Lighting and its Impact on the Colors of a Room

Lighting and Its Impact on the Colors of a Room

When you choose paint colors for the rooms in your house, the lighting can play a role in how they appear. The color you selected may look different, and it can change from day to night. Continue reading to learn about lighting and its impact on the colors of a room.

How Do People See Color?

The way that people see color is based on a couple of different things. First of all, objects such as a wall absorb light, and the color depends on the light the wall absorbs. A white wall will absorb no color, while black walls will absorb all colors. A blue wall will absorb red light and it is different for different colors.

There are two types of light: natural light comes from the sun while artificial light comes from light bulbs. Natural light changes over the day while artificial light changes when you change the type of light bulb. Today, you can choose the type of light from a smart bulb.

How Does Natural Light Affect Colors?

The direction that a room faces has an impact on the type of light and how it affects the color of the walls in the room. If you have a room that faces north, the light is cooler and has a blue tint. In these rooms, a light paint color will appear to be more subdued while bold colors show up well and feel warmer.

If you have a room that faces south, the light is more intense. Dark colors will be brightened up by the sun, and light colors can appear washed out by the sunlight. The orange, red, and pink colors in the sky late in the day have an impact on west-facing rooms, while natural light adds a greenish tint to east-facing rooms.

How Does Artificial Light Affect Colors?

The type of light bulb that you use will also have an effect on the way the paint appears. Incandescent lights are warm with a yellowish glow and they bring yellows, oranges, and reds to life. They will mute out green or blue walls. If you use fluorescent lights, it will enhance your blue or green walls.

Halogen lights are similar to natural light and they will react with color similarly to how the sunlight does. LED lights come in different shades and you can actually set them to enhance any colors in your home.

Final Words

The paint finish, which could be flat, glossy, semi-gloss, or eggshell, also plays a role in how the light affects the color. Glossy finishes will reflect the light while flat paint will absorb it. When you are deciding on colors for your rooms, you should paint a test strip in the morning, and check it throughout the day.

It will help you see how the color will look at different times of the day. Make sure to check it in the morning, the middle of the day, at sunset, and under artificial light in the evening.

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