HOW TO DECORATE A north facing room

Ah, the North facing room - always a tricky one when it comes to colour and decorating. There are several reasons a North facing room is harder to decorate and pick a colour for than those more fortunate East, South, West facing rooms and there are several reasons why:

1. No direct  sunlight. Being in the northern hemisphere, North facing rooms tend to receive no direct sunlight 
2. This lack of direct sunlight means the light coming into the room can be a bit greyer and flatter, making a room feel colder
3. With East, South, West facing rooms, the light changes throughout the day. However, in a North facing room, the light tends to stay the same throughout the day. 

So, the question is, how to bring a bit of light, colour and warmth to a rather cold, grey room? 

PAINT COLOURS
Starting off with the basics, picking the right paint colour for a North facing room is crucial. Make sure to use colours with warm base tones. You could go for a warm neutral such as Farrow and Ball's Wimbourne White or Edward Bulmer's Rose Tinted White or if you are feeling a bit bolder go for something with a slightly stronger tone (but still warm!). Personally, I love to bring in a bolder red or taupe such as Edward Bulmer's 'Brick- - a personal favourite, or Mink by Paint and Paper Library.

Wimbourne White

Farrow & Ball

Rose Tinted White

Edward Bulmer

Mink

Paint & Paper Library

Brick

Edward Bulmer

While I'm a big fan of reds, oranges and browns and they do bring an extra oomph of warmth, don't be discouraged from using blues and greens as well. While a lot of blues can make a North facing room feel even colder (steer clear of the pale blues), something bold such as Cerullian Blue by Edward Bulmer, when combined with rich fabrics and textures can add a real sense of drama and actually make a room feel more cocooned and cosy. The same applies to greens, go for something with plenty of depth such as Card Room Green by Farrow and Ball. Olive tones are another favourite of mine such as Benjamin Moore's Wethersfield Moss.

FURNITURE AND FABRICS

Once you've landed on your perfect paint colour, a North facing room can be made to feel warmer with clever use of furniture and fabrics. One of the benefits of having a North facing room is that it can be a great room to keep more precious furniture and paintings as they are less likely to fade from direct sunlight. Wooden furniture, particularly antiques in a darker finish tend to have a warmer feel to them and bring a lot of character to a space. Add lots of colour and pattern with rich carpets - this is where a traditional Persian rug, a striped jute rug or a kilim would be perfect! 

Curtains or blinds will also bring a lot of warmth to a room. If you are going for curtains, I would suggest lined and interlined curtains to add a sense of volume and making the room feel really cosy - particularly for long winter nights.

Cerullian Blue

Edward Bulmer

Card Room Green

Farrow & Ball

Wethersfield Moss

Benjamin Moore

LIGHTING

Last and most definitely not least - lighting. This is probably the most important factor to consider when decorating a North facing room. Where possible, avoid using overhead lighting, particularly spotlights and opt for low level floor and table lights. Make sure they have LED bulbs which give off a warmer and softer light. Wall lights can also be a great alternative to pendant and spotlights. Go for something which can have a fabric shade such as Alice Palmer's gorgeous pleated shades or Samarkand's sari lampshades as these will help bring a softeness and warmth to the room. 

Persian Rug

McGee & Co.

Striped Jute

Bombay Sprout (dog not included!)

Kilim Rug

Pinterest