[…] opposing the east-facing rooms, these west-facing rooms get direct and much harsh exposure to […]
Movement of Sun throughout the day has a major impact on the paint colors in each specific room. Do you feel all warm and bright early in the morning in your bedrooms or dining rooms?
Well, that’s due to morning sunlight reigning the eastern-facing rooms of your home!
This morning sunlight is generally more direct as compared to the dim evening light! But this brightness is dominant only for a certain time period, let’s say – until 11 AM after which the afternoon light on the south comes into play!
After this time period will your east-facing room look slightly gray and cool – just like your north-facing room! This white-kinda light then tends to wash away and make your wall paint seem lighter than it is!
Yes, I know choosing the perfect paint color for North and South-facing rooms gives a clear direction than east and west-facing rooms.
So, now we have three clocks and auras to consider – morning’s warmth, noon’s brightness, and afternoon’s grays.
So, what to do?
Don’t worry – this is more fun!
So, firstly,
What is the Function of your East-Facing Room?
Is it a bedroom or a common space like a living or dining room? How much time do you spend there?
Do you just visit the room in the morning and don’t revisit it again later or vice versa?
Well, all of this needs to be well determined!
If you spend most of your time in the morning, make sure to choose a paint color like greige or simply the ones that are neither warm nor too cool. That way, your space doesn’t feel too-warm due to morning direct light.
In the other case, if you spend most of the time in the noon, don’t choose a color with very high LRV or the one that is too white because this is the time when your paint color get further washed away and appears white already!
Too much white can cause glare – so, try to avoid it!
Meanwhile, if you plan to use the room in the afternoon, make sure to choose warmer hues since the light entering is almost ‘grayish’ and ‘cool’ now!
But Nishtha, what if I use the room all day long?
Well, in that case, you need to strategically make use of LIGHTING!
Artificial Lighting Matters…
Install warm-white or warm-yellow bulbs that can come into use during the afternoon when the light is cool and gray!
So, personally, I wouldn’t recommend a color that is too-warm or too-cool here (unlike the North-facing rooms where I recommended warmer shades specifically).
Instead. Go for mid-tones with slightly cool and warm shades!
Here, I have enlisted 5 examples of east-facing paint colors from Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore each.
5 Best Sherwin Williams Paint Colors for East-Facing Rooms
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Mindful Gray SW 7016 – Best Paint Color for East-Facing Room
Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray is a perfect mid-toned gray which is a perfect balance of cool and warm. Thus, making a perfect combination for morning, noon, and afternoon light. It may appear lighter in the morning sunlight giving a nice crisp feel. In the noon, this color wouldn’t wash out due to ample white light entering due to heaviness in the color, and meanwhile, in the afternoon, it will still give a nice little warm feel.
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Tony Taupe SW 7038
This medium-toned beige could be your perfect neutral option in homes that receive fully-fledged east daylighting. Morning sunlight makes it look more bright and warm, meanwhile in the afternoon – it looks warm when the incoming light is quite cool. So, definitely a YES-YES for this!
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Alpaca SW 7022 – Best Paint Color for East-Facing Room
Sherwin Williams is a perfect warm gray or greige which makes an excellent option for east-facing rooms.
It looks absolutely balanced with the amount of light received throughout the day and on the other hand, has a good share of darkness so it doesn’t look all washed away in the noon.
Check out my FULL Paint Color Review Here – Sherwin Williams Alpaca!
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Ancient Marble SW 6162
It is a soft, warm green with an absolute creamy texture.
If you are looking for more colors, then this warm green is a good paint color to incorporate in homes with east-facing rooms.
The warmth will definitely neutralize the afternoon cool light and give a perfect combo all-at-once!
Check out my FULL Paint Color Review Here – Sherwin Williams Ancient Marble!
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Casa Blanca SW 7571 – Best Paint Color for East-Facing Room
Slightly creamy and much muted, Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca has a perfect warmth to it making it a more natural color than pure yellow or mainstream cream. In the morning light – it would give a nice, enhanced look.
5 Best Benjamin Moore Paint Colors for East-Facing Rooms
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Silver Marlin 2139-50 – Best Paint Color for East-Facing Room
BM Silver Marlin is a perfect mid-toned paint color with an LRV of 57 making it a great solution to mid and optimum-sized rooms. If observed closely, you can see a perfect blend of green and gray, thus, making your rooms a perfect refreshed haven in the morning, a bold character in the noon, and a cozy option for the afternoon.
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Abalone 2108-60
Abalone is a perfect greige with an LRV of 62 – making the color quite light to mid-toned. The best part about the color is that it is neither too cool nor too warm to your east-facing bedroom. Due to the tinge of brown undertones, this color will make your space feel warm even during afternoons.
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Cappuccino 2096-50
I personally love the look of BM Cappuccino. The retained warm reddish-brown undertones are dark enough to not get washed away in the noon and warm enough to not make your space cold during afternoon.
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Revere Pewter HC-172 – Best Paint Color for East-Facing Room
Extremely famous, this perfect neutral paint color could be incorporated in your east-facing rooms with an extremely warm finish.
It has tons of beige in it so it will look warmer even during monsoons.
Check out my FULL Paint Color Review Here – Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter!
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White Dove OC-17
It is a soft off-white that makes a good match for east-facing rooms. And since the LRV is high, it makes a good solution for smaller-sized rooms!
Now that we have discussed the theory behind choosing a paint color for the east direction – do you feel confident enough? Well, you are not just limited to these!
First and foremost, always ask yourself if you like warm or cool shades – and just in case if you have a taste in cooler hues – don’t hold back from using them in east-facing rooms!
Another consideration should be your interior furnishes – what flooring do you have? What kind of furniture is kept? Yes, all of that matters!
Let me know your experiences in the comments below or have a look at my interior decoration and color consulting packages so we can get one-on-one and choose the best paint for your east-facing room!
Benjamin Moore Best Paint Color List Online Interior Design Paint Color Consultation Sherwin Williams
Susan Caputo says
My townhouse has eastern light and so the walls show shadows.
I painted my walls Kilin Beige 4 years ago and it shows as yellow/tan. I was very disappointed with my choice.
We are now painting again and I want yo choose a warm white. I have brown leather sectional in the living room and my furniture is a blend of Tommy Bahama and Lexington.
I keep looking at whites. Would you give me your thoughts on using
BM White Dove
BM Chantilly Whire
SW Marshmallow
SW Eider White
and best trim to you
I have wide baseboards and crown molding with 10 foot ceilings.
I appreciate any input you can give me.
Thank you very much
Susan C
Nishtha says
Hi Susan,
Yes! SW Kilim Beige can truly reflect a tan/yellow strong undertone on the walls. However, if you have to pick a warm white, SW Shoji White is what I would recommend. Also, here are my thoughts on these colors –
BM White Dove – this is a warm white paint with deep yellow undertone. If you don’t like a dominant undertone in your home, this color is a big no-no!
BM Chantilly Lace – this might be too white for you! If you’re looking for a warm white, Chantilly Lace is definitely something to ignore.
SW Marshmallow – This is an off-white with slightly red undertones. It can go with your space but mind the compass direction of the room 🙂
SW Eider White – This color is slightly on the cooler side of the scale. It cast a shade of gray at some points of the day! So, definitely not a true white!
For either of the options, choose SW Pure White for the trims and moldings!
Do let me know if you have any further doubts 🙂
Thanks and have a great day 🙂
Melanie says
My bedroom is short and wide with one window facing northeast. I’m predominantly there in afternoons but enjoy the 15 min of early sunrise before work.
I really love dark colors and thought of doing a black wall (which my bed would be centered in) then all other side walls in a creamy white. Would you recommend this technique to deepen the space or think with one window NE facing I’d hate it every morning? If so I’d love your thoughts on shades of blues and greens! Thanks so much!
Nishtha says
Hi Melanie,
I highly recommend that you pick a soft blue-green color that also makes your room feel welcoming and also doesn’t overwhelm it! Although a medium or darker-toned color on the accent wall will definitely deepen it! My recommendations would be SW Retreat (green) or SW Moody Blue (Blue) – depending upon your choice 🙂
Lara says
Hi Nishta, thanks so much for this article! I recently moved into an apartment with only east-facing windows. It’s an open concept apartment but the kitchen and entry way receive very little natural light. Outside our windows are lots of trees so they tend to reflect lots of green later on in the day. Our vinyl wood floors have a yellow undertone and we have a cute mustard yellow couch as well. We’re hoping to find a nice white paint for the entire apartment – right now I’m leaning towards Chantilly Lace and Simply White. Would love your thoughts on this!
Nishtha says
Hi Lara, thanks for reaching out 🙂
if you’re looking for that white that neutralizes the yellow – it’s ideal to pick SW Pure White 🙂 The former color is slightly cooler which may contradict with the yellow undertone of the floors. So, you can consider picking SW Pure White since that can serve the purpose 🙂
Thank You,
Nish
Pamela Frohlich says
Hello,
We are remodeling the kitchen in our townhouse. The light coming in is from east facing windows.
The new cabinets are light gray. I am stuck on a good paint color.
I have considered BM decorators white and SW pure white, but I’m open to any and all suggestions.
Thank you
Nishtha says
Hi Pamela, thank you for reaching out 🙂
What’s the size of your kitchen? Also, is it the light ‘cool’ or ‘warm’ gray paint that you have on the cabinets? Let me know 🙂
Thanks,
Nish
Janae says
Wow I am so grateful for this article! I have been dying trying to find the right colors for our home. Our kitchen and living room is an open concept with mostly all east facing windows with one corner north facing window into the living room. Our floors are Sand piper line by cali bamboo. So a light warm floor. Based on your comments I might try Shoji white and pure white trim. Would you have any other recommendations or advice on cabinet colors? I’m deciding between Lowes solstice or coastal sand counter tops.
Nishtha says
Hi Janae,
It’s nice connecting with you! For the cabinets, you could choose from SW Agreeable Gray or SW Accessible Beige (depending upon how much neutral you want the color to be ) 🙂 let me know if you have any questions! All the best.
Christine says
Hi Pamela!
I am so happy to have come across this article. Thank you for explaining the impact the sun moving through the day has on paint color! I would have never thought of that!
We recently moved into a new house and the dining room has east facing windows and French doors that open to an east/north facing room. The dining room is currently a mustard yellow. I do like the yellow in the morning sunlight but not a fan of the color in general. Do you have any suggestions for me? Also, the floors are a light oak. Thank you so much!
Nishtha says
Hi Christine,
Thanks for getting in touch! You can absolutely work with shades of lighter beige, lighter greige, and taupe in this space. You can also choose darker off-whites like SW Drift of Mist 🙂
Kelli B says
We are building house and painting all one color on walls. We did ceiling alabaster. The trim and doors are stained knotty alder. The flooring is sandalwood hardwood. We have big East facing window and west facing windows. Was thinking of doing city loft sherwin Williams on walls? Thoughts?
Nishtha says
Hi Kelli, thanks for getting in touch. You can absolutely use SW City Loft on the walls with that combination.