Best white paint color for low natural indoor light
jmdkc
2 years ago
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TMac
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Which white shade to paint attic office...almost no natural light
Comments (8)Depends on what type of white that you want. If you want a crisp white w/ no undertones of any color but is still rich, bright and vibrant w/o being cold I'd highly recommend SW High Reflectance White. The paint guy described it as pure white w/ extra 'oomph'. I recommend viewing the chip on the SW white collection handout. You can see how it stands out amongst all of the other whites. SW HRF is typically used as a base to add other tints to. Since there are no tints this color picks up and reflects back large blocks of other colors quite easily. I hated it in my hallway where it turned pink becuase of my stained glass window. I love it in my office becuase there are no other outside color influences - just blues in the form of flowers and pillows. Here it is in my office. I chose it for this room becuase I wanted the wall color to stand out and hold it's own combined w/ all of the black and white.: Here is SW Pure White in my LR at one point which has a NE exposure and low light. I had a hard time getting the right white becuase of all of the green foliage outside of the window. This was just a very soft white w/ no yellow or creamy tones. Really liked it a lot! Please don't judge me on the sad silk floral whatever in the vases - I was just trying to visually figure something out!:...See MoreWhat colors worked in your NW-facing low-natural-light rooms?
Comments (31)Thank you for your help everybody, I finally found one color that works in both rooms. It is a BM Gentle Cream which is in the off-white collection. I wanted more color but it looks like with the northern exposure combined with the low ceiling and narrow rooms there is just no visual space for anything more intense. Gentle Cream actually lives up to its name, it doesn't look pink or peach in either room and not too yellow either (Papaya was a little too yellow). And yes, the type if bulbs makes a big difference. We have some kind of "true light" in the DR, similar to Reveal and this particular color looks more yellow there. The LR has halogen recessed lights and the color has a slight green tint to it in that room. I also encountered this issue in my kids' bathroom. Picked a countertop which looked beige-cream in the showroom, almost exactly like the color of the tile we selected. I did cheked the sample at home but during the day, the lighting wasn't istalled yet in the bathroom. Once installed, the counter looked almost yellow in the bathroom with the regular flood bulbs. I couldn't believe I was so off with the color! However, after we switched the bulbs to white light it looks a lot closer to what I thought I picked...See MoreColor help - Large room, low natural light, brick fireplace
Comments (9)Cara Lewis-Watts I love how you think! I was just reading a bit more about west/north lighting and thought Sea Salt might work. I had it for a different room and it was so washed out - but that room had a lot of natural light. I had just added Sea Salt to my list when I saw your notification! I would love it that worked - it would soften everything. I tried a few greens but they all seem so "yellow-green" and harsh. I tried BM Soft Fern (which we had some extra from painting a small office upstairs). It didn't look great with the brick. The one right above it on the color chip, I think it's BM Silken Pine was way too light and didn't look good at all by the brick. I love the idea of Sea Salt and I hope it works! Thanks for the suggestion! As for the room, we are only using it as a utility room at the moment and haven't set it up at all! I probably should have explained that better in the post. The black rug was only to cover the black and white floor temp and help our dog who has a bad knee so he didn't slip. They were on super sale at HD and are "utility rugs" - we needed something quick and efficient. Definitely not staying! We just had so many other projects we were spreading ourselves thin (the joys of a fixer upper). There is no tv on that side of the room - Bathroom door, open doorway to a closet/office and the door to the patio. This room has a lot going on - that wall alone has only about 4' of wall before there's another doorway. Oh, and w are def going to do a flush mount for the new fan too! The previous owner said the fan is from 1985 and we want it gone. Again, just triaging the repairs. I don't know if you can see it in the pictures but there's also some hideous track lighting aobve the fireplace. We are going to fix that too maybe a hanging lamp of some kind. Haven't through too far. Just trying to figure out paint before we decorate (backwards I know). The couch is covered in a canvas drop cloth and we will probably not keep it. Thanks for your suggestions. They are so helpful!...See MoreWarm white for low natural light: BM Timid White, Crisp Linen, Navajo
Comments (11)I tried a sample quart of Crisp Linen recently Because it is full spectrum ( no gray) there is a lightness and vividness to it that I really liked and I think would be good for low light situations (which makes most whites look dingy and gray) However depending on lighting, time of day, and what other colors are around and bouncing off of it - it can vary wildly in how yellow (or white, or in some instances a pleasant very light beigey-brown) it looks. Some people like the changeable-ness of full spectrum. Im not sure I do but like it enough to move ahead and try out on a wall or 2 - I think I need to see a wider area to understand what it will do....See MoreTMac
2 years ago
PROBeth H. :
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoTMac
2 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago TMac
2 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago TMac
2 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoYou are right about the North facing rooms being difficult to make look brighter. Usually White Paint in a North room doesn't work. White paint needs light in order to make it look white! That's prob why you have difficulty. plus, it's usually a cooler, bluer light from the north.
AS you can see, your winter white is a gray/green undertone. not the best color to have in a bathroom! Definitely not a warm white!
Vanilla Milkskake is a warmer white. leans on the yellow/green spectrum though
I tried White Dove in my room (west/south) and couldn't stand it. too dingy looking. I painted over it w/Simply White.
White Opulance is a nice white. but it's a red undertone, not a warm yellow. (has a very slight pink hue. This one would actually be better in your bathroom)
You should read those links I posted above. she talks about diff light from diff directions and gives paint advice. TMac
2 years agojmdkc
2 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agowhat about a warmer charcoal tone? would that work? you could try Kendall Charcoal. that's always a favorite of mine.
but if you want something lighter, take a look at some of these
If you want some greens, try more of a soft sage green. (Unless you want a bold cabinet. in that case do a nice Emerald green)
I did this desk in BM Emerald Isle.
iwear5hats
2 years agoiwear5hats
2 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago iwear5hats
2 years ago
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Beth H. :