How to (and how not to) decorate a north-facing room

‘North-facing rooms tend to bring out the green in all colours,’ explains Joa Studholme, Farrow and Ball’s Colour Curator, ‘so if you want to avoid this then look to warm based neutrals like “Jitney”, “Oxford Stone” or “Stony Ground”. Alternatively embrace the cooler north light by using stronger tones like “Sulking Room Pink”, “Brassica” or “Bancha” – deeply saturated colours are perfect for use in north facing rooms.” Interior designer Anna Haines recommends Farrow & Ball’s ‘Oval Room Blue’. ‘I have used it in several projects to great effect. It has a lovely depth of colour and yet feels very comfortable and lived in. We used it in a north-facing family room and it felt wonderfully optimistic given the diminished natural light.’

A north-facing bedroom in Octavia Dickinson’s Georgian townhouse feels particularly smart, with Farrow & Ball’s ‘Lulworth Blue’ walls echoed in the floral trim and blue accents of the red curtains and headboard.

Helen Cathcart

On a similar note, Lonika Chande says: ‘North-facing rooms can feel cool, so I tend to warm them up with colour and texture. Earthy tones like ochre, soft reds, and terracotta work particularly well. A grass cloth or linen-backed fabric on the walls adds instant cosiness and depth, as the weave catches the light throughout the day. It also makes artwork feel beautifully grounded. I also always add some pattern – it softens the space and gives that relaxed, lived-in feel.’

Duncan Campbell and Charlotte Rey of interior design studio Campbell-Rey agree, saying ‘we always think with darker rooms that face north, rather than trying to lighten them with bright colours, we love to embrace the natural richness that you can create in space like these. This might mean a fabric walling treatment in a jewel tone, fully lining the walls with bookshelves, or even a floor-to-ceiling mural to create a space that feels intimate and cosy at any time of the day or night.’

Dark wood panelling gives an enveloping feel to the family room at Edward Bulmer’s Queen Anne house in Herefordshire, only enhanced by fluffy throws on the sofas, and cheerful artworks by family and friends. It’s hard not to feel the room’s cosy atmosphere. When the natural light disappears, great floor lighting helps the room glow.

Lucas Allen

How to decorate a north-facing room

Lighting is a huge consideration in a north-facing room, for obvious reasons, as Nicole concurs: ‘really good lighting is key – think about light at all levels: ceiling, wall and lamp height as this will make it always feel more balanced. You are trying to create more of a natural light to distract from the fact the north-facing room might be darker and require the lights to be turned on more regularly.’ Avoid harsh overhead lighting – it rarely looks good in any room, particularly one that needs more light. Instead fit your lamps with LED bulbs that emit softer, yellower light, as Salvesen Graham recommend. That’s why north-facing rooms make excellent snugs, decked out with walls of bookshelves, cosy armchairs and rugs to bring an extra bit of warmth. A north-facing room can make an excellent library or place to display your more valuable artworks, as old books and paintings are less exposed to sunlight, and thus less likely to fade. Nicole continues, ‘use as much fabric as possible (upholstery and curtains rather than blinds) and make a warm jewel-like room that you want to hunker down in.’