You said nothing about a window? is there one? if possible position dresser with mirror across from window to bounce more light back into the room. I would probably paint the wardrobe white or a light color, that is perhaps in your spread or drapes, but that is a personal decision.

"the room is white but does not appear white because of the amount of light"

A dim north room will always be a dim north room. It is what it is. It's very insightful for you to realize that the white doesn't look white because of the amount of light. That's exactly correct, light color needs light in order to be seen and that's a big concept that escapes many.

Any hue will work with any source of geographic direction of natural light source. All you have to do is nail the nuance. Just because you have a north room you are not limited to just one half of the typical color wheel. Nuance is how light/dark the color is + how muted or dulled the color appears.

With a north room that you want to brighten and *lift* the atmosphere, you need to respect it for what it is but at the same time *manage* it into something that you want to live with.

You didn't mention painting the room, I'm just assuming that painting is an option. You could feasibly just pick a hue that you want. Pick a color and then find the right one. The color with the right pitch of nuance to suit your tolerances and to work with the inherent natural light. Supplementing with artificial light is probably necessary as well. Do that first, then tackle paint color if a repaint is in the plan.

Whites, grays, some taupes and tans don't have enough of an edge in order for them to have abundant or manageable nuance because by their very nature they are "neutrals". That's not a rule. That's an average. In most cases the best solution, the best method to change the atmosphere of a dim north room is color. Clearer color, complex color usually works best and you have a range of value to choose from from light to very dark.

how about some lamps? uplights in the corner behind a piece of furniture or plant?

I have the same problem in my NW facing BR. We have an awning over the west window, and on the north side are some tree like Crepe Myrtles that completely shades the room.

The only thing I can think of is a pastel wall color, mine's rose, and to put a very colorful and bold patterned quilt on, with bold colored accessories.

I did lay a light colored hallway runner alongside the bed which brightened the room somewhat.

Not sure what I am missing here.
I get up,get dressed and whatever....and don't spend time in my bedroom again until it's dark. I may read for a while,watch TV...but almost all of the time spent in the bedroom is spent withe with my eyes closed or the lamps lit.
Does it look dark when the sun's down? In which case you need more lamps...or brighter bulbs.
Linda C

I agree with more lights. I replaced my light/ceiling fan with a chandelier and the difference was unbelieveable! Such light! I also had been using a light print on the bed - switched to one that was entirely off-white, and that visually made a big difference, too. Don't know what kind of curtains you have, but if you can go with shears, that might help also.
The suggestion of using mirrors to reflect light is a good one, and maybe instead of white walls, change to a very light yellow with a high gloss white ceiling.

Plain painted walls are so dull and lifeless. Add some fresh art to the walls (err on the side of too large rather than too small).

You might want to try non-yellow bulbs so your whites will read cleaner. More lighting too!

Also, don't think I am crazy for this, but consider painting your ceiling a pale blue. The right color (sw atmospheric is awesome) can really lift the lid. That color feels perky and bright on a ceiling.

:O)

One other thing you may want to think about. Try to get accessories that reflect light - metals, glass, ceramics. Even glass on your artwork will reflect light and will help you feel like there is more light in the room than accessories that absorb the light.

Fabulous post by Funcolors --
And IMO, she's absolutely right. You will never get a 'bright and sunny' vibe in that room -- so don't get into a fight you can't win! Try to find beautiful lower light vibe in your mind -- something candlelit and romantic, perhaps cool and soothing, or it's reverse -- warm and cozy, maybe masculine and clubby. But a vibe that doesn't need sunshine to make it work. You can achieve beautiful results with ambient and accent lighting, so I'd plan getting your light that way.

I'd start by pulling in a few lamps from other areas of the house. Don't worry about matching them yet -- Just see what happens when you add more light here, and some light there. Get yourself enough light to read in bed (if you like doing that), and some nice romantic mood lighting. Aim for well-placed 'pools of light' rather than all-over even lighting.

Then rummage through your closet to find linens and items of clothing in predominantly solid colors. Hang them up in your bedroom for a few days and watch what happens to the colors at different times of the day (morning and evening being most important, since that's when you're in the bedroom). You'll see what types of colors fade off into nothingness, and which hold up well.

See if you can find inspiration there...

It is interesting the different perspectives that we all have re: the feeling we wish to have for a room.

Still since it is a master I wonder if what you are really missing is a sense of "warmth" to the room vs the natural light. The white in a north facing dark room would be pretty dismal and not feel warm at all.

I think with proper lighting and color you can create the "mood" you want with any color that speaks to you.

Every single person who sees my mstr bedroom asks how I came up with the color after saying they love it but are certain they would never choose it. DH was sure he wouldn't like it but loves it too. I agree that on the chip it is questionable but in the room it creates a beautiful tranquil feeling that is warm and light at the same time. It mixes beautifully with silver tones and that adds a lot more light to the room - silver plated drapery rods, white murano glass pendants with silver leafing beside the bed over simple mirrored night stands - all help create the mood. It is an east facing room with full sliding doors that are covered with heavy silk - also light reflecting - drapes to allow sleep past 5:30 in the summer months! Light is not really an issue but as someone above mentioned we are in the room mostly at night and I don't want to feel like I am in a dark cave reading in bed at night.

Anyway, I would recommend looking through inspiration photos of room here and on HGTV - figure out which ones create the mood you want for your room - avoiding any that seem require full natural light - and incorporate the colors into your room.

Think about everything in the room and how it contributes to the feeling - bedding can make a huge difference. So many of the new designs incorporate silks and other reflective materials that can add to the warmth and light in the room.

Have you looked in our Gallery at the Bedrooms thread, and if you're so inclined at the Cottage Decor thread? There are hundreds of inspirational pictures in there. Just close this thread and see a link top-ish right and at the bottom of the page. Once you get over there you can use the search feature if you want.