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How the Paint Colors In Our Home Shift Over a Single Day

We’re comparing how the paint colors in our home shift over the course of a single day, from AM to PM.

living room in the morning

Lighting is the single most important thing to how a space feels. Period, full stop. We scroll through Instagram and Pinterest to be filled with inspiration, and we almost expect to be served beautiful, evenly-lit interiors. Overhead lighting and harsh shadows can be difficult to photograph, but I gave myself the challenge of photographing 5 rooms in our home at different times over the course of a single day. I wanted to share with you how different rooms + paint colors look when being warmed by the afternoon sun, cooled by the evening air, and lit by sconces and pendants.

entryway in the evening

playroom in the afternoon

More than anything, I thought it would be fun! Although I rarely show a photo of our living room in the afternoon, it’s actually my very favorite time of day to soak in the space. Our west-facing window soaks up the sun, highlighting every dust mote and smear on the glass, sure, but it also dances on Lucy’s face, warms the room and feels, somehow, nostalgic.

Living Room | Benjamin Moore Intense White

Benjamin Moore Intense White in our living room at different times of day | via Yellow Brick Home
8 AM | 4PM | 8PM

Benjamin Moore’s Intense White is in our living room, dining room and kitchen. It’s a soft white with green undertones that leans neutral in the morning, warm in the afternoon and cool in the evenings. The living room receives west facing light.

Living Room Sources | sectional | pouf | coffee table | floor lamp | marble end table | sconce (similar) | artwork | rug (similar) | armchair | striped throw

Entryway | Valspar Milk Toast

Valspar's Milk Toast in our entryway at different times of day | via Yellow Brick Home
8 AM | 8 PM

We fall more in love with our entryway every day. We painted it Valspar’s Milk Toast a few months ago, and a color has never felt so right in our home! In natural light, it’s a soft taupe-y blush. In the evening, the entryway light saturates the color in the best way. The entryway receives west facing light.

Entryway Sources | tile | light | medallion | stair runner | floor mirror

Snug | Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal

Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal in our snug at different times of day | via Yellow Brick Home
8 AM | 8 PM

Kendall Charcoal is a beautiful chameleon. It has soft green undertones, which make our snug appear warm most of the day. In the evenings, it reads as a deep green-blue! The snug receives north facing light.

Snug Sources | rug | sconces | cushion | bookcaseball knobs | speaker | stool

Playroom | BEHR Pale Bud

BEHR Pale Bud in our playroom at different times of day | via Yellow Brick Home
4 PM | 8 AM

I paired this image in reverse (with the later timestamp on the left), so I could show off the shadow play this room receives in the late afternoon! BEHR’s Pale Bud is the softest shade of pure pink, so much so, that it reads almost as a pure white. The playroom receives west and south facing light.

Playroom Sources | credenza (similar) | seagrass basket | living wall planter | craft table | rope basket | ceiling pendant | lion lamp | rocking chair | mirror | curtains | rug

Primary Bedroom | Benjamin Moore Raccoon Fur

Benjamin Moore Raccon Fur in our primary bedroom at different times of day | via Yellow Brick Home
8 AM | 4 PM | 8 PM

We painted our primary bedroom Benjamin Moore’s Raccoon Fur in 2016 and never looked back. It’s an almost-black with blue undertones, reading as navy in the early morning and evenings. The bedroom receives east facing light.

Primary Bedroom Sources | headboard | sconce | end table | room darkening curtains | linen bedding | lumbar pillow | alarm clock

I would love to see photos of your home in beautiful, scroll-stopping lighting. Tag us @yellowbrickhome so we can see and share, too!

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  • Rachel7.28.21 - 6:44 AM

    This is such a creative idea for a post, Kim! I love seeing your home like this. ReplyCancel

  • Sara7.28.21 - 7:01 AM

    This is delightful! Favorite post in ages x ReplyCancel

  • Megan Powell7.28.21 - 8:00 AM

    This is amazing! Why don’t we see this more from home blogs like you! Light is so important in showcasing the colour and even how a home feels. It’s not always that beautiful, even light that photographs the best. Thank you for this post! ReplyCancel

    • Kim7.28.21 - 9:13 AM

      I think uneven lighting is so tricky to photograph… that it’s easier not to, haha. This was a fun challenge for me (especially as a photography nerd), and I’m hopeful it will encourage others to give it a try!ReplyCancel

  • Brittany7.28.21 - 9:44 AM

    Loved this post!ReplyCancel

  • Cici Haus7.28.21 - 10:01 AM

    This was such a fun post! Thank you for sharing.ReplyCancel

  • Sarah7.28.21 - 12:49 PM

    Love this idea! Would be interesting to do more transitions in an animated gif too- maybe by using a tripod? Just a thought!ReplyCancel

  • meredith7.28.21 - 2:01 PM

    As a color & light person I love this post so, so much. Could not imagine better colors for your space!ReplyCancel

  • Cheryl7.28.21 - 2:59 PM

    Our previous home in Orlando received a lot of great natural light – but time of day and direction of the light made an amazing difference. Your two and three panel pictures really emphasize that effect – so very helpful for seeing how different paint colors can change throughout the day. Thanks!
    Our living room faced east and was painted an almost white, pale pink – that shifted from looking pink to white to lavender throughout the day. At the time we used GE Reveal incandescent light bulbs so at night the color was fairly true to it’s actual pale pink.
    Our bedroom faced west and was painted a pale peach – in the late afternoon it appeared to glow. I had originally painted it a slightly deeper coral but it was just too much – it wasn’t restful.
    I’m hoping as we paint our current home it will begin to feel more like us. The previous owner used medium gold and sage green in the main rooms – but there are porches front & back and most of the windows are small so it seems dark even at high noon. Since we tend towards blues, burgundy and pinks I’m going to once again use an almost white, pale pink – first up is a hallway with seven doors!ReplyCancel

    • Scott7.28.21 - 3:54 PM

      It’s so tricky! Colors that work perfectly in one home look completely out of place in another. Three cheers for sample pots!ReplyCancel

  • Stacy7.29.21 - 7:33 AM

    I also have a west-facing living space, and it’s honestly kind of discouraging to see so many posts online about the idea that east/west facing light isn’t desirable because it’s “uneven.” I absolutely love the shadows that the light casts in my home, they’re so interesting and beautiful! If you’re looking for a future post idea, I’d be VERY interested to see these same spaces photographed at the same time(s) of day six months from now so we can admire the seasonal changes in the light as well!ReplyCancel

  • Susan7.29.21 - 8:44 AM

    This is an interesting post because almost all interior shots for decor have the same lighting. Way to mix it up!ReplyCancel

  • Julie Marquez7.29.21 - 10:52 AM

    So cool to see all the pictures together and see how different the wall colors look! I think the time stamps on the primary bedroom are missing (or they just didn’t show up for me?) I real life, I love a harsh sunny spot with afternoon sunlight, but I see how you have to time your photography to capture a more smooth image. Fun postReplyCancel

  • […] Paint colors can shift over a single day […]ReplyCancel

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We’re Kim + Scott, Chicago based content creators behind the Home + Lifestyle brand Yellow Brick Home.

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