My kitchen windows face south and east, with no window coverings and a clear view, no trees or other obstructions, because our house is on a hill and raised up from the street. I love all the natural light and whatever heat it brings me. I'm on the coast of Washington state so our weather is probably more similar to your weather in Nor-Cal than some of the other posters. It never gets hot enough here where the heat from the sun overheats the kitchen. Oh, maybe it does 5-8 days a year so it's no big deal. We do have 3-foot eaves so maybe that makes a difference in how the light hits? Because the sun is higher in the summer, we don't get as much direct light into the kitchen during that time of year. And, like I said, the eaves probably are part of the reason for that. During the winter, the sun is lower so we do get more direct sun. It came in hot enough one day to make some candles fold over on themselves and I found them laying flat on the table. But I love that heat. There are winter days, when the sun is out, that we don't even have to turn on the heat in our house until evening. But, then again, where we live those types of sunny days in the winter are rare. Lots of overcast, gray skies here.

Another vote for viewing the paint color in your home with your light. Also, how much wall space do you have in the kitchen? Usually kitchens don't have much plain wall to add color, so you might want to add a bright color to offset all those neutrals/grays. North-facing rooms are light-challenged, and paint color can do only so much. Make sure you have enough artificial light--recessed, under-cabinet, sconces, pendants, etc.

First make sure all your lighting is the same I like LED4000K but you can do 3500K then choose wall color understanding that everything in the space affects wall color so post pics of the spaces after you get the lighting done.

Hi - do yourself a huge favour. Forget ‘undertones’. Forget ‘only certain colours work for specific points of the compass.’ You can have colours from *EVERY* Hue Family for every point of the compass. The secret? Finding the best partnership of Value (lightness) + Chroma (degree of colour) to fit with the quality of light you have available. More colourful colours do better in lower light settings, than more neutral colours. Their extra kick of Chroma is what helps bust through any tendency to gloom. So more colourful greens are what you are after. Also more dimly lit spaces do well with light + colourful, dark + colourful or just dark colours. Leave the mid Value near neutrals for more moderately lit spaces. You can compare the Value + Chroma of greens for free, via The Land of Color, Color DNA Table. Some examples for you to consider? F&B Bancha. BM Mountain Lane PPG Mountain Forest But they still need viewing in situ. Paint chips or painted samples. Your northern light quality is specific and likely different to someone elses. So it’s always worth testing/viewing your shortlist. You can find greens from different Hue Families too. (again see the Color DNA Table) Yellow Green-Yellow Green Blue-Green Which Family of greens are you most drawn to? Which work better with your fixed finishes? Colours from this zone have the capacity to shift and appear more blueish in certain imbalanced lighting. They aren’t blue & don’t have blue ‘undertones.’ If they shift in your room and appear that way, try greens from a different Hue Family. This colour shift occurs more in muted greens and you after something more colourful. But at least you know what to look out for when testing. #shifthappens #green #north #south #east #west