Change the dark colour of the living room to light for a fashionable dining experience with the following paint colors.
If your living room lacks light and doesn’t receive direct sunlight, it will give a dark impression. Don’t worry! You can make it feel brighter and more welcoming with the best living room paint colors for low-light rooms. As an interior designer, let me tell you the sheer power of the paint and how a room can change with a new colour.
Here’s the thing: dark-coloured objects or furniture soak up as much light as possible, making the room look smaller and dull. However, light colours reflect light, giving a room an open and airy feel. Therefore, the paint colour must be carefully thought through when your living room has little natural light.
Understanding Color Psychology
Spaces and their colours can influence the feelings we get in the space. When choosing a low-light living room colour, such hues should make the space seem as large and calm as possible.
- Bright colors such as yellow and orange are liberalism inviting making a room warm.
- Hypo colours such as blue or green can, in turn, make the environment relaxing.
- Plain colours such as white, beige or grey are probably some of the best because they help to make a room look larger.
Choosing the Right Undertones
Undertones can be best thought of as being the secret identities of colours. They are minute indications of other colours that can significantly alter the paint tone in your living room. It is essential to get them right, more so if the area of focus has little or no natural light. Here’s a breakdown to help you navigate the world of undertones:
1. Identifying Undertones
This can be tricky! Here are a few ways to spot those sneaky undertones:
- Compare: Take your paint swatch and compare it with a pure white paper test piece. This has the bonus of helping the undertones to be seen.
- Check the label: Some paint manufacturers are kind enough to tell you the undertone by writing it on the back of the paint sample (for example, warm grey or cool beige).
Look for clues:
- Warm undertones: There are yellow, red, orange and brown undertones. These are the ones that make the walls warm and welcoming.
- Cool undertones: Recombinant effects of blue, green, and violet cues. These all serve to make the environment peaceful and uncluttered.
2. Paired Undertones to Your Room
Consider your existing décor: Is your furniture warm wood or cool metals? These should harmonise with the colour of your walling.
Factor in natural light:
- North-facing rooms Tend to have more extraordinary light. The choice of warm, undertoned paint should compensate for this.
- South-facing rooms: Bathed in warm light. They are here, too, but cool undertones can refresh the atmosphere.
- Think about the mood: Warm undertones symbolise energy and togetherness, while cool undertones symbolise tranquillity.
3. Testing Undertones
It can be frustrating not to see what two different colours look like together, but always, always test paint colours in your actual space!
Paint large swatches: That’s why don’t limit yourself to betting on tiny chips only. Choose a 2ft x 2ft area on different walls and paint it to see the hue at different points in the day.
Observe in different lighting: Make sure you view the final color in the natural morning, afternoon and evening light and underneath artificial lighting.
Cases of Undertones in References
- Grey: It is relatively neutral and can be almost greige with a brownish hue, similar to SW’s Agreeable Gray, or a cool blue grey with a hint of green like Benjamin Moore’s Stonington Gray.
- White: Some whites are described as “cool” as they can have a blue or green tone, giving them a fresh and clean look. UPS ‘warm’ whites are white, yellow, or red, making it look warm or snug.
- Beige: They can be pink, yellow, or even green, and every one of them will make different types of atmosphere.
Key Takeaway
Selecting the right undercurrents is like adjusting the tone to your living room. It’s the distinction between the room that looks ordinary and that one that seems subtle and perfectly balanced. Here, don’t hesitate to take risks and follow your gut feeling!
How to Make the Most of Natural Light
Even before you begin painting, think about how you can bring in more natural light to your living room. Daylight is so essential it needs to be maximised because it brightens up any paint colour to make the space look more vivid. Here’s how:
1. Window Treatments: Light and Airy
- Sheer fabrics: Replace thick curtains with sheer curtains or blinds of pastel colours. These scatter the sunlight wonderfully well and cast a soft, silvery glow.
- Window coverings: Small windows, hinged and sliding windows, and French windows are helpful to have some sort of cover or shade like bamboo shades or Venetian blinds where it can be tilted to let in only as much light as is desired.
- Go high: Curtains should be hung above the windows to make them look larger and let more light into your room.
- Keep it clean: Window treatments should also be dusted or cleaned regularly to avoid restricting desirable light.
2. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
They are, dare we say, magic when it comes to letting in light.
- Strategic placement: Hang a big mirror across from a window so the light will bounce further into the room.
- Mirror groupings: Smaller mirrors can also diffuse light around interestingly.
- Mirrored furniture: Mirrored coffee or side tables are another good way to incorporate light-reflecting elements.
3. Window Maintenance: Crystal Clear
It seems obvious, but I believe it has an impact!
- Regular cleaning: If you want more light in your home, wash both sides of your windows to remove dust and other stains that may hinder light penetration into your home.
- Professional cleaning: A professional window cleaner should handle hard-to-reach windows or stains that do not come out quickly.
4. Landscaping for Light
If your living room windows are covered with high trees or shrubs, then it is high time you took the scissors and started pruning them.
- Trim strategically: Prune branches that are too close to your windows.
- Consider plant types: Avoid plants with high growth habits and those that form thick walls around main windows and doors.
5. They include Architectural Tweaks (If Possible).
If you’re up for a more significant project, these can make a huge impact:
- Larger windows: Open up the windows by increasing the openings’ size or creating more window space.
- Skylights: Skylights are a great invention because they bring a lot of light into a room and for houses with not much wall space for actual windows.
- Glass doors: The best bet is to change a solid external door for a glazing one (or operative one including glazing panels).
6. Interior Doors: Open Sesame!
- Keep doors open: These doors should be open if your living room connects to other rooms with windows to let in more light.
- Consider glass doors: It is possible to change all the solid interior doors to French doors or doors with glass inserts.
7. Light-Reflecting Surfaces
- Flooring: Loose-laid laminates with blonde wood or light carpet will help to reflect light across the area.
- Furniture: Ensure the chosen furniture is light enough to absorb the light from your house.
- Accessories: Use baby polishing or metallic objects such as lamps, vases and picture frames to reflect light.
If you incorporate all the above recommendations, you will warm up your living room, making it incredibly cheerful and bright no matter how dim the natural light sources are.
The 10 best paint colors for low-light living rooms
Here are some of my top paint colour recommendations for low-light living rooms:
1. White:
- Why it works: White is ideal for low-lighting rooms since it bounces a lot of light off its surface.
- Best for Expediting and achieving an aesthetic with a clear, open look.
- Tips: Select a white option with rich tonal cues to avoid sterility in a room.
- Example: Benjamin Moore Simply White
2. Light Gray:
- Why it works: Light grey is another lovely option for rooms with minimal sunlight exposure. It’s free and can set a relaxing mood.
- Best for: Interior design for the modern and contemporary times.
- Tips: Select a grey with a warm cast to warm the room.
- Example: Sherwin-Williams Repose Gray
3. Pale Yellow:
- Why it works: Pale yellow may be used to bring some light and joy into quite a room.
- Best for: among them are mainly the so-called traditional and cottage styles.
- Tips: Select a soft behind, like butter, to prevent making the room too yellow.
- Example: Behr Buttercream
4. Light Blue:
- Why it works: Light blue creates a very nice feeling of spaciousness in a room.
- Best for There are also the goals of making the environment as restful as possible and giving a calm and serene atmosphere.
- Tips: Instead, opt for a warmer blue shade so the room doesn’t look and feel too cold.
- Example: Valspar Sea Salt
5. Soft Green:
- Why it works: Soft green may help to transfer a part of nature inside, and that’s great for making the atmosphere very relaxing.
- Best for: Designing a calm and cool environment.
- Tips: Select green with a warm mer tone to warm the room.
- Example: Benjamin Moore Pale Oak
6. Beige:
- Why it works: Most people like beige because it has a warm touch; when used, the room looks and feels warm.
- Best for Gaining a classic and putting in designs that will likely stay in style.
- Tips: Select a warm and Jake beige, as it can bring more intrigue to the given space.
- Example: Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige
7. Cream:
- Why it works: Cream is a softer version of the white, which can also help to give a warm feeling.
- Best for Some of the considerations engaging in issue identification include;
- Tips: Select one that is warm to bring a dimension into the room, as evident from the picture.
- Example: Benjamin Moore Navajo White
8. Light Pink:
- Why it works: Light pink can be used as a beautiful and somewhat girly colour for a certain kind of room.
- Best for: Designing an environment that should be soft and delicate.
- Tips: The second shade of pink is recommended to give the room warm_duplicates = [🌼🌼]
- Example: Behr Ballet Slipper
9. Lavender:
- Why it works: Lavender helps to create an atmosphere of relaxation.
- Best for Deals with aspects such as designing a quiet environment.
- Tips: Select a soft shade of lavender because deep colours may overwhelm the entire space.
- Example: Sherwin-Williams Silvermist
10. Greige:
Why it works: Greige combines grey and greige, the two being the best of each other. It is a fantastic and multifunctional furniture with the ‘capability’ of warming up a space.
- Best for: Architecture of modern and contemporary age.
- Tips: Select a greige with a hint of warmth, which would warm the room immensely.
- Example: Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray vraiment
More Light Living Room Tips
- Use different paint finishes: A high-gloss finish should reflect more light compared to a matt finish should be on the wall. Try using gloss for the trim and satin or eggshell on your walls, as they are good-looking and durable.
- Paint the ceiling a lighter colour: This will also trick your eyes and make the room appear much higher and more significant than it is.
- Use accent colours: Accessories such as mats, curtains, and pieces of artwork and furniture in both rooms should incorporate small doses of colour.
- Don’t forget about the flooring: Light-colored floors also assist in direction, besides helping to make the room lighter.
Conclusion
Selecting the proper paint color for a small, low-light living room can dramatically change the room’s outlook. Following these tips makes it possible to warm up the space and bring in lots of light. Before making the final decision, it is essential to consider the colour psychology, undertones and individual taste.