Although many people take their cues from nature when selecting paint colors from their home, we got a different sort of question from Jane who is working against the green tinted light that gets filtered through the trees outside: We need help, please, with a paint color. The only natural light source in our living room is a west-facing six foot wide sliding door, the light is filtered through an overhead canopy of trees that makes it more green. The room is 14x20 with a vaulted ceiling and generic “rental beige” carpet. Our sofa and chairs are slip-covered in a natural linen so we don’t have any color limitations...
Good Question: Help With Paint Color?
Los Angeles
We’d like to brighten the room while being careful not to ramp up the feel of the afternoon heat in our humid, subtropical climate. We love to let the natural light stream in, but the obvious green tint is making us hesitant about the color for the walls. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Jane, we love the idea of keeping your space natural and influenced by that canopy. Since you have linen chairs you've already got a bit of the natural vibe. And don't forget that you can cover part of that rental beige carpet with an area rug, this could help offset the green that's coming into the house. It seems the easiest color to consider for the walls would be green since you won't have to worry about how it reacts in the light. You could add brighter accents around the room to bring in more life or stick to textures: glass, natural woods and seagrass.
No matter what, we would definitely suggest painting patches of the walls to see before committing to the entire room!
Readers? Suggestions?
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I'd think that an Orangey-Red wall color would go well with the greens, neutrals and linen fabrics...
...and I agree that a large wool area rug laid over the wall-to-wall carpet would not only cozy up the space but make your floors feel much more luxurious - perhaps in a deep blue such as the Chain Rug that's on sale now from Pottery Barn?
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p10724/index.cfm?pkey=csale%2Drugs
view bepsf's profile
I'd think that an Orangey-Red wall color would go well with the greens, neutrals and linen fabrics...
...and I agree that a large wool area rug laid over the wall-to-wall carpet would not only cozy up the space but make your floors feel much more luxurious - perhaps in a deep blue such as the Chain Rug that's on sale now from Pottery Barn? http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p10724/index.cfm?pkey=csale%2Drugs
view bepsf's profile
you could try a light grey - it would feel airy, clean and reflect light, but would contrast nicely with the green and be a cool shade for the heat.
view emilykristin's profile
Hi, we had a similar problem with an overwhelming amount of north facing light coming through sliding doors in our living space. There is only a northern exposure, so we have a bluish cast of light which is particularly dominant on overcast and rainy days; it can get really gloomy during the winter. We settled on a light, butter cream yellow to give a warm, sunlit, illuminating effect; however we lived with many paint chips of the same color and intensity placed in different areas for a few key winter months.
Since green is your problem an off-white (or the lightest shade) from the orange, sienna or sepia tone families might help.
The key point is that the underlying pigments in any paint mix can really deceive the eye. You will need to display the color within the prevalent lighting situation to see what tone is truly cast out from the pigment. For example, many of the yellows have a green oxide pigment lurking in their mix and when the paint producers add white to make their lightest shade, that green will fluoresce under the right lighting, totally defeating the effect that you want to achieve. Most of all try all colors and shades from those FREE chips to start, then use sample mixes. Good luck experimenting!
view uselessinfo's profile
I agree with everyone who suggests a paint color somewhere in the area of red. You want a pigment that will absorb green light while reflecting red and blue light, to essentially cancel out that green cast. You should experiment with several different hues and shades to determine what works best at different times of the day and throughout the year (keeping in mind that those leaves may not be there in the winter).
For the record, magenta is the most effective pigment for absorbing green light. This is why many jungle plants have purple-ish, magenta-ish colors on the undersides of their leaves. It's for capturing the green light that reflects off of other leaves.
view nausved's profile
I agree with magenta. might sound like too much but if you are into bold color, as i am, give it a try!
view Bobbycat5's profile