Whilst North facing rooms are notoriously tricky to tackle, South facing rooms come with their own set of (albeit lovely) problems.
Sunny south facing rooms typically receive a lot of beautiful light throughout the day, and whilst virtually any colour works in a setting like this, you do need to be careful what colours you choose so they balance the intensity of the sun, and stop it from feeling overly hot, especially in the summer months.
Farrow and Ball is one of my favourite paint brands, so here are some of their best paint shades that are perfect for adapting to conditions in sunny south facing rooms.
Step Away From The Bright White
Before we get into it, I just wanted to say, step away from the bright white.
A pure, brilliant white may feel like an easy solution that will create a bright and breezy aesthetic, but team it with swathes of sunlight and it can make a room feel clinical and uncomfortable to be in.
There’s nothing wrong with using a white, but you just need to choose one with undertones that are sympathetic to the light the room receives (more about that later!).
Below is an example to show you how different our very sunny south facing downstairs toilet looks with a bright white, and with its finished paint colour, Sulking Room Pink. This photo was taken on the very same day, with the same light coming through.
You can see on the left how, the space lacks character, is bright and feels uncomfortable. Then in contrast, the Sulking Room Pink beautifully balances the intensity of the sun, delivering a really moody, dusky quality. There’s also definition, you can see the curves in the space, and it adds character.
Now, let’s get onto how to choose!
The Best Farrow and Ball South Facing Room Paint Colours
From perfect off-whites for a south facing room to bold and brilliant pinks, there are so many rich colours in the Farrow and Ball collection, but here are some of my favourites that look amazing in sunny spaces.
Wevet
Virtually any off-white goes in a south facing room, but if you want to balance the intensity of the sun, look for whites with a grey or green undertone.
Wevet is one of my personal favourites, and we have it in our recently renovated bathroom as shown below. It brings the most softest, subtle white to our space and makes it feel cool during the height of the sun.
It’s described as a delicate white with a hint of grey and it actually works beautifully with so many colours. We have it teamed with Parma Gray on our woodwork and vanity unit, whilst the brass accents stop the room from feeling too cool.
Blackened
If you want something with a slightly darker grey undertone, Blackened is a beautiful choice. This is Farrow and Ball’s coolest white and is perfect for industrial interiors or those with a minimal look.
If you have a very sunny south facing room, this is just the perfect colour to balance the intensity whilst keeping the interior cool.
Parma Gray
This is one of my all time favourite light blues from Farrow and Ball, and it just feels so bright, breezy and coastal in a space.
Whether you have a modern, traditional or coastal inspired interior, it’s a perfect all-rounder blue that works beautifully with a range of colours. We have it paired with Wevet but it would work well with most other whites including Wimborne White.
De Nimes
A down to earth and grounding blue, if you want something a bit more sultry with depth, De Nimes fits the bill. This gorgeous blue would work in pretty much any room, whether you want a soothing bedroom scheme or a sophisticated utility space.
I adore the mustard yellow pops of colour on the bedding next to it, it really adds an uplifting shade against De Nimes.
Mizzle
Mizzle is one of Farrow and Ball’s most popular green shades, there’s something so easy on the eye about this colour. The addition of green pigment diminishes any cool blue tones, so it’s the perfect shade for a south facing room.
Pair with black accents as beautifully demonstrated below, it will define your colour scheme and pull the room together.
Card Room Green
Perhaps you want to lean into the dark side too? You can get away with going a bit darker in a south facing room as it will balance that sunlight perfectly.
If you don’t want to colour drench, opt for an off-white on the ceiling to draw the eye up. Wevet or Wimborne White makes for a great pairing.
I love brass accents with a shade like this, whether traditional or earthy inspired – this shade works well with a myriad of design styles.
Sulking Room Pink
I might be biased as I have it in my downstairs toilet now, but it’s honestly the most perfect pink for a sunny south facing room.
This pink is a muted rose with enormous warmth, it brings a rich, sultry quality to a room and it pairs well with a range of colours. Introduce whites, black accents, brass, blue, green, or even mustard yellow for a warm pop of colour.
Oxford Stone
If you still want to go for something warm in a south facing room, I recommend leaning into warm neutrals instead of a yellow based white.
Oxford Stone is a pared back taupe and is versatile for any room, no matter the orientation. We have it in our north facing bedroom and it looks like a cream, khaki or mushroom taupe shade, depending on the light that you look at it in.
I love its versatility too as it pairs beautifully with so many colours. I love adopting an earthy colour scheme with this shade – add greens, terracotta, creams, blacks and even blues into the equation.
London Stone
If you want a slightly darker neutral, London Stone is a beautiful alternative. A warm and timeless brown that’s not only on-trend, but it brings depth and character to new build homes and beyond.
Just like Oxford Stone, there really isn’t a colour that doesn’t work with this F&B shade in a colour scheme.
French Gray
Cooler tones work well in south facing rooms, especially if they can get overly bright and hot during the hottest times of the day. Opting for blue or grey toned shades will help to balance the suns intensity, creating a more comfortable, soothing colour scheme.
French Gray is a perfect shade to lean on in sunnier rooms. It’s a soothing grey green, so you have the coolness of grey, but also the warmth of green which shines through. It has a metamorphic quality to it and flicks between these two different colours as it receives light throughout the day.
How gorgeous does it look in the below bedroom with the warmth of the brass accents?
Blue Gray
Finally, another cool blue grey that’s too good not to mention. Blue Gray contains a subtle mix of blue, green and black pigments for the most soothing and cocooning shade.
It looks like a grey, blue and a sage green depending on what light you look at it in. A great base colour for an earthy inspired, traditional or modern interior design scheme.
There are SO many gorgeous shades in the Farrow and Ball collection, and these are just a few of my favourites that are perfect for south facing rooms.
If you have any questions about using specific colours in your scheme and what to pair them with, please leave me a comment below and I’ll come straight back. I also have a video for more information on south facing rooms and picking paints below.
