North Facing Bedroom Paint Color: Warm Shades That Work
North light is cool and indirect, so the best paint color for a north facing bedroom is usually warm and fairly light. Four wall colors below have a warm yellow undertone and an LRV from 45 to 67. Two very dark colors are there for a cocooning room or for accents.
Quick answer
Use #DFD6B3 on the walls for the most light, and #E3CAAE or #CFC3A8 for a little more depth. Keep #53442B and #4B342F for a deliberately dark room, a feature wall or woodwork.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Wall colors
#DFD6B3LRV 67
Pale Straw Cream
The best all-wall choice for a dim bedroom. At LRV 67 it bounces the most light of the group, and its warm yellow undertone offsets the cool north light. Measured from Degas's "Portrait after a Costume Ball (Portrait of Madame Dietz-Monnin)" (1879).
A light, warm color with an LRV of 62, good for walls or a bold piece such as a dresser or armchair. It adds a bit more color than the paler cream without darkening the room much. Measured from Corot's "Interrupted Reading" (c. 1870).
Use it for curtains, bedding or a calmer wall color. At LRV 55 it reflects less light than the creams, so the room feels softer and more settled. Measured from Rippl-Rónaï's "Slender Woman with Vase" (1894).
The quietest wall color here, with an LRV of 45 and a warm yellow undertone. It suits a bedroom used mostly in the evening, or larger furniture and built-ins. Measured from Vermeer's "Young Woman with a Water Pitcher" (ca. 1662).
At LRV 6 it absorbs nearly all light, so use it where you want a cocooning feel: all four walls with lamps, or a door, shelves or wood tones. Its warm yellow undertone keeps it from feeling cold. Measured from Dyer's "Seventeenth-Century Interior" (1877).
An LRV of 4 and a warm red-orange undertone make this the richest option. It works behind a bed or on a feature wall, paired with the lighter creams. Measured from Modigliani's "Jacques and Berthe Lipchitz" (1916).
The same paint reads differently in cool north light, warm south sun and under evening lamps. Find the column closest to your room.
Color
Neutral daylight
North light
South light
Evening lamps
Pale Straw Cream
Soft Apricot Sand
Warm Putty Beige
Muted Stone Taupe
Try these colors in a room
Pick which color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and trim follow your choice.
The framed picture on the wall is Portrait after a Costume Ball (Portrait of Madame Dietz-Monnin).
What is the best paint color for a north facing bedroom?
North light is cool and even. It has no warm afternoon sun to soften it, so a gray or blue-leaning color can look flat and chilly. The four wall colors here all carry a warm yellow undertone, which works against that cool cast.
Start with the lightest one. #DFD6B3 has an LRV of 67, so it bounces the most light of the group. On all four walls it keeps a small north bedroom from feeling shut in. #E3CAAE, at LRV 62, is a good next step if you want a little more warmth and depth.
Go lower for a calmer room. #CFC3A8 at LRV 55 and #B8B2A0 at LRV 45 reflect less light, so the room will feel softer and more shaded. The 45 is the quietest of the four and suits a bedroom you mostly use in the evening. Expect every color to look a touch grayer and cooler on the wall than it does on your screen.
Should you paint a north facing bedroom dark?
Deep colors work in north light if you commit to them. The room will not get brighter, so lean into it. A dark bedroom can feel enclosed in a good way: calm, quiet and made for sleep.
#53442B has an LRV of 6 and a warm yellow undertone. It reads as a dark bronze brown. #4B342F has an LRV of 4 and a red-orange undertone, so it looks richer and a little warmer. Both are well below 20, which means they absorb most of the light that reaches them. Paint all four walls, or just the wall behind the bed, and rely on lamps rather than daylight.
If a fully dark room feels like too much, use these colors on a door, built-in shelves, a headboard wall or a piece of furniture. Keep the other walls in #DFD6B3 or #E3CAAE so the room still has some lift. To choose between the two, think about what sits next to them: the bronze suits wood, while the red-brown suits warmer textiles.
What goes with these colors: trim, ceiling, flooring and scheme?
For a simple north facing bedroom color scheme, use one main wall color and a few supports. Try walls in #DFD6B3, a bold piece such as a dresser or armchair in #E3CAAE, textiles in #CFC3A8, main furniture in #B8B2A0 and wood tones near #53442B. That keeps everything in one warm family.
For trim and ceiling, choose a warm white rather than a stark or blue-leaning one. Against a wall with an LRV of 67, a clean warm white gives only gentle contrast, which suits a quiet bedroom. Painting the ceiling the wall color, or one step lighter, avoids a hard line. With the deep colors, a warm white ceiling stops the room from closing in.
For flooring, mid or dark brown wood sits well with these walls. Pale gray flooring can push the room cooler, so warm it up with a rug in #CFC3A8 or #B8B2A0. Layer bedding in the same family, and use warm bulbs in your lamps so the walls keep their glow at night.
How do you test paint samples in a north facing bedroom?
Test in the room itself, not in the store. Paint large samples, at least two feet square, on two different walls. Put one on the window wall and one on the wall opposite, since light changes across a north facing room.
Look at the samples in the morning, at midday and in the evening with lamps on. North light stays cool and steady, so colors shift less during the day than in a sunny room. The bigger change comes at night, when warm bulbs bring out the yellow undertone.
The closest commercial paints are listed with each color on this page. Sherwin-Williams SW 6414 Rice Paddy and Behr MQ3-14 Springday are near-identical to #DFD6B3, and Farrow & Ball No. 71 Pale Hound is very close. Buy sample pots, because screens and printed chips both shift color. Live with each sample for a few days, next to your bedding and floor, and check it from the bed, where you will see it most.
FAQ
What is the best color for a north facing bedroom?
A warm, fairly light color with a yellow undertone, such as #DFD6B3 at LRV 67. It bounces as much light as possible and counters the cool north light.
Can I use white paint in a north facing bedroom?
Yes, but choose a warm white. A stark or blue-leaning white tends to look gray and cold in north light. Use it for trim and ceiling, and let a warm color carry the walls.
Is a dark color a good idea for a north facing bedroom?
It can be. Colors like #53442B (LRV 6) and #4B342F (LRV 4) make a cozy, enclosed room, especially with lamp lighting. For a lighter feel, use them only on one wall, a door or woodwork.
What is the best paint for a north facing bedroom?
Choose the color first. LRV and undertone matter more than the product. A low-sheen finish keeps walls soft, while a glossier finish reflects a little more light but shows flaws.
What are some north facing bedroom decorating ideas?
Keep the palette warm and layered. Pair light walls with wood furniture, textiles in #CFC3A8, and warm lamps. Add one deep accent, such as a dark headboard wall, for contrast.
Save these colors
A card with every color on this page, its LRV and the paintings it comes from. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain (CC0).
Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
From Portrait after a Costume Ball (Portrait of Madame Dietz-Monnin), Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas
