Choosing paint colors in real light

Paint color is never just the color on the chip. It's the chip plus the light in your room, the floor it reflects off and the time of day you see it most.

Start with your light

North-facing rooms get cool, even light all day, which pushes colors toward grey and blue. South-facing rooms get warm, bright light that can wash out pale colors. East and west rooms change dramatically between morning and evening.

Test big, test on more than one wall

A two-inch chip can't show you how a color behaves across a wall. Paint large samples, at least two feet square, on a couple of walls, and look at them in the morning, midday and evening before deciding.

Undertones matter more than the color name

Two "whites" can look nothing alike side by side. Hold samples against something truly white, like printer paper, to see whether they lean yellow, pink, green or blue.

Bring your moodboard

If you've been saving photos on Pinterest or Instagram, look for patterns: are they mostly warm or cool, light or deep, calm or high-contrast? That pattern is a better guide than any single photo.