North facing rooms can be a challenge when it comes to making the decision on which colour you should be choosing.
More often than not the advice which is shared is to add as much light into the room as possible however, the first question I ask is “what is the room being used for”?
Do you want the room to feel light and airy, or do you want to work with what you have and create a beautifully tranquil space that you can retreat to at the end of the day with a good book and a glass of wine?
Once you’ve decided what the end use of the room is going to be, you can than start thinking about colour themes.
Light and bright:
If you want your room to feel lighter and brighter, you should consider using lighter options with a warm undertone; Little Greene Rolling Fog or China Clay are two of my favourite go to warm neutrals.
Little Greene: Rolling Fog
Go deep and dark:
Yellow and red tones will add warmth to a room or you can choose deep rich earthy tones as we’ve done in our lounge, where we’ve used Little Greene Knightsbridge, which adds a neutral warmth to a living space.
Little Greene: Knightsbridge
Top tip, always test your colours when choosing paint for a North facing room. The colour brightness changes with the level of light available, so will look different to what you see in the shop or on the website. By adding a patch of colour to each wall in the room will allow you to see how the colour changes throughout the day.
Accessorise:
Once you’ve made the all-important decision on the colour you’re going to use, don’t forget to think about how to accessorise the room and maximise the amount of light coming in.
Think about your window coverings, voiles are a good option if privacy is needed, blinds that are pulled up during the day to maximise natural light and still giving privacy at night; as curtains will block out light, maybe consider having them drawn past the recess during the day to bring as much light in as possible.
Mirrors are a great way to maximise light, positioning a mirror opposite a window will amplify natural light, as well as giving the visual feel of more space.
Maximise light with the use of mirrors
If you want to add a cosy warmth to a room look at incorporating lamps, choosing a warm white bulb will contribute to a calm, warm relaxing vibe, compared to a cool white which will make a room feel a lot brighter.
Adding a cosy warmth to a room
Finally, artwork is the perfect way to add colour, especially if you are using a neutral paint colour and want to add an element of brightness to the room.
Go bright and bold with artwork
If you need some support on choosing the right colour combination for your home contact me and let’s see how I can help.