If you have a south facing room then congratulations, you have won the gift of light. Your lovely room will get warm, natural light all day long. But what are the best paint colours for south facing rooms? Well,  you can basically decorate with any colour you choose. Light or dark, bright or muted, cool or warm, soft or strong. It’s up to you.

 

Now just before we move on I should point out that not all south facing rooms are equal. If your south facing room turns out to be a small downstairs loo with a tiny window that looks out onto a brick wall then you’re not going to have a lot of glorious light bouncing around. But hopefully this is not the case for you and your south facing room has some large windows and a nice view 🙂

 

Whilst you can get away with most colours here are a few pointers to help narrow things down.

PAINT COLOURS FOR SOUTH FACING ROOMS

1. MAXIMISE THE LIGHT

Now you have this precious, coveted light it’s worth making the most of it. In large rooms, and certainly in open plan spaces, I would keep it pale and neutral to celebrate the light. Light paint colours will also help your room look as large as possible.

Try: Portland Stone, Slaked Lime and Flint by Little Greene, Linen Wash by Dulux, Wimborne White and White Tie by Farrow and Ball.

 

2. KEEP IT COOL AND CALM

Choosing colours with cool undertones like blue, green and purple will counteract the warm quality of the light to create a very tranquil and zen feeling. Cooler undertones will also help to visually cool down the room in the height of summer when south facing rooms can become a little overbearing.

Try: Borrowed Light, Pale Powder, Ammonite, Great White and Dimpse by Farrow and Ball.

 

3. FEEL FREE TO GO DARK

Now, I would avoid dark colours in large or open plan south facing spaces that get used all day long. BUT if you have a smaller south facing room that’s maybe just used in the evenings like a snug or cinema room then these will look great with dark colours. You can also go dark in smaller bedrooms and even a home office when you want your space to feel calm and nurturing.

Try: De Nimes, Green Smoke, Oval Room Blue or Down Pipe by Farrow and Ball.

 

4. IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF GLASS

If you’ve got a large run of bi-folds, a swanky glass extension or very large windows relative to the size of the room then take care! Your room can become very stifling in the summer and warm colours can overwhelm the space. So avoid very saturated pinks and reds that will only make a warm room feel much, much warmer!

 

5. DON’T GET WASHED OUT

The natural light in your south facing room is most intense at midday. This means that paler colours on your walls can look really washed out at this time of day. The subtle, muted colour you love in the morning may not look so great at lunchtime.  So always consider your testers at different times of day and makes your decisions based on when you use the room most.

 

And there we have it, the paint colours for south facing rooms. Not much can go wrong  so have fun with it and just choose the colours you love!!!

 

What colour have you painted your south facing room, I’d love to know 🙂

 

And if you haven’t decided yet and would like to hire me to help you then check out my paint colour consultancy services here and get in touch 🙂

Sarah x