facing rooms doesn’t have to be tough. Just remember: go warm. Avoid gray, green, or lavender undertones, and your place will be welcoming and warm, no matter the weather. If you’re working with a room that has lots of natural light, soft beige or buttery whites will reflect brightness without feeling sterile. These are some of the best paint colors for rooms with lots of natural light that face north.
If you like what you see here and you’d like help brightening a north-facing room in your own home, call our experienced residential painters today.
How light moves through a house during the day has a significant impact on how your paint color looks and the moods it invokes. This is especially true for bright and sunny rooms first thing in the morning and then gradually become dimmer as the hours pass by. With the right color choices, you can continue to feel motivated, energized, and positive, no matter what time it is.
Best Paint Colors for East Facing Rooms
As daylight passes through a room over time, it changes in color. For east-facing rooms, which get bright, cool morning light, consider clear and sunny colors made to work in both morning bright and evening dim. We’ve listed what we think are the best paint colors for east-facing rooms.
Eastern Rooms with Plenty of Exposure
If your eastern-facing room has lots of windows and gets a fair amount of sunlight, certain paint colors work better than others. Light and neutral colors often do well in sunny eastern rooms.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Rainwashed for a similar paint color.
For example, Rainwashed is a soft blue-green that adds a refreshing clarity to a space. It enhances the cool morning light typical of east-facing rooms, helping maintain an airy and bright atmosphere throughout the day.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray for a similar paint color.
Agreeable Gray is a versatile greige that reads warm or cool depending on the lighting. It works beautifully in rooms with shifting light, keeping the space feeling soft and cohesive from morning to evening.
East-facing rooms can have blue or green undertones, so keep this in mind when choosing colors, mainly neutrals. This transitional kitchen, painted in a light shade of gray, stays crisp no matter the light.
Eastern Rooms with Fewer Windows
If your eastern room only has one window or just a couple of small windows, you will want to provide the right type of balance between bright colors and coordinating accessories. Balanced rooms will be calming and pleasant to spend time no matter how much sunlight comes in the windows.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Shamrock for a similar paint color.
Shamrock is a rich green with cheerful energy, perfect for catching soft morning rays while maintaining a vibrant vibe into the evening.
We recommend starting with violet, green or blue paints because they’re bright and fresh in the morning while still looking pretty in the darker afternoon light. Like these colorful pink pillows, choosing warm accessories will help the room stay balanced, color-wise, all day long.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Friendly Yellow for a similar paint color.
Friendly Yellow is a warm, golden hue that uplifts dimmer corners of east-facing rooms without overpowering them. It adds cheer while maintaining softness in fluctuating light.
Also consider yellow or orange, which are cheery in the morning and balanced in the evening.
Final Tips for Eastern Rooms
Remember, when testing to see how color works in a room, paint a couple of large test patches. Put one near a window and another away from it to visualize how the hue will change over time. These light-enhancing tones are ideal wall colors for bright rooms, especially in spaces with shifting daylight.
Let these color tips steer you in the right direction, and you can paint confidently, knowing your east-facing room will be beautiful from sunrise to sunset. If you like what you see here, use our top-rated residential painting services to get the same look in your home.
Let your room style guide you as you choose paint colors, especially if you have a specific design scheme or are embracing a particular era with your furnishings. With paint, you can either enhance your space’s existing features or completely transform the room into something entirely different. The sky’s the limit with our expert painters by your side!
Sunny Shades for Southern Facing Rooms
Everyone loves a south-facing room. The sunlight washes through the windows, bathing the room in warmth and Vitamin D. But choosing the right paint colors for sunny rooms can be challenging. A paint color that looked just perfect in the middle of the day may look different in the morning or evening.
Paint colors for a south-facing room can be fun. Sunlight reveals the warm undertones of many paint colors, but it can also present a unique challenge. A south-facing room will experience more changes in natural light than other spaces. A paint color that looked just perfect in the middle of the day may look different in the morning or evening.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige for a similar paint color.
It’s essential to look at your colors during different parts of the day. This exposes the color to the full spectrum of the day’s natural light.
Our project managers and color consultants are here to help you choose the best paint for your south-facing room.
Paintzen interior painters want to get the job done quickly and with no hassle!
Southern Rooms with Plenty of Exposure
If your southern facing room has many windows, you may want to avoid bright paint colors; they can seem a bit tacky when the sun hits them. For the same reason, overly warm colors like yellow, orange, and gold-tinted creams can make the room feel too warm.
Paintzen professional painters have had success using light grays with blue undertones. Our color consults believe this color helps balance out that excess warmth without seeming too cold. North Star by Sherwin-Williams is a pale, silvery blue with subtle coolness, ideal for tempering warm light in south-facing rooms. It offers a refreshing feel and creates a calming balance when sunlight streams in.
Shop Sherwin-Williams North Star for a similar paint color.
Pale blues are also quite lovely for cooling down a room, such as with this blue bedroom.
Southern Rooms with Fewer Windows
It’s easier to use bold paint colors in south-facing rooms that don’t have as many windows. The light will automatically be a bit cooler, but Paintzen house painters say there is still enough sunshine that using a truly bold color won’t make the space seem even darker.
The rich, reddish-purple of this beautiful sitting room doesn’t overwhelm the space because there’s enough light to balance it.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Expressive Plum for a similar paint color.
Expressive Plum is a luxurious, reddish-purple hue that adds richness without overwhelming a space. In lower-light south-facing rooms, it brings warmth and drama that feels cozy rather than stark.
Even a moody, purple-gray like the one found in this dining room doesn’t look too dark in a southern facing room.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Sensitive Tint for a similar paint color.
Sensitive Tint is a muted lavender-gray that shifts with the light, adding soft dimension to south-facing rooms. It maintains elegance throughout the day, especially in rooms with limited windows.
Final Tips for Southern Rooms
Southern facing rooms are great places for plants. If you’re a lover of leafy green foliage, keep in mind when choosing a paint color that all those greens will add an additional layer to your color palette. Choosing the best paint color for a room with lots of natural light that faces south may involve cooling tones or complementary neutrals to balance all-day sunshine.
Paintzen professional painters and color consultants are ready to assist you in your project. Our painters have years of experience and know-how, and our color consultants are knowledgeable about popular trends and the intricacies of paint colors.
If you are ready to start transforming your southern facing space, Paintzen is prepared to help. You can contact us or get a free and near-instant quote today. Professional painters can be ready to paint your space in as little as a week.
As you move throughout the house from one room to the next, you can either strive for continuity or give each room its unique character and personality. A fresh coat of paint is a great way to do this without breaking your budget. We can help you with color consultations and sampling to make all your rooms feel more like home.
The Best Paint Colors for West Facing Rooms
In rooms exposed to natural light, the position of the sun will change how colors appear. For example, north-facing rooms can seem gray due to the cool, indirect light, while those with a western exposure can be drab in the morning but have strong yellow overtones in the afternoon. Because these warmer afternoon tones can overwhelm warm paint colors, consider cooler hues like green, pale yellow, and cream. Check out the examples of rooms that use the best paint colors for west-facing rooms!
Opaline is a calming, light green that feels fresh in the morning and helps cool down the stronger yellow tones of western sunlight. It’s perfect for balancing brightness while maintaining serenity.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Opaline for a similar paint color.
Opaline is a calming, light green that feels fresh in the morning and helps cool down the stronger yellow tones of western sunlight. It’s perfect for balancing brightness while maintaining serenity.
Western Rooms with Plenty of Exposure
Western rooms are great for letting in lots of natural light during the warmest part of the day, especially if you have several windows in your space. Our painting experts often recommend light colors in western rooms with plenty of exposure to add character to the room without overwhelming the space.
A light, clear green is a natural solution because it brightens the space in the morning while keeping it cool all afternoon.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Lemon Chiffon for a similar paint color.
Light yellows are also the right choice. They pick up the best of the sun’s rays without setting the room on fire. Lemon Chiffon is a cheerful yellow that picks up the best of the sun’s rays without overwhelming the room. Its lightness adds warmth in a subtle, flattering way.
Western Rooms with Fewer Windows
Not all western rooms have ample windows, though, and you can make this work to your advantage with the right paint color choice.
For rooms in search of drama and intimacy, like dining rooms, consider a beige or red-orange. While this color could be garish in another space, the western sun will make it creamier.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (SW 7008) for a similar paint color.
Finally, choosing a soft luxurious white opens up living rooms and adds space where you need it. Alabaster is a warm, creamy white that feels serene and soft in spaces with less natural light. It’s perfect for creating a welcoming, airy feel in intimate rooms like dining spaces or bedrooms without appearing stark.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Greek Villa for a similar paint color.
Greek Villa is a soft, warm white that adds lightness and space to west-facing rooms. It creates an open, airy feeling while gently reflecting the afternoon sun.
Final Tips for Western Rooms
If you’re faced with western exposure and looking for just the right color to play with the sun’s hot rays, consider one of these four options. Whether you choose a neutral like white or a bold like red-orange, you’ll love how these tones give new life to your west-facing rooms. For the best paint colors for sunny rooms in the afternoon, lean toward cooler, creamy tones that won’t amplify the heat.
Ready to get started? Utilize our experienced residential painters today!
However, it’s important to remember that rooms facing a particular direction are unique and that directionality isn’t the only thing to consider. Rooms facing any direction can get lots of sunshine or hardly any natural light at all. Rather than spending the time and money to install more windows, you can use paint to instantly and easily transform your rooms.
Choosing The Best Paint For Low-Light Areas
Lack of natural light can be a problem in many homes, whether it’s because of your garden or some trees or the lack of windows in your city apartment. Maximizing the light in your space often concerns an understanding of LRV paint. Paintzen interior painters and color consultants can help you choose the right paint color.
Choose Bright, Light-reflective Paints (LRV)
Most paint has a Light Reflective Value. A Light Reflectance Value (LRV) measures the total quantity of light reflected or absorbed by a surface or the percent of light the paint color reflects. A higher LRV means more light bounces off the surface—ideal for dark rooms. Whites and pale tones have high LRVs, while darker colors have lower values and absorb light.
Paintzen’s professional house painters and color consultants will help you decide which color and its LRV is right for your space and for the amount of light you want.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Inviting Ivory for a similar paint color.
Inviting Ivory has a high Light Reflective Value (LRV), meaning it bounces light around a room with ease. This soft neutral keeps low-light areas feeling open and welcoming.
If you’re looking to make your space feel sunnier, consider working with Paintzen’s interior painting service and try a soft yellow to mimic warm daylight. To brighten a dark space, our color consultants usually recommend a paler yellow.
Shop Sherwin-Williams Blue Mosque for a similar paint color.
Blue Mosque is a bold, teal-leaning blue that adds energy and richness to dark spaces. It’s perfect for rooms where you want vibrant contrast and a cozy, dramatic look.
Embrace Color to Add Energy
Bold colors can also brighten a room if you’re going for an energetic, dramatic look. Rich, warm colors can absorb shadows in dark places and help them seem cozier. If you like how this deep teal kitchen looks, our Paintzen house painters would be happy to help you achieve the same look!
While whites and neutrals work well, you don’t have to avoid rich hues. Bold colors like navy, teal, and deep green can add coziness and mood to low-light areas. They can also absorb shadow in a way that feels intentional and stylish rather than gloomy.
Pay Attention to Finish
Our professional interior painters can also make recommendations on what kind of finish should be used in your space, as some finishes absorb more light, and others will reflect too much light and can draw attention to dings in the wall.
Semi-gloss and satin finishes bounce light more than flat or matte ones. Our expert painters can recommend a finish that enhances your room without showing wall imperfections.
Let the Professionals Help!
No matter what direction your room faces or how much natural light it gets, Paintzen is your go-to source for professional painting made easy. Our knowledgeable and talented local painters are experts in the types and colors of paint that work best in every space, and we can’t wait to show you what a fresh coat of paint can do.
We hope you’ve found this paint color guide helpful and are here to offer even more suggestions and tips for your next painting project. With Paintzen, you can get a remote quote today and then schedule your project later, whenever it works best around your busy lifestyle. Visit our website for your free quote, or call us today at 866-343-9981!
FAQs About Paint Colors for Rooms with Lots of Natural Light
What are the best paint colors for rooms with lots of natural light?
Soft neutrals, warm whites, and gentle pastels tend to work best in rooms with lots of sunlight. These colors reflect natural light beautifully without becoming overwhelming. Consider shades like Sherwin-Williams Dover White or Agreeable Gray to enhance brightness and maintain balance throughout the day.
What color reflects the most light in a room?
Colors with high Light Reflective Values (LRVs) reflect the most light. White and pale neutral tones typically have the highest LRVs. If you’re looking to maximize brightness, consider colors like Sherwin-Williams Extra White or Alabaster, which bounce light effectively and make rooms feel more spacious.
Can dark paint work in rooms with natural light?
Yes, dark paint colors can work in well-lit spaces, especially when you want to create contrast or drama. Natural light prevents deep hues like navy or charcoal from feeling too heavy. Just be sure to balance bold colors with lighter furnishings or trim for visual harmony.
What’s the best paint color for a room that gets sun all day?
If your room receives sunlight all day, consider cooler paint colors like pale blues or grays with blue undertones. These shades help neutralize the warmth of the sun and keep the room from feeling too hot. Look at options like Sherwin-Williams Sleepy Blue or North Star.
How do I test paint colors in natural light?
Apply large swatches of your chosen paint to different areas of the room—some near windows, others in shadows. Observe the color at different times of day to see how it changes with the light.
Get a Free Quote for Your Project Today!
Let our Paintzen pros help you find the perfect color and finish for every room. Whether you want to brighten up your space or bring in softness and depth, we’re here to make painting feel effortless.
