Best Paint Colors for North-Facing Rooms

A comfy living room with gray-painted built-in bookshelves, white French doors, a white sofa, and brown leather chairs.

All light, especially natural light, affects how a paint color appears on a wall—and ultimately, how a paint color looks in a room. Here, we share the best paint colors for rooms that get natural light from the north, known as northern exposure.

The amount of light that comes from each direction—be it north, south, east, or west—has a powerful effect on a paint color's intensity and cast. Here are some common characteristics of northern light:

A north-facing room tends to get consistent light throughout the day.
The natural light in a room with northern exposure can be muted and toned down
Cool, blue-gray tones are popular for a room with northern exposure.

How can you balance some of the qualities of northern light? Choose a paint color with the right amount of warm and cool undertones, and consider its brightness.

Let’s look at recommendations for north-facing rooms handpicked by our color experts.

White Paint Colors for North-Facing Rooms

Counterbalance the cast of cool northern exposure with a clean, fresh white paint that has a hint of yellow. The three go-to white paint colors below provide varying levels of warmth, depending on how cool (or blue) the lighting is in your north-facing space.

Gray Paint Colors for North-Facing Rooms

We’re often asked to name our “perfect gray” or “true gray.” Our answer? It depends on the lighting. We selected the gray paint colors below for their warm undertones. Each one softens the crisp nature of northern light. And while north-facing rooms may be a bit darker than those with southern exposure, we love leaning into the moody ambience of northern lighting with these three shades of gray.

Neutral Paint Colors for North-Facing Rooms

The muted natural lighting of a north-facing space holds great appeal for many. These neutral paint colors provide soft yellow undertones that balance the coolness of a north-facing room. Hints of golden earth and soft sand add a grounded sensibility and overall warm ambience.

Our Color Experts’ Top Picks for North-Facing Rooms

Bring warmth to the cool, muted lighting of northern exposure with sunny yellows, peachy pinks, and orange-tinged hues. Use the colors below as a starting point to find the perfect color for your space.

North-Facing Rooms: Consider the Season

Natural lighting conditions, like nature itself, are powerful.

Location (think woodsy versus coastal versus desert environments) and the way natural lighting changes throughout the day influence how a paint color appears on a wall.

Seasons also affect how a paint color appears in a north-facing room. Consider:

Winter yields natural light that tends to be cooler and sharper than natural light during the summer.
Summertime lighting can evoke a warmer cast than winter lighting, from the same exact paint color.
Shadows falling on the wall of an already dusky room can appear even darker. Consider painting a shadowed wall a vibrant color. We always love Hawthorne Yellow HC-4, Palladian Blue HC-144, and the warm terra-cotta of Potters Clay 1221 for accent walls in darker spaces.
For the trim and ceiling in a north-facing room, consider White Dove OC-17. This fresh white paint color works beautifully with all the colors in this article, offering clean contrast and a bright outline.
Consider using a higher finish on trim, like semi-gloss or high gloss, to bring reflection and dimension to slightly darker spaces.

Get more tips on how to bring the colors and energy of the great outdoors into your home.

Pro Tip Spotlight:

Looking for an easier answer?

Our color and design experts regularly recommend the following three paint colors for their versatile undertones and flexibility in a range of exposures:

As always, it is important to use Benjamin Moore Color Samples to observe paint colors in your actual space and see how your unique lighting conditions affect them.

Pro Tip Spotlight:

Looking for an easier answer?

Our color and design experts regularly recommend the following three paint colors for their versatile undertones and flexibility in a range of exposures:

As always, it is important to use Benjamin Moore Color Samples to observe paint colors in your actual space and see how your unique lighting conditions affect them.

A variety of paint color samples in different colors.

North-Facing Rooms: Increase Color Confidence

If you have a north-facing space and the paint colors on this page caught your eye, you still have some testing to do.

First, buy a paint color sample from your locally owned Benjamin Moore store or our online store. You can opt for oversized color swatches, peel & stick samples or brush-on paint color samples. If using a brush-on paint sample, we recommend painting a foam poster board so you can easily move it around and observe the colors in different lighting.

Next, see how your selected paint colors look under your home's unique lighting conditions throughout the day and evening, in both artificial and natural light.