Colors, lights and combinations to enhance painting

The starting point is natural light : exposure, window size, and the presence of external obstacles. North-facing rooms, with cooler and more constant light, tend to favor warm colors and soft neutrals (sand, light dove gray, greige, pinkish beige). South- and west-facing rooms, with warmer and more intense light, also tolerate light grays, crisp whites, and slightly cooler shades well.

White remains a powerful tool, but it's never just one color: there are warmer, cooler, and more neutral whites. In living rooms and bedrooms, slightly warm whites often work best, pairing well with wood and fabrics; more neutral or slightly cooler whites are ideal in very modern spaces, perhaps paired with concrete-effect floors and black accents.

Neutral shades— greige, dove gray, sand, and warm grays—are excellent bases for the entire home: they never tire, allow for furniture and accessories to be swapped out over time, and create welcoming spaces. These bases can be used to create accent walls in bolder colors: sage green, petrol blue, anthracite gray, or soft terracotta, ideal behind headboards, behind sofas, or on walls framing a passageway or specific area.

In hallways and passageways, where spaces are often narrow and long, overly dark colors on all the walls risk closing off the space. Light walls can work well here, perhaps with slightly darker lower parts or accent colors around niches, doors, and light openings.

The interplay of color and suspended ceilings/vaults allows for a subtle change in proportions: ceilings and vaults that are lighter than the walls visually elevate the space; slightly darker ceilings, or walls painted only up to a certain height, make very tall rooms feel more intimate. Even the choice of leaving white ceilings and colored walls helps give spaces a sense of space.

Artificial lighting completes the picture. Warm color temperatures (2700–3000 K) enhance natural hues, beiges, sands, and soft greens, creating a more domestic atmosphere. Neutral lighting (3000–4000 K) is ideal for workspaces, modern kitchens, and studies; overly cool lighting, however, tends to harshen many colors used in the home.

When choosing paint colors, it's always helpful to test them directly on the walls , using generously sized samples, and observe them at different times of the day. A color that seems perfect in the sample can change significantly depending on the actual lighting, the presence of floors and furnishings, and the direction of the light.