West-facing · Living room · colors from 6 paintings
North West Facing Living Room Colors for Cool Mornings and Warm Evenings
A north west facing living room is cool and flat in the morning and glows orange in the evening. Cool or neutral wall colors balance that evening warmth, and the four wall colors here, measured from paintings, range from LRV 39 to 56.
Quick answer
For walls, try the soft green #B3CAC1 or the blue-gray #A1A9AE. Use #3C584F for a bookcase or door, and #343224 for small dark touches.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Wall colors
#B3CAC1LRV 56
Pale Sea Green
A light green with an LRV of 56, bright enough for the morning gloom and calm in evening orange. It comes from Renoir's "Lunch at the Restaurant Fournaise (The Rowers' Lunch)".
A light gray with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 50, a gentle choice if you want warmth without orange. It was measured from Boucher's "Washerwomen".
A very dark color with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 3, suited to a frame, a table base or a lamp. It comes from Poussin's "Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun".
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
Late afternoon
North light
Evening lamps
Pale Sea Green
Light Putty Gray
Plain Stone Gray
Cool Fog Blue
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 Lunch at the Restaurant Fournaise (The Rowers' Lunch).
What wall color suits a north west facing living room?
The room has two moods. Mornings are cool and even, because the light comes in indirectly. Late afternoon and evening bring warm, orange light from the west. A good wall color holds up in both.
The light green #B3CAC1 has an LRV of 56, so it keeps the room open in the morning, and its green undertone stays calm in evening orange. The putty gray #C0BBAB at LRV 50 is the warmest option and works if you find cool rooms uncomfortable.
For a cleaner, more neutral look, the stone gray #AAA8A6 has no clear undertone. The fog blue #A1A9AE is the coolest. It can look flat in the morning, so use it where you want a calm, quiet effect.
What furniture and trim colors go with these walls?
Cool and neutral walls need some warmth in furniture and textiles. The suggested wood tone for the green wall scheme is #8B6B4A, a warm brown, which stops the green from feeling cold.
For dark accents, #3C584F at LRV 9 is a good green for a bookcase or a door. #343224 at LRV 3 works for a lamp base or picture frames, and it is dark enough to anchor a pale sofa without looking harsh.
Choose trim and ceilings in a soft white that does not clash with the wall. A white with a slight warmth will look better than a cold, bright white in the evening. Hold a white sample against the wall before choosing.
How do these colors look as the light moves?
In the morning, a west-facing room gets no direct sun, so colors look cooler and a little darker than their chip. The blue-gray #A1A9AE can look almost slate. In the afternoon, the room gets brighter and the walls pick up warmth.
In the evening, direct sun turns everything amber. A cool green or blue-gray absorbs some of that warmth and looks balanced. A warm putty can become quite yellow-orange, so if you choose #C0BBAB, test it carefully at that hour.
After dark, your own bulbs take over. Warm bulbs soften cool walls, and white bulbs keep them crisp. Choose the bulbs before you finalize the wall color.
How do you test paint in a west facing room?
Paint a large sample on the window wall and another on the wall opposite it. West-facing rooms often look different on each wall, so one patch is not enough.
Watch each sample at three times: early morning, around 3 p.m. and at sunset. If a color looks good at all three, it will work.
Keep the dark colors in mind as well. Paint a small board of #3C584F and place it beside the wall sample to judge how they feel together. The commercial paints listed are the closest measured matches, so check real chips against your board before you buy.
FAQ
What colors are best for a west facing living room?
Cool and neutral colors balance the warm evening light. Try the soft green #B3CAC1, the gray #AAA8A6 or the blue-gray #A1A9AE.
Do west facing rooms need warm or cool paint?
Usually cool or neutral, because the evening sun adds warmth. A warm putty gray can work, but test it at sunset.
What is the LRV of the lightest wall color here?
#B3CAC1 has an LRV of 56, which is the highest of the four wall colors.
Can I use a dark green in a west facing living room?
Yes, on a bookcase, door or accent wall. #3C584F has an LRV of 9 and holds up well in evening light.
How long should I watch a sample before deciding?
Check it at three times of day: early morning, mid-afternoon and sunset. Do this on at least two walls.
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 Lunch at the Restaurant Fournaise (The Rowers' Lunch), Pierre-Auguste Renoir
