COLOUR FOR A NORTH-FACING ROOM

THE COLOUR COMPASS: PART I

GO NORTH

A north-facing room in Britain can feel unyielding. It isn’t Italy, nor is it Florida. The light is cooler, flatter, without the golden warmth that softens surfaces in southern exposures. It is a familiar dilemma for anyone decorating such a space: how to temper the chill without fighting it. Let's explore colours for a north-facing room.

It was always thus   The Victorians and Edwardians were acutely aware of light. Architectural handbooks, decorative treatises, and household guides often noted how orientation and illumination altered the effect of colour and surface. The Scottish architect Robert Kerr, for example, talked at length about the aspect of principal rooms, emphasising that their orientation should be chosen according to their use: morning rooms to the east or south-east, dining rooms to the west, and so on. 

Northern facing rooms can carry much warmth: reds, russets, deep creams, or rich greens: colours with enough body to withstand the thin light. By contrast, south-facing rooms can take cooler shades, their light generous enough to enliven even pale blue or clean white. The principle behind the advice is plain. Colour should be chosen in relationship to the light that strikes it, not in isolation on a chart. 

The grain of wood, the sheen of wallpaper, the texture of fabric: all shift with the day’s rotation. To ignore orientation is to risk a room that feels chilly even when lit, or a dining room that dulls despite its gilt. The advice may sound prosaic, yet it has shaped interiors for generations, and the advice holds today. 

Go warm, go dark A north-facing room benefits from colours that supply their own warmth rather than relying on daylight to provide it. Ochres, siennas, deep creams, brick reds and earthy greens without too much blue undertone perform steadily in cool light. They keep their character even when the sun never touches the wall. Modern paint chemistry allows subtle calibrations that nineteenth century decorators lacked. Muted terracottas, yellowish greens or pinks can soften a cold exposure without overwhelming the architecture. What matters is undertone. A blue-based colour in a north parlour will collapse into lifelessness and read grey. A red-based hue will keep its friendliness. The difference is small in the tin, large on the wall. 

Test, don't guess Begin with correct sampling. Paint large boards rather than small swatches, two coats at least, and move them around over several days. Look at them in morning, midday and evening light. The light in a northern room can shift from steely to pearly. What reads balanced at lunchtime may sink to ash by late afternoon. Avoid judging a sample painted directly onto a brilliant white wall. The contrast misleads the eye. Squint until you only see the colour, not the surrounding wall. Only then will you see the true colour. Set samples beside skirting and floor so you see the colour in its proper company.  

Treat other surfaces as part of the decision. Floors often dominate a north-facing room because the light strikes low. Warm timber, sisal and old stone with a yellow cast contribute to the whole and may allow you to use a quieter wall colour. The cold grey carpets so popular in the last few decades will fight you so are best avoided. A dead white on the ceiling often takes on a bluish cast in a north room, further chilling the walls. A softened white or a pale stone will sit down and help stop the chill. Trim colour matters more than people think, by the very contrast between wall and trim. A stark gloss can make a room feel brittle, as if framed by a shiny line. A satin or eggshell on trims usually reads calmer and keeps the glare down. Nowadays, there are flat paints suitable for woodwork which should be considered for these rooms since they can often benefit from keeping the contrasts down. Consider painting trim and ceiling the same colour as the walls.  

Texture earns its keep in these rooms. Matt paint absorbs light and creates depth where gloss would glare. Wallpapers with body rather than shine, linens with a bit of nap, velvets that catch and darken, oak with visible grain: all of these make a cold room feel softer. You are not engaging in a fight for brightness so much as richness. A surface that drinks the light can be more comforting than one that tosses it back. Do not forget the simple tests by holding your chosen paint against the objects that will live in the room. There might be items already in situ that will not be moved. Take them into account. 

Fabrics and patterns should be chosen with the light in mind. The detail of small prints disappear at a distance and will read as solid colour. If that is what you are after, make sure the colour is warm. Bolder, larger motifs in warm palettes keep their presence and hold their own against the light. If you prefer plain walls, bring warmth through textiles and pictures rather than trying to bully the plaster into cheerfulness. A north-facing room rewards layered colour in lampshades, cushions and throws because artificial light will favour those islands in the evening. 

Think of lightbulbs as part of your arsenal. Temperature matters. Lamps in the 2500 -2700 K* range sit comfortably with warm paints. You can go towards 2200 K if you are after the temperature of candles. Cold high Kelvin bulbs will, however, undo the work on your walls. The English writer and design reformer Charles Eastlake remarked in 1868 that ‘a tint agreeable by daylight may become harsh and discordant when seen by lamp or candle,’ and the point holds still: choose shades that soften rather than flare. A room that reads composed by day can feel unsettled under the wrong lamp light at night. Dimmers have value because a north-facing room benefits from the ability to tune down to the evening light and the calmer hours. 

In a cold room heavy curtains are not a vice, particularly not in a chilly climate. Lined and interlined drapes add weight and improve the way wall colour sits in the room by reducing glare, keeping heat in and the chill out. Where you need light, use slubby sheer linens or cottons that warm the daylight rather than bleach it. Metals can also turn the temperature. Brass and bronze lead one way, chrome and new silver another. In a northern room the warmer metals generally pull their weight. 

There is a temptation to reach for white as a general cure-all. It rarely is. In north-facing rooms most whites go grey and make the shadow feel dirty and neglected rather than characterful. If you want a pale room, choose stone, putty, cream and mushroom shades with warmth in the base. Be not afraid to add depth in the colour. Mid-tones read better than light tones. If you want colour, do not be timid. Darker colours can make a north room feel more deliberate, bold and courageous. Deep green, mustard, oxblood, bitter chocolate, tobacco and the red family all read as purposeful and strong, and will make an impact. They turn the inevitable low light into atmosphere. 

Accept your fate The advice is blunt: avoid cold colours in cold rooms. Where a Victorian decorator might have chosen crimson flock or bottle green, we can arrive at warmth through earth tones and muted pigments, if we wish for less heavy hues. We have more leverage nowadays. The lesson is to lean into what the room offers. If the architecture is pretty, keep the envelope quiet and warm. If the room is meanly proportioned, consider a deeper colour so the corners dissolve. A small north-facing room painted dark can feel larger because the corners slip away and the edges stop making their presence felt.  Do not be afraid of including trim in the darkness to reduce contrast. The lesson is not to impose a false brightness or cheeriness on a north-facing room. History shows that interiors work best when colour collaborates with the natural conditions of the house. The trick is to lean into what the room offers rather than deny it.

A north-facing room will never glow like a south-facing one, and it does not need to. Its strength lies in atmosphere rather than brilliance. By choosing colours with depth and warmth, and finishes that absorb rather than glare, the space becomes calm, steady and habitable through every season. Respect the light you are given and decorate in harmony with it. Lean into the light. 

*Light temperature. High Kelvins = cool light. Daylight equals about 5000K. Low Kelvins = warm light. Candlelight sits around 2000K.