Best Paint Colours for West-Facing Rooms

A close-up of a white kitchen with a white range hood above a stove with open shelves on either side with coloured plates on display.

Paint colours can cast differently depending on the lighting in the space. All light, especially natural light, will make an impact. Learn about rooms that get natural light from the west and discover the best paint colours to balance out “western exposure” below.

Whether north, south, east, or west, the direction a room faces has a powerful effect on the quality of light it receives and the intensity and cast of the colour it is painted.

Some common characteristics of western light:

A west-facing room tends to get indirect and somewhat muted light in the morning, and stronger direct light past noon.
The natural light in a room with western exposure tends to be a warmer cast.
Amber tones are common for light that comes from the west.

How can you balance the bright, warm light of western exposure? Consider warm and cool undertones when choosing a paint colour and opt for cool-toned colours to even out the light.

Natural light has the most impact on softer, subtler paint colours like white, gray and neutral hues. Let’s take a look at the best colours within these colour families for west-facing rooms.

White Paint Colours for West-Facing Rooms

White paint colours that provide varying levels of cool blue tones are best to balance out the warm cast of west-facing lighting.

Gray Paint Colours for West-Facing Rooms

Use a slightly cool-toned gray to balance out the warm tones typical for a west-facing room and breathe elegance into the space.

Neutral Paint Colours for West-Facing Rooms

A greige or neutral with cool undertones can help to counterbalance the golden rays of a room with western exposure and ground the amber-toned light.

Our Colour Experts’ Top Picks for West-Facing Rooms

As the direction of the sun changes throughout the day, rooms with a lot of western exposure will benefit from beautiful golden-hour lighting. Cooler hues can bring a softness to the space as the lighting becomes more direct later in the day.

West-Facing Rooms: Consider the Time of Day

Do you live in an environment with a lot of tree cover? Or in a desert landscape with nothing more than clouds to block the sun? Time of day, season, and location are highly influential when it comes to lighting.

Consider:

Morning light is dim and not as strong as afternoon lighting.

Afternoon lighting yields a warmer cast as the sun makes the transition into the west.

Consider the time of day you use your room with western exposure. A breakfast nook with western exposure may need more artificial lighting and a brighter paint colour, while an office used throughout the day will likely receive ample lighting past noon.

For trim and ceiling paint colours in a west-facing room, look to Chantilly Lace OC-65. This clean and crisp white paint colour works well with all the paint colours in this article.

Pro Tip Spotlight:

Looking for an easier answer?

The following three paint colours are colour and design expert favourites. Known for their versatile undertones and flexibility in a range of exposures, each one works in rooms with multiple sources of light:

As always, it is important to use Benjamin Moore Colour samples to see paint colours in your actual space and observe the effects of your unique lighting conditions.

Pro Tip Spotlight:

As always, it is important to use Benjamin Moore Colour samples to see paint colours in your actual space and observe the effects of your unique lighting conditions.

A variety of paint colour samples in different colours.

West-Facing Rooms: Increase Colour Confidence

It is important to test paint colours prior to purchasing cans, and west-facing spaces are no exception. Your home’s unique lighting conditions, both artificial and natural light, will have a big impact on your paint colours. Make sure you observe your samples throughout the day and evening, so you are aware of all the lighting effects.

Purchase colour samples from your locally owned Benjamin Moore store or our online store. Choose from oversized colour swatches, peel & stick samples, or brush-on paint colour samples. We recommend painting a foam poster board with your brush-on sample so you can easily observe the colours in different lighting and on different walls.

Neutral living room with white walls and an off-white wall mantel, and a white circle coffee table in between two cream couches.

Interior Ideas & Inspiration

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