What Are The Best Colours For North, East, South And West Facing Rooms?

June 9th, 2025

We all know that light can have a huge effect on colour, so it’s a good idea to think about the orientation of your room before you start choosing your samples! Here is our guide to choosing the right colours for your space.

Paint colours for north, south, east and west facing rooms

Colour featured: Silver Surf.

South-facing rooms

South-facing rooms benefit from strong natural light, giving you more freedom in the colours you choose as there is no risk in making the space feel gloomy. 

Paint colours for north, south, east and west facing rooms

Colours featured (from left to right): Adam, Faded Denim (now called Cambourne), Fordingbridge, Fountain, Silver Surf and Seaspray.

Colours featured (clockwise): Crocus, Lilac Wash, Northern Glow and Heritage Rose.

Since south-facing light is warm, it can be easily balanced with cool tones such as blue, green and violet. 

In bright rooms, these colours will create a bright and airy feel. 

You can also look for whites, greys and neutrals with blue, green and violet undertones to balance the warmth without needing to commit to a colour.

Paint colours for north, south, east and west facing rooms

North-facing rooms

North-facing rooms tend to be darker, offering cooler light, making them feel uninviting. 

Paint colours for north, south, east and west facing rooms

Colours featured (from left to right): Victorian Butterfly, Fudge Cake, Chocolate Berry, Taupe, Claret, Zanzibar and Deepest Ruby.

Colours featured (from left to right): Desert Glow, Camel Sand, Straw and Mild Mustard.

The use of warmer colours such as pinks, reds and yellows will help make the room feel cosier and create a real cocooning feeling. 

Greys and whites with warm undertones will also make the room feel more balanced and giving you a more welcoming atmosphere when you enter the room.

Paint colours for north, south, east and west facing rooms

East-facing and west-facing rooms:

East-facing rooms will have warm natural light in the mornings, whilst north-facing rooms will benefit from the light in the early evenings. 

Colour featured: Plumpton Green.

You will want to choose your colour based around the time at which you use the room most. 

If you use your east-facing room in the morning or your west facing room in the evening, you will benefit from cooler colours and vice versa.

Once you have chosen a few samples, paint them onto lining paper and hang it up on the wall. This will allow you to see how the colour interacts with the light throughout the day!

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