Influence of lighting on colour

Paints, fabrics, wallpaper are all affected by light. This makes it essential to “test” a colour in a room before committing to that colour.

Colour can appear to change depending on the light used to view the colour. Insufficient lighting will dull or darken a colour and excessive lighting will wash the colour out.

There are 3 types of lighting conditions in a room: direct and indirect sunlight and artificial lighting. Direct sunlight is consistent throughout the day , considered to be the “ ideal” light source. Indirect sunlight varies during the day and as such affects the colour in a room.

Artificial light can be divided into warm and cool light. Fluorescent lights give off a green tinge and can really dull warm colours. Some have a blue cast that tends to flatten colours. Incandescent light casts a yellow light usually creating a warmer ambience through highlighting a room’s warm colourations but will dull cool colours.

TIP.

Avoid dark colours in rooms that are exposed to lots of sunlight. The room will heat up quickly and hold the heat for a while. Light cool colours would best in rooms that are exposed to large amounts of sun through the day.