Help! Need to pick paint colors for north facing bedrooms.

5 years ago

Our master bedroom, the kids’ bathroom and 2 other bedrooms are all north facing, with one window north facing window each. The master has 2 windows, one north facing and one west facing. It currently painted a dull beige, and is rather depressing. I love pops of color.

Haven’t figured out my color palette for the master, but I love grays, blues and purples. Would love to do a rustic style theme here. Any thoughts?

For my sons room, we are getting a sapele bunk bed and he has a navy comforter. Any suggestion on paint color?

And I’d love to do hot pink accents in my daughters room. Was thinking of BJ white water (2120-60), but am worried it might be too cold.

We have hardwood floors throughout. Special walnut stain.

Help!

Featured Answer

nosoccermom

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I have SW Creamy in a north facing bedroom with lots of windows.

Also was determined to use Healign Aloe or Quiet Moments in another North facing room, but I ended up with BM Windham Cream. Anything blue/gray was just really depressing.

Also, check out www.KylieMinteriors.com for great advice.

https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/ask-kylie-can-i-paint-my-north-facing-room-white-or-off-white/

https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-best-most-popular-benjamin-moore-paint-colours-north-facing-northern-exposure-rooms/

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Comments (12)

PRO
Anglophilia
5 years ago
I would not do grays blues of purples for a north-facing room - too cold.
Olga & Adam B
5 years ago
we painted a north facing guest room in Sherwin Williams Rainwashed. it looks great.
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Shelly Patel
Original Author
5 years ago
I’m thinking about BM beach glass or BM quiet moments for our guest room. That’s similar to SW Rain Washed, no?
alex9179
5 years ago
It depends on your climate. We live in a really hot/humid area and I painted our north facing living room with BM Ozark Shadows, which is a lavender gray, and loved it. But I had warm colored textiles and woods. There's a balance to strike.
Shelly Patel
Original Author
5 years ago
Our bedding for this room is ivory, sage and orange — mostly sage with orange accents against an ivory backdrop, if that makes sense. The bed itself is almost black and the floors are special walnut. Was hoping to play up sage on the wall, with orange accents elsewhere ... perhaps. Just trying to find the right “sage” ... but the room doesn’t get great light. The LRV on BM beach glass is 50. Was thinking of BM quiet moments, but that one looks a bit dull.
Olga & Adam B
5 years ago
I think BM quiet moments is a similar tone but much paler than sweat rainwashed and would not be strong enough of color for a north facing room. we were looking for something that would complement bm revere pewter and sw rainwashed did, perfectly.
loobab
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Children, especially girls change like the wind.

Unless you really love to paint and repaint frequently, I wouldn't paint the room pink.

I would do a very neutral color and then go with her favorite color for now with accessories like throw pillows and other decor items that can be inexpensively switched out.

Pink today, purple in a few years, then orange, and in a few years after that, it will be Black and Goth and bizarre colored hair and tattoos and piercing you don't want to know where!
Shelly Patel
Original Author
5 years ago
For my daughter’s room (which faces north east) we plan on painting it BM slip.

The room across the hall (facing south west, I suppose), I wanted to do in BM Beach Glass. I painted a sample board. It’s a beautiful color, just worried it will be too dark in this room. Am also thinking about BM Silken Pine or BM Healing Aloe.

The room next to my daughter’s room (further north than east) will be my son’s room. Sapele bunk bed, navy sheets. Am thinking BM edgecomb gray (LRV 63) or gray owl (LRV 67), though I’ve read that gray owl can be a minty green in certain lighting. The problem is little lighting as there is only one window.

The hallway will be BM Wickham Gray. This is the one color that will stay as is because it works with the great room and the main foyer.

Any thoughts / suggestions?
Shelly Patel
Original Author
5 years ago
Olga & Adam B - how do you know if a color will be strong enough in a north room? It seems light colors get washed out, so it’s better to go with “saturated” colors. How do we define saturated w/r/t a north room?
flowerful
5 years ago
Shelly, look for 'pure' colors, no grey undertone: Looking at a full color chip display in a store (or online) they'll be the section of colors that stand out the most; The others will seem subdued by comparison.

Also, make sure you supplement lighting. I've a north facing kitchen, for example, and put in LED lighting incl. under cabinnet lights. OMG what a difference!
Shelly Patel
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks everyone!!! This is all very helpful. No soccer - I’ve decided to change all my trim from white dove to simply white. That should really make the navy and charcoal colors pop!

Ok - next question. Two story foyer with east facing windows and walnut colored stairs, what color? Given that the foyer is visible from the FR (Stonington) and LR (Smoke embers) - should I go soft gray like pure white ? Classic gray? Titanium?

Or more white like silver satin?