Best Paint Colors for Low-Light Rooms

Just about every home has at least one space that isn’t very bright during the day. It may be a bathroom, guest room, or den. A dimly lit room can also affect individuals with the seasonal affected disorder (SAD), especially if it is a room where they happen to spend most of their time.  So, if you have a place in your home that isn’t getting as much natural light as you would like, brightening it up is as easy as painting the room a different color.  

White isn’t Always Right

Sometimes lighter paint colors aren’t always the best choice. For example, one mistake many people make is painting a low-lit room white to add brightness. The problem with white is that a low-lit room doesn’t have enough light for the white paint to reflect. It will have the opposite effect and make the room appear darker.

Mellow Out with Yellow

If you have a space that you wish had more sunshine, then yellow is an excellent choice.  Think of yellow as the color of the sun. It brings warmth and cheerfulness to a dark and dreary room. Behr’s Surfboard Yellow, for instance, has an earthy undertone making it an appealing color for kitchens, bathrooms, and even a guest bedroom. Finish the space with white furniture, and you’ll have a bright and elegant space. 

Vibrant Orange

Orange is one of the most vibrant paint colors and can make an excellent choice for any room with low lighting. However, consider choosing warmer shades of orange like pumpkin, tangerine, persimmon, carrot, and apricot. To make the space look even more fantastic, accent the room with white or neutral furnishings. It will tame orange’s flame and help avoid washing out its desired effect. Stay away from black accents, though, unless you intend the space to look spooky like Halloween.

Powder Blue is Smart

Many don’t think of blue when it comes to brightening low-lit rooms. While it may be a darker color, its reflective properties will add brightness to your room. For a space like a bathroom, blue, like Benjamin Moore’s Mediterranean Breeze, can work wonders to bring out the light with a luxurious appearance. The best thing is that it works not only for bathrooms but also for other spaces such as bedrooms and hallways. White or grey furnishings will make the room look smart. 

Daring to Go Pink

Pink is a bold choice, but it can do wonders to brighten a darker room with an aesthetic appeal. Choose softer shades like seashell or pale rose. Save the bolder shades for accent walls.

Brighten Your Day with a Little Gray 

Gray is a neutral color, so it complements just about any color. It’s between black and white on the reflective scale making it an excellent choice when you want to bring in some more light without overdoing it. You can also include some bright accents such as pink fabrics to add warmth to the space. Behr’s Irish Mist is a cool choice for bathrooms or bedrooms that don’t have a lot of natural light. It pairs well with white trim.