We’ve made it to the final blog of our mini series on selecting the right paint colour for your room orientation! Wahey! It's also going to be a slightly lighter/smaller blog as there are a lot of similarities with east and west room orientation; they're just reversed. So let's strap in and walk ourselves through this final chapter, and feel confident in decorating for any room in our home! 

Just like an east facing room, a west facing room will get different light types at different times of the day which you need to be mindful of when selecting a colour. Being aware of this change is the biggest part of the challenge as now you know, you can address it! So let's dive in!

Once again the key to getting a west facing room right is being able to determine how it will be used and at what time of the day. Here’s why… 

Characteristics of a west facing room:

A west facing room will be the last one to get any sunlight meaning on a morning they can look a little greyed out and shaded. Note here its shaded not shadowy like an east facing room! (Shadows cut the light and create sharper edges and depth in the room, shade will make the room feel a little more subdued!). As the day moves over you’ll get the same bright white light in the middle of the day you experience in an east facing room. This can wash out the colour on your walls a little but it's just for a shorter period of time. Finally as we move across to the early afternoon to the evening the room will warm up and receive a bright, golden glow (this is where it differs from an east facing room, which does get a warm light on a morning but not a golden glowing light!) Now that we understand the lighting changes in this room orientation it's really important once again to consider when you’re using it!

When are you using your west facing room?

Just like we discussed in our east facing room blog, it's really important to understand when you’re going to be using your room so that you can prioritise your colour selection to suit! For use on a morning whilst the room has a cooler tone to it you may want to warm up the space.Warm neutrals with yellow and red undertones such as Pampas Grass and Just Right will help to balance some of the shaded grey vibes in the room. Alternatively, if you’re feeling bold then rich warm colours can be a great choice here and they will have a glorious glow to them once the warm afternoon light floods in. Blend shades Pease Pudding and Angel Of The North would be a great option here! 

If you’re using your west facing room in the afternoon/evening then you could consider cooler shades including ones with a grey undertone to them! These shades will balance the bright, glowy light but bear in mind that they’re likely to appear quite flat in the morning. Consider Blend’s such as Cooper, Collingwood and Making Waves for a bit of a dramatic colour scheme or if you’re wanting to keep to shades that will cover the room for use all day then the pinky toned Blend shades Brownbridge and 1986 will be just the ones! 

So there we have it, a run down of colours for your west facing room. Remember our tips from our east facing blog, consider your use of interior lighting to help with your colour selection throughout the day and remember to test your colour and review it throughout the day to ensure you like it at each change in the natural light! 

We’ll be back with more blogs packed with our colour expertise but before then, if you have any questions or need to talk to someone about your colour choices drop us a call, message or email!