SHADOWS: NOT A LACK OF LIGHT, BUT ADDED COLOR!

Written by Rachel Gamolsky

e cannot see color without light, and there is no color without some darkness or shadow. In this article, we will focus on natural light and how it a ects our homes and work places.

Before you read this article, look around you at the walls of your room and try to discern the various colors actually in front of you. Our brain wants to simplify things for us and it blends the hues with the excuse that we know the entire wall or room is painted in the same color, but—look again—do you see how many colors are actually there?

Windows & Glass Doors: Our Only Source of Natural Light Indoors

We normally think of windows as neutral sources of light, but let us look a bit further. Just like the gel lters that are used for stage lighting, your windows diffuse light in various colors, depending on where that light comes from and what it touches before ooding the room.

In the Sierra Nevada foothills, many of us live among trees (cedars, oaks, pines) and tall shrubs. Consequently, the light bounces off a green surface and has a green cast when it streams into our rooms. When choosing a color, take this added green tint into consideration. After my very rst client and I chose a warm yellow for their living room, they called me in a panic: “It is green!” I met them there and was amazed at how the color had changed due to the green light that entered the room through the many windows… not surprising, since the house was set in a forest! We added a touch of red to the yellow and all was well—the green light “ate” the red, and the yellow paint did not appear green any longer.

If you live in an urban environment and one of your windows faces another building with a strong green-gray color, for example, or a tall brown fence, some of that large, dense block of color will bounce off the building/fence and enter your room, with surprising results. The same principle applies if you have a wide overhang over a glass door or window: the light in the room will be reduced, especially if the underside of the eaves is painted in a dark color.

Skylights and solar tubes normally emit a blue light. A skylight re ects the sky, and unless the solar tube has different settings, during the day it will produce a bright blue light. I prefer to view windows as “Harry Potter paintings”; to me, they are pictures containing living elements (trees, sky, mountain, lake, buildings) that change throughout the year and during the day.

Window Direction: Which Way Do Your Windows Face?

A north-facing window will bring in a cooler, more diffused light that will also be more consistent throughout the day. A west-facing window will provide limited light during the early part of the day but the space will be sunny in the afternoon. A west-facing room will often need to be brightened up to alleviate the relative darkness in the morning and early afternoon. East-facing windows are a source of warm light in the morning but an east-facing room will become darker as the day progresses. South-facing windows offer ample, warm light most of the day and throughout the year.

These are very general guidelines since the time of year and other geographical elements, such as a hill with trees on one side of the house, will also make a difference. Remember also that sunshine will enter your windows at a more or less slanted angle depending on the season and that this will change the amount of light in your rooms with east- and west-facing windows especially, but also south-facing windows in fall and spring. Take this into consideration when choosing colors to avoid over- or under-estimating the light from your windows.

Choosing Interior Colors in Relation to Light

There are three elements to consider in paint color: the Hue, the Light Re ectance Value (LRV), and the saturation or Chromatic Value.

The Hue is what a child calls the “color”: yellow, orange, blue, teal, green, pink, etc. This is also what I am referring to when I mention a color’s undertone.

The LRV indicates how light or dark a color is. A black and white photo of a color-sample fan deck or color-chip display will show all the colors on a gray scale and reveal each of the colors’ LRV.

The Chromatic Value is least understood and more rarely taken into account. It refers to the level of saturation of the color, to how intense it is or how muted. Artists know that muting a color, or toning down its chromatic value, is normally achieved by mixing in some of its complementary color. It can also be done by adding gray or brown.

Logically enough, we often want to paint a dark space in a color with a high LRV, not realizing that lighter colors “attract” more shadows. The remedy is to shift some of our focus to the saturation level and select a color that is higher on the chromatic scale. Hallways with no source of natural light or a room on the ground oor with a wide overhang above the window will have a lot of shadows on the walls, and a light color such as an off-white may not cancel the dark, gloomy appearance of the room due to the added shadows. On the other hand, a saturated color on those walls would provide its own glow, ghting the shadows better, and making the room look more welcoming, less drab, and often more spacious.

Another thing to consider is that reds and yellows “ ght shadows” best. For example, if you have a warm beige wall and you want to paint the ceiling in a bright white, remember that there will be added shadows due to the high LRV, and that there are already more added shadows on ceilings than on walls. A little red and yellow in the white will help keep it looking white, not gray or blue white (which would not harmonize well with your warm beige wall, being on the opposite side of the color wheel).

Regardless of the window direction, the darkest wall (where the color you chose will appear darkest) is usually the window wall, and the brightest one directly faces the window. It has fewer shadows. The same applies for other surfaces; most of us have windows on the walls, not on the oor, so there are more shadows on ceilings than on walls (unless one has very tall windows and a vaulted ceiling). Note that vaulted ceilings are like wall extensions; they are in our direct sight line, so it is recommended to paint them in a similar color to that of the wall, to avoid visually “chopping the space at the knee”. Flat ceilings are mostly in our peripheral vision.

I once helped design a new home in which the kitchen faced west, with no east-facing windows. Since the kitchen is the rst room people visit in the morning, we added a bit of “sunshine” with light xtures and a backsplash in warm colors to make it look inviting early in the day. Another client had a guest room with a west-facing window. They wanted their guests to wake up to a sense of cheerfulness and brightness in that room, so we chose a warm color with a high chromatic value

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When you find the perfect color, nothing else will do. Perfection comes from our paint and our proprietary Gennex® colorants, together, creating results that are breathtaking. Rely on Benjamin Moore for premium quality and Gennex Color Technology, which makes our long-lasting colors, all 3,500 of them, one-of-a-kind. Unmatchable.

Rely on Benjamin Moore for premium quality and Gennex Color Technology, which makes our long-lasting colors, all 3,500 of them, one-of-a-kind. Unmatchable.

ARBORCOAT® Exterior Stain in Solid brings beautiful Benjamin Moore® color to outdoor wood surfaces while letting a hint of the natural grain to still show through. The waterborne stain o ers maximum protection against the elements while creating a striking aesthetic.

to still show through. The waterborne stain o ers maximum

Stain

ARBORCOAT® Exterior Stain in Solid brings beautiful Benjamin Moore® color to outdoor wood surfaces while letting a hint of the natural wood grain to still show through. The waterborne stain o ers maximum protection against the elements while creating a striking aesthetic.

ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS.

ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS.

ARBORCOAT® Exterior Stain in Solid brings beautiful Benjamin Moore® to outdoor wood surfaces while letting a hint of the natural wood grain to still show through. The waterborne stain o ers maximum protection against the elements while creating a striking aesthetic.

ARBORCOAT solid is available in 3,500-plus Benjamin Moore® colors. But if you’re not sure where to begin, consider one of these popular hues, curated by the color experts at Benjamin Moore.

ADVICE FROM to learn more.

ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS.

ARBORCOAT solid is available in 3,500-plus Benjamin Moore® colors. But if you’re not sure where to begin, consider one of these popular hues, curated by the color experts at Benjamin Moore.

ARBORCOAT solid is available in 3,500-plus Benjamin Moore® colors. you’re not sure where to begin, consider one of these popular hues, curated by the color experts at Benjamin Moore.

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