colour by compass Why does the same colour look so different in different rooms of your home? The trend to use one colour throughout a house as an ‘anchor’ neutral has been going strong for some years. But why does that one colour look so different in different rooms? It’s all to do with which direction the room faces: north, south, east or west. Colour is not equal, unchanging and well behaved. This is why colour responds to the axis of light and why it looks totally divine in some rooms… and horrible in others. It also explains why at certain times of the day the colour morphs into a monster and bears little resemblance to the colour we have carefully chosen. Natural light is not equal, unchanging and well behaved either. We can know intellectually that the walls, the ceiling and sometimes the floor have been painted in exactly the same colour. But late in the afternoon, the low westerly sun is throwing light and shade across the floor and washing the walls. Suddenly, the colour on the floor appears different from the ceiling, and from the window walls where the shadows are deeper.The far wall glows with reflected sunlight. The light has changed.The colour has changed. Colour is never, ever static. In bright daylight, yellow (and any colour that has a larger amount of yellow in it) will be seen at its best, appearing to be brighter even than pure white. At twilight, blue-green colours come into their own, and at nightfall, orange and red appear to be more intense. In south-facing rooms used during the day, use warm mid-toned colours. No amount of pale tints or white will make these rooms appealing because the natural light aspect is cool, grey or sour. Try Resene Biscotti. Cooler,denser colours will always work best in north-facing rooms.Because of our propensity for huge windows and skylights that allow plentiful sun (and glare) any bright, red, orange or yellow colours will only accentuate the heat and appear far brighter.Try Resene Half Lemon Grass for a lovely restful ambiance or Resene Emerge, a grey-green sea foam hue. Complex neutrals workbestineast-facingroomsilluminatedbythewhitelightofearlymorning. Because easterly light is so cool and clear,it may emphasise greens and blues. Green will be seen to be very green and blues may reflect more teal.The walls in east-facing rooms will be shadowy from mid-morning onwards.Try Resene 32 |