From Dawn to Dusk: how to paint the east facing room

When decorating your home, it is important to understand the light in each room. This can make a huge difference to the final look, especially when choosing your paint colours. It is key to note that the light in an east facing room is soft, fresh, and changes throughout the day.

Rooms with morning light are good for kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms. However, if your home layout dictates a different room in the east facing space, the colour you choose can come to the rescue. Consider what kind of atmosphere you would like to achieve, whether it is calm and neutral or colourful and affirming.

Let’s explore how light behaves in east-facing rooms, and how to select the right natural paint colour that will bring out the best in your space, whether you’re going for bright and airy or rich and cocooning.

East-facing rooms are all about morning light. Bathing the rooms in a bright, clear light early in the day as the sun rises, but as it moves across the sky, the light will quickly soften and cool. By afternoon, the room can feel quite dim, especially in the winter months. This means east-facing rooms have warm, golden tones in the morning and a cooler muted light in the afternoon.

Because of this shift in natural light, the colour you choose can look very different depending on the time of day. It’s essential to test swatches on different walls and check them in natural light in both the morning and afternoon and in artificial light before making a final decision.

When choosing blues, it’s better to steer away from lighter hues that include grey tones, so softer colours such as Welmish Blew, Duck Egg and Ethereal Blue are good choices. For a stronger tone, pick a pigment rich paint giving depth and complexity, such as Aquatic or Azurite.

For a dramatic finish that will create warmth in an east facing room, consider strongly pigmented hues, such as London Brown, Hawtrey or Drab Green. These stronger tones will absorb the light in the mornings and embrace the electric light later in the day.

If you are considering yellow, the best ones for an east-facing room are warm, golden and earthy. Being rich in pigment, especially ochre, you can create a space that will welcome the day with sunshine and gracefully shift into a mellow, inviting atmosphere by afternoon. Colours we recommend from our natural paint range include Brimstone, Ochre and Patent Yellow.

East-facing rooms can handle both light and dark tones. If you wish to embrace lighter colours, think warm whites, such as Whiting,  soft pinks like Mason Pink or Cuisse de Nymphe Emue or a muted purple like Laylock. The colours will feel fresh and uplifting in the morning and will appear more subdued later in the day. In the evening, turning on the lights will bring out the warmth from the pigments.

Since east-facing rooms get dimmer in the afternoon, it’s worth investing in good artificial lighting that will complement your choice of paint colour. Warm bulbs will bring out the golden notes in your wall colour, while cool bulbs will enhance blues and greys. Layer your lighting with ceiling fixtures for general light, table lamps for a cosy glow and add accent lighting to highlight art or architectural details.

Thinking of painting your east-facing room? Let us know what colours you’re drawn to, and our colour consultants can help you narrow down the perfect palette. For September we are offering 3 sample pots for £10 so choose your colours and get painting!