Affordably refreshing or renovating your home can be challenging during times of economic downturn or high interest rates. Luckily, painting your walls can be a cost-effective way to renovate your room. A fresh coat of paint can completely transform your space. However, selecting the right neutral colour can be challenging.
The ultimate neutral – white is one of those colours that goes with everything. White walls offer versatility because they allow you to alter the colour scheme of your space in just one afternoon. And the clean canvas they provide allows for effortless transformation and adaptation to your evolving style preferences. They also lighten and brighten a space.
And painting rooms a warm white is trending right now. Furthermore, warm white paint colours bring light and warmth to your space. Below is a photo of our freshly painted great room in a green and white colour scheme. But, my husband wanted a warmer-looking room so we changed the pillows. I changed out some of the white and all the green pillows for orange pillows. The photo above shows the great room with the orange pillows. Pillows are another economical way to decorate. Click the following link to learn more about how to use throw pillows in interior design. https://lynteriors.wordpress.com/2024/01/29/2-purposes-of-throw-pillows-part-2/
Renovating The Great Room
Over the last 18 months, I redecorated/renovated our great room in stages. First, I purchased a new armchair I liked and had it upholstered in white performance fabric. We also decided to paint the room a warm white.
Twelve years ago, our family room ceiling suffered water damage from condensation in the attic, which caused water stains. That is why I wanted to renovate the ceiling. Even though the builder fixed and repainted the area, there was still a noticeable mark between the two puck lights.
We decided to refresh the paint on our wall while getting the ceiling painted. As we may move soon and want to stage our house, we thought it would be best to paint the walls white. Our previous yellow walls may not appeal to everyone. And it doesn’t look as light and bright in photos as white does. And since the majority of buyers look on line first, this is important to consider. The attached photos below demonstrate the difference.
My husband does not like stark white walls. So, we chose a warm white paint colour. You may be wondering what does warm white mean? It refers to the colour temperature of the paint colour’s undertone.
Before Photo:
After Photo:
Tip #1: Consider the Undertone
Undertones play a crucial role in how a colour appears in its setting. These undertones are responsible for subtle paint colour variations and are particularly noticeable in neutral shades. So white, which is a neutral colour, has undertones. Therefore, whites can appear yellow, green, or blue in certain lights. Never underestimate the power of undertones, as they set the atmosphere and can affect how the colour reacts depending on the surrounding furnishings.
It’s a good idea to paint your rooms in neutral colours like white, light grey, or beige if you plan to move in a few years. Because who wants to repaint the rooms just before moving? If you painted a few years before moving, you enjoy the newly refreshed room which is a bonus! But, I wanted to stress that if you’re using any of these colours, it’s crucial to be aware of their undertones.
So how do you know if a paint color is warm or cool?
Warm colours create a cozy atmosphere, while cool colours make a space feel fresh and soothing. Warm undertones include yellow or pink. Cool undertones include blue or green. Since my husband wanted a warm and comfortable atmosphere in our great room, we decided to paint it a warm white colour. The white we chose has a yellow undertone. I also chose this colour because of the type of natural light coming into the room.
Tip #2: Figure out your room’s natural light?
It is important to take stock of your space’s lighting qualities, like direction of light coming into your room. If your natural light comes only in the morning, you probably have east-facing windows like our great room. If you get afternoon sun only in a room, it is probably west facing. What direction your windows are facing can affect how the neutral colour with look throughout the day. Therefore, it is important to determine the type of sunlight that you receive in your room.
What are the Best White Paints for East-Facing Rooms?
An east facing room like ours benefits from a warm white. it will look like a crisp white on your walls like it does on our even though it looks creamy on the chip. Your rooms with east-facing windows enjoys the most sun in the morning and cooler, muted light in the afternoon and evening. Morning sunlight is brilliant, clear, and slightly warm. The lighting will gradually become brighter and whiter as noon draws nearer. After this time period your east-facing room will look slightly cool and slightly darker. To counter the grey-blue look in the afternoon, a warm white with a yellow undertone for example, will help to balance out the cooler grey -blue flatter afternoon light.
If you are planning to never paint your walls again than white is a good colour to choose. Because if you choose to move, the walls will not need to be painted. White rooms look great in photos which is important because you will want to attract buyers looking on line. If your room looks fantastic because it is painted white more buyers will be interested in viewing your room. So we chose warm white. The photos before illustrate how white painted walls help to lighten and brighten a room and help make it look good in photos. The new white armchair, light gray/white area rug and white painted walls all help to lighten and brighten the room.
Before photo:
After photo:
Your east-facing rooms will enjoy the most sun in the morning and cooler, muted light in the afternoon and evening. Morning sunlight is brilliant, clear, and slightly warm. The lighting will gradually become brighter and whiter as noon draws nearer. After this time period your east-facing room will look slightly cool and slightly darker. To counter the grey-blue look in the afternoon, a warm white with a yellow undertone for example, will help to balance out the cooler grey-blue flatter afternoon light. Using effective lighting will also help.
Summary:
In conclusion, when selecting neutral paint colours like white for your interiors, it’s essential to choose the right undertone that creates the desired atmosphere or mood for your room. You may want a space that produces a calming and soothing atmosphere or a place that provides a warm and inviting atmosphere. Cool undertones, like blue, create a peaceful atmosphere, while warm undertones, such as yellow or pink, generate a warmer environment.
What is equally important is to figure out if your room is east, west, south or north-facing. Our great room had windows that were east-facing. It meant the sunlight came into the room in the morning. Furthermore, we chose a warm white to prevent a flat, stark look in the afternoon. We chose warm white because it also creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. We also used pillows to incorporate another layer of warmth to our great room. Find out more about throw pillows by clicking the link below. https://lynteriors.wordpress.com/2024/01/29/2-purposes-of-throw-pillows-part-2/
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