and clear, it may emphasise green-based or cool whites. The walls in east-facing rooms will be shadowy from mid morning onwards. Try Resene Half Spanish White which stays light even when the sun passes and doesn’t develop too much green undertone. Or try Resene Half Tea. West facing rooms that receive the low rays of sun will benefit from mid-toned muted colours as the rosy natural light will enhance cream, beige and taupe until they turn peach or terracotta. Look at using colours like Resene Half Fossil, Resene Perfect Taupe and Resene Eighth Malta Exceptions to the light rule A green cast may appear In rooms where natural light is filtered through trees growing close to the house.. Light coming through opaque glass will soften any colour. The same colour seen in a room with floor to ceiling picture windows will intensify. In tropical countries, pure white will take on an almost fluorescent tone. In cold countries, natural light is filtered through layers of mist and cloud, and natural colours are grey based. If the same colours are used in countries with clear natural light they can look either ‘dirty’ or much brighter. Extremely bright glary rooms may benefit from a flat (matte) paint finish, such as Resene SpaceCote Flat. Very dim rooms, and hallways, may benefit from low sheen or higher sheen paint finishes, such as Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen and Resene Lustacryl (semi-gloss). Resene Half Ecru White Right: Resene Ecru White walls. test your colours The best way to see how colours react in different rooms is to test them. Using Resene testpots, paint two coats of your chosen colour onto a piece of A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving an unpainted border around the edges so your eye focuses on the reality of the colour. Move the card from wall to wall and from room to room, watch how it changes not only with the light but against other colours in the room. To see how one colour will look on all four walls, roll the card so the colour is innermost and look down into it. This will give you an idea of how the colour will intensify once it is on all walls. If you don’t like the effect that you see, talk to the staff at your Resene ColorShop about alternatives. Resene Half Joanna | 21