Paint Sheens: How light changes wall color
09/02/2008 05:05 PM by Gretchen Schauffler
Color is light and light is color. So when light changes, color changes. South side walls means an extra dose of light and therefore room for more variations, and north side walls means little light so less room for variations—but shadows to deal with. Devine Colors change with light “along with” all the other colors in a room, like your sofa color, rug colors, and so on. The whole room should look different throughout the day, as a color grouping. We created our tint strengths to make this happen and keep the walls from changing on their own. Each color was made to be a perfect MIX & MATCH wardrobe for wood, art, and fabric. They have a natural flexibility—the same depth as natural surfaces, like wood or stone or woven fabrics. Reflection plays a key role in the color and light relationship. The sheen or finish of a color interprets light into a version of the color. Think of paint color as fabric. The same blue in a cotton shirt or a silk shirt will look different. Select a certain Devine paint finish in order to give our color and your wall a specific look. Make things interesting by using different finishes on different walls. Use light and color creatively and you’ll wind up with dynamic rooms in your home. I know that most people do not think about this but paint sheens on walls make a HUGE difference on how a color looks! Think of walls being the LARGEST SURFACE IN YOUR DECOR because they are. So here is why sheen matters. Devine Powder Finish™ and other mattes in the market have little-to-no sheen. This paint sheen absorbs light and makes a dark color darker and a light color “vintage” . Why does this matter? In a room full of aged antiques, patinas, faux-finishes and worn velvet, a nice powdery look on walls plays well with the other surfaces in the room, making the walls part of the ensemble. You would not wear a cotton skirt with a satin blouse, right? So think of mixing and matching paint sheens the same way.
Now, Eggshells make colors lighter because of small levels of reflection. I hate the name eggshell because it makes me think of cracking or being cautious—so I named our version Delicate Wall Finish™ to describe our paint sheen. This is SUCH A GOOD OVERALL SHEEN!. We imitated the sheen of Chiffon because you can wear it with everything, wool, denim, leather, or cotton! It bounces light evenly over large surfaces and glows from within. Higher glosses, like our Devine Luscious™ and our new Devine Smooth Gloss™ coming out this winter makes light bounce of the color, and therefore features the surface as well as the color. Light flashes and catches your eye like a twinkle. So yes, paint sheens are very important in how a color looks and can be used to manipulating light. You have a lot of light coming into your room and you want to balance it? Choose our Powder Finish (matte) to absorb the light. You have a master bathroom and you want more glamour, buy a chandelier and paint with our Luscious Finish for lots of reflection to go along with glass, shiny granites and mirrors. You get the picture right? Let me know.
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For a 24’ x 15’ space with 1 north window would you envision a use of 3 devinegreen colors (in the devinegreen sheen) to provide a “bright” enough effect? Can I vary the sheen with the devinegreen collection? Thanks. Your help has been GREAT.
— Scott Gearheart 09/15/2008 04:42 PM #
Scott:
If the colors are bright, and you have good indoor lighting, then yes. A way to brighten the room is to have strong contrast and variations with the colors. Think of the main focus of the room. If it’s for watching TV you don’t need a lot of reflection but if you are reading or working in the room you do! The devinegreen: Breathable Wall Finish™ is very low sheen (makes the color look moist, not dry). It will reflect light softly. If you need shine, go for the Luscious Wall Finish™. (All of our products are ‘Green’ and sustainable with low VOC #’s less than 50g per liter).
Take pictures and share them with us!
— gretchen Schauffler 09/16/2008 08:46 AM #
I am painting a large 25 yr old bathroom in which I have stripped off all the original wallpaper, but there are some imperfections left on the walls, etc. It’s a long room, with an overhead skylight above the mirror …. Had been thinking of the Luscious sheeen for my colors but wondering if it would show up the imperfections too much? Would Delicate be a better sheen? Or what about the newest ecofriendly sheen option? Thanks so much for your thoughts,
Mary Ellen
— Mary Ellen Ambrose 10/06/2008 08:46 PM #
Sorry it took me a minute to write back, I have been blogging like crazy with projects. Go Powder Finish if you are very picky about nicked walls. Thanks so much for your comment on the blog! Here is the article on our paint finishes you may want to read. About Our Paint Sheens. All Devine Products meet South Coast Air Quality Management District (Los Angeles Basin) for VOC Regulations. They are the strictest in the Nation. All finishes are below 50 Grams per liter, and our devinegreen™ finish is 99% VOC FREE. The number generally accepted for a low-VOC paint is less than 50 grams per liter; a zero-VOC paint has fewer than 5 grams per liter. (All Devine Color products are less than 50 and devinegreen is only 1.4. grams per liter)
— gretchen Schauffler 10/10/2008 10:31 AM #
I want to paint one wall black and the others white in my sons bedroom. which wall should i paint black. The wall facing the window or the window wall
— Celia McGuirk 11/01/2008 05:12 PM #
Celia:
Paint the window wall and it will frame the window nicely! We have fab blacks in our new devinegreen line. Devine Piping is a nice soft black and Devine Leather is a deep black. I recommend the Powder Wall Finish if you want it to look even darker.
Send pictures!
— gretchen Schauffler 11/02/2008 02:10 PM #
I have a smallish bedroom in a 50’s style ranch house. It’s in the NW corner of the house. I love Divine Spruce because I find it so relaxing. Question is how to paint the ceiling to make the room look bigger; and which sheen to use?
— jc 01/05/2009 09:43 AM #
JC:
Devine Spruce is amazing. I love the Delicate Wall Finish in bedrooms because of how color glows from within the walls at night with the light when I read. All of our paint finishes have a design purpose and a practical purpose. Read What You Should Know About Our Paint Finishes. Read On the ceiling choose a complimentary neutral to give the ceiling warmth and soften the “outline” between wall and ceiling. Think of it this way, a room with no outlines look bigger. You may not want Devine Spruce on the wall and ceiling so go for ceiling paint colors like Devine Pecan, Filbert, Latte or Sumatra. Happy painting! There is nothing better than to start the new year with in great color.
— gretchen Schauffler 01/05/2009 12:09 PM #
Thank you for the great suggestions. I am totally planning to use one of those for the ceiling. In which case, what would you suggest for the trim (around windows, closet, etc.? That same shade or white? I want the room to look fresh and clean, but do you think white would be too stark in light of the other colors?
— jc 01/05/2009 12:42 PM #