Thinking about painting a smaller room, or a room without a lot of natural light? Most people who are thinking of painting a darker room reach for very light colors, trying to combat the lack of natural light. Professional painters know that’s not always the best option. Here’s the inside scoop!

Interior painting with mid tones are perfect for rooms with no windows.

Dark paint colors

When painting rooms with Northern exposure, rooms with no windows, or rooms where not enough daylight comes in because of the trees etc are blocking sunlight from the window, dark paint colors are the worst choice. Interior paint colors like burgundy, chocolate or navy blue may look great on a color chip or in a big house with large windows and plenty of sunlight. But use the same colors in an already dark room, and you are guaranteed to get a depression pretty soon – the room will look gloomy 24/7.

Dark colors can be depressing in a small room with no windows.

Light paint colors

Here’s the kicker: very light, pale colors are also a bad choice for dark rooms. Contrary to what you may have been led to believe, pale colors do not make dark rooms seem lighter. What they do is make the walls look dirty. With pale or pastel paint colors (including most shades of white), you need a lot of natural light to see the color undertone. That’s why whites and pastels look best in sunny rooms, where you can see the nuances of shades. You turn on the lights every time you walk into a dark room anyway, even if it’s painted a very light color. Have you noticed that a pale color doesn’t help add light by itself and you still need to use artificial lighting? White and other pale colors in a dark room simply don’t make sense – they don’t get the job done. Another painting contractor scoop is that the light color you pick for a dark room will look nothing like the shade you saw on a color chip. You won’t be able to see the undertones that make the color interesting. All you will see will be gray shadows, even with the lights on.

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Mid-tones are the colors you see right in the middle of a color strip. They are deep enough to let you see the actual color both in daytime and in the evening. In other words, they fulfill the purpose of using color in a home, which is to add something to a room – warmth, style, character and atmosphere. But they are not as deep as to make your room look gloomy. For darker rooms, mid-tone room paint colors are not too dark, not too light, but just right! Still feeling lost? We’re here to help. Call us for a free painting estimate and our experienced painters can help you pick the perfect color for any space.