# Do you find it's better to work in a dark or bright painted room for at home studio?



## bleupalmtree (Apr 11, 2022)

So I'm looking to finally put together my little work space in what you call a guest/spare room (11x13). But the paint is just BLEH! I want the room I'm in to be comfortable and give off good vibes to get the juices flowing.

So right now I'm looking at paint from Sherwin Williams called DARK NIGHT which I really love. But then I'm thinking about it, it's a really dark paint color; nice but dark. If I paint all four bedroom walls that color I don't know if I'd be depressed and wanting to run out that door! Of course the ceiling will be white (pure white from Sherwin Williams) but I don't know. I could paint just one wall that color (dark night) and have it be a feature/accent wall then do the rest of the walls white along with the ceiling.

Not sure... What do you think? Do you find it better to work in a dark painted room or you prefer more bright, vibrant colors to keep you from going insane?


Let me hear your thoughts


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## vancomposer (Apr 11, 2022)

Dark colors make a small room appear even smaller and I say its true and my room is super tiny.

So my vote for bright white and then use some LED for ambience lights.

Also maybe read about the 60-30-10 rule.


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## David Kudell (Apr 11, 2022)

Picking paint colors is tough. Since Sherwin Williams doesn’t do samples, I’d highly recommend going to Home Depot and getting a few different samples you can paint on your wall, because you’ll never know until you see it on your wall with your lighting conditions. BTW, Home Depot can make the Sherwin Williams colors too.


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## Justin L. Franks (Apr 11, 2022)

Use Dark Night for the wall behind your computer desk, and a lighter color on the other three.


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## alcorey (Apr 11, 2022)

Absolutely a personal preference. For myself, I like to see what is in front of me and what I'm exposed to and in a dark room (which I've had to work in) that means I will probably need some "artificial lighting" to focus on what I want to see. Daylight is always my first choice - it's natural and easy on the eyes. 
I have one wall in my studio which has an 8 foot sliding door to the outside along with 42" wide floor to ceiling windows on both sides of the door (equaling 15 total feet). They face almost north, so direct sunlight is not a problem - and I have sheer curtains to filter the light from them (which are mostly always closed because they provide an ample amount of light while also affording privacy) and also second tier "absolute dark" curtains to isolate the room if I want that darker mood.

The remaining walls we painted with Benjamin Moore's "Revere Pewter" - a mild neutral gray - which is a calming shade - both day and night - regardless of the light source.

For me, it's been the best studio I've ever built (this is my 5th - all home studios mind you) nevertheless, I truly enjoy being in this room and I can say the choice of paint color (noted above) 
has been a fantastic choice. Anyone who has experience choosing paint colors can testify - what an absolutely difficult process this can be.

Good luck @bleupalmtree and be sure to let us know how you proceed


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## KEM (Apr 11, 2022)

Personally I like light colors and having a lot of natural sunlight, if the room is dark I just get sleepy


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## alcorey (Apr 11, 2022)

KEM said:


> Personally I like light colors and having a lot of natural sunlight, if the room is dark I just get sleepy


So..... are you one of the Seven?


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## KEM (Apr 11, 2022)

alcorey said:


> So..... are you one of the Seven?



Yes, but only if you stack 2 and a half of them on top of each other


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## alcorey (Apr 12, 2022)

KEM said:


> Yes, but only if you stack 2 and a half of them on top of each other


Math, 2.5 + 2.5 + 2.5 .............. but you have a new Mac Studio (I'm jealous) so it all adds up to  (pardon me, I'm Dopey) but I like it!!!


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## ChazC (Apr 12, 2022)

I have bright colours and lighting in the Live room. Darkish colours but both bright & mood lighting to suit in the vocal booth. I ALWAYS mix in the dark, how much more dark could my control room be? None - none more dark. #spinaltap


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## alcorey (Apr 12, 2022)

ChazC said:


> I have bright colours and lighting in the Live room. Darkish colours but both bright & mood lighting to suit in the vocal booth. I ALWAYS mix in the dark, how much more dark could my control room be? None - none more dark. #spinaltap


Mixing in the dark - Springsteen?


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## Bee_Abney (Apr 12, 2022)

So long as there's lots of pink, you'll be fine. Pink and black, a great combination.

If having the room dark, or feeling dark because of the colours, helps you focus your attention it could be a good choice. I like variety, which can be achieved with fairly neutral colours, changeable decorations and mood lighting.


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## Crowe (Apr 12, 2022)

Everyone and their mom will advise you to go towards the light and in a certain sense they're probably right.

Nonetheless you should choose what you like and what makes you feel at peace. I prefer daaahknesss because I never grew out of my angsty teenage phase.

Whatever works eh?


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## jcrosby (Apr 12, 2022)

As a (*quasi*) reformed _goth _kid, I find eggshell to be the color equivalent to satan's asshole.


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## thaeo (Apr 12, 2022)

I went with a similar colour on one wall, with light grey on others which catches indirect coloured mood lighting at night. I was worried it would be too dark and heavy, but contrasted with white cabinets, it really works IMO (feels somewhat nautical, if that's your thing). I suspect the key to keeping dark tones from being too oppressively brooding and cave-like is balancing it out with some pops of colour and contrast. 

I constantly try to write in daylight and find it never works for me. I can do sound design and tweaking "work" stuff, but can't seem to creatively get into a composition until the sun goes down.


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## thaeo (Apr 12, 2022)

Cameron's new studio has a similar palette of dark and light contrasts. 

Lots of angles in this video:


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## Living Fossil (Apr 12, 2022)

bleupalmtree said:


> Not sure... What do you think? Do you find it better to work in a dark painted room or you prefer more bright, vibrant colors to keep you from going insane?


I think the only relevant question is what will work for you?

Close your eyes and imagine yourself sitting in an environment you like. Then pay attention to the color of the wall of your imagined room.


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## Dietz (Apr 12, 2022)

One aspect that receives comparatively little attention is the color temperature of the artificial light. I have quite a lot of daylight (direct sunlight even) in my mix room and _love_ it, but it's only since I've been able to adjust the light temperature to the time of day with the Philips Hue system that I've felt completely at ease. 

In the meantime, I've created a dozen scenes that I simply switch by hand according to whim and need. Only three of them are really important (daytime, twilight, night), but I even have a special light scene for video calls that makes me look less Zombie-like. ;-D ...


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## Jeremy Spencer (Apr 12, 2022)

bleupalmtree said:


> I'm looking at paint from Sherwin Williams called DARK NIGHT which I really love.


I recently painted my studio room, it's even darker than what you've chosen. The floor has a 12x8 faux zebra rug, so with LED mood lighting it's really cool. I love working in this environment.


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## gohrev (Apr 12, 2022)

Nice idea for a topic, OP!

I am moving to a new apartment this week, finally getting a third room that I will dedicate to my STUDIO! (or… lair…). 

Am thinking of leaving two walls white, and the other two a beautiful dark, boudoir-like red. Velvety, if you want. But… I am also considering dark petrol green.


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## Saxer (Apr 12, 2022)

gohrev said:


> Am thinking of leaving two walls white, and the other two a beautiful dark, boudoir-like red. Velvety, if you want. But… I am also considering dark petrol green.


Same decision here between the same colors! I now have dark petrol green side walls and a gray back wall (treated back wall with fabric), white fabric ceiling and light wooden floor. I had complete white walls before for two decades but some color is nicer. Lot of window area though.


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## gohrev (Apr 12, 2022)

You are a man of great taste, Sax


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## MartinH. (Apr 12, 2022)

bleupalmtree said:


> So I'm looking to finally put together my little work space in what you call a guest/spare room (11x13). But the paint is just BLEH! I want the room I'm in to be comfortable and give off good vibes to get the juices flowing.
> 
> So right now I'm looking at paint from Sherwin Williams called DARK NIGHT which I really love. But then I'm thinking about it, it's a really dark paint color; nice but dark. If I paint all four bedroom walls that color I don't know if I'd be depressed and wanting to run out that door! Of course the ceiling will be white (pure white from Sherwin Williams) but I don't know. I could paint just one wall that color (dark night) and have it be a feature/accent wall then do the rest of the walls white along with the ceiling.
> 
> ...



If you want to optimize your workspace based on scientific studies, check this out: 





I don't think it matters a lot whether you paint the room light or dark. You can get depressed either way, and you will if you don't get enough light into your eyes. There are ergonomic concerns with the area behind your screens, if you paint those dark you need to shine more light on them to keep the contrast to the screen low enough, or it's a strain on the eyes. Dark paint will be a bitch to overpaint if you ever need to paint it white again. 

Most importantly I want you to know that if the new studio ends up causing you depression because of too little light, it will feel very counterintuitive. It likely won't be you entering your studio and thinking "Too dark, now I'm sad" and feeling better when you leave the studio. It's probably more a general ever-present feeling of despair and anxiety that may not feel related to anything specific. You might get really jumpy and/or scared by strangers, or you might feel like you want to cry. As your condition worsens, you may feel like you're going insane, because none of it makes any sense and you never feel the causality between the darkness and the depression. It's possible you may even feel drawn _more _to the darkness of your studio because you no longer want to go outside or see people. 

Some people don't _like _dark rooms, and will immidiately feel discomfort in them and say they find them "depressing". However that is not the kind of depression that you get from light deprivation. That one takes some time to develop and will be developed regardless whether you _like_ sitting in the dark all day or not.

I recommend either a light therapy lamp or getting more daylight, to offset the damage a dark studio does to you. You can get this kind of depression in a room with white walls too.


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## Dietz (Apr 12, 2022)

gohrev said:


> Am thinking of leaving two walls white, and the other two a beautiful dark, boudoir-like red. Velvety, if you want.


That could look great! 

-> https://photos.app.goo.gl/Rxc7zQoYyLgqNFSd7


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## cel4145 (Apr 12, 2022)

I would suggest that it probably has a lot to do with what climate you live in, and how much light you have coming in the windows.

I live in Michigan, where it's gloomy a large majority of the time for about 4 to 5 months. So you definitely don't want a room that could reinforce that gloom.

But if you live in sunny Florida, with big windows where the sunlight is coming in all the time during the day, I don't think a darker painted room is going to hurt.


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## thaeo (Apr 12, 2022)

This is a great point. 


MartinH. said:


> Most importantly I want you to know that if the new studio ends up causing you depression because of too little light, it will feel very counterintuitive. It likely won't be you entering your studio and thinking "Too dark, now I'm sad" and feeling better when you leave the studio. It's probably more a general ever-present feeling of despair and anxiety that may not feel related to anything specific. You might get really jumpy and/or scared by strangers, or you might feel like you want to cry. As your condition worsens, you may feel like you're going insane, because none of it makes any sense and you never feel the causality between the darkness and the depression. It's possible you may even feel drawn _more _to the darkness of your studio because you no longer want to go outside or see people.
> 
> Some people don't _like _dark rooms, and will immidiately feel discomfort in them and say they find them "depressing". However that is not the kind of depression that you get from light deprivation. That one takes some time to develop and will be developed regardless whether you _like_ sitting in the dark all day or not.
> 
> I recommend either a light therapy lamp or getting more daylight, to offset the damage a dark studio does to you. You can get this kind of depression in a room with white walls too.


A little off-topic, but as someone living in a dark winter climate, I have found daily morning use of this light visor to be incredibly helpful: https://www.myluminette.com/en-us


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## Steve Lum (Apr 12, 2022)

I was lucky enough to have some control over my room dimensions since I appropriated the back half of my garage, so I am close to exactly the golden ratio. But regardless of that optimal dimensioning, there are still going to be nulls and hot spots, so treatment comes into the picture, which can also end up being part of your color scheme.

I chose to go for the warm and inviting design vision. For me (and it's unique to YOU) I painted the walls with a soft gold, like the color of old parchment, and then I lightly dappled with two shades of slightly darker 'browns' to really bring out that parchment effect. My corner bass traps (floor to ceiling triangle baffles filled with rock wool) are covered by panels I made with drapery material of crimson with intricate and delicate gold patterns. The actual window drapes I also made from upholstery material, again with the delicate gold on crimson, but different pattern for variety.

There are recessed dimmable cans in the corners with shades I made so the light never shines directly into my eyes, and the effect is very warm and inviting. My side reflection baffles are standard Auralex purple, which looks cash over the parchment coloration.

The ceiling is a drop ceiling with 10 inches of fiberglass batts, all covered in four separate 12 x 4 frames, again with the upholstery material, in four different patterns - floral carpetbag, brown/gold japanese maple leaf pattern, purple butterfy pattern on yellow/gold, and lastly an indian rug pattern.

The floor is honey colored Pergo, with a red area rug underneath by mixing position.

Ideas, mate ! As others have said, have your own vision of a place that calls you back. Good luck.


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## gohrev (Apr 13, 2022)

Of course, this is what I'm _really_ going for… Brothel Chique.


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## vancomposer (Apr 13, 2022)

gohrev said:


> Of course, this is what I'm _really_ going for… Brothel Chique.


I remember that line from this documentary: "It looks like Hans has rented himself into a big vagina." 😊


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## HCMarkus (Apr 13, 2022)

I was gonna' say... don't bother painting the walls; put some traps up instead!


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## Dietz (Apr 13, 2022)

HCMarkus said:


> I was gonna' say... don't bother painting the walls; put some traps up instead!


+1. But then again, I had my bass traps painted red.


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## bleupalmtree (Nov 24, 2022)

I went with Brewster gray from Benjamin Moore and found the perfect size desk that barely fit my keyboard underneath (with minor adjustments). Limited on space so next up is finding a chair for under 500.


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## Honigdachs (Nov 24, 2022)

I spent too many years of my life in confined spaces with hardly any sunlight (yeah, don't even bother.) I absolutely refuse to sit in a dark room all day ever again. Still, I didn't want my studio to look like a doctor's office so I put a really nice texuted cloth over my acoustic panels that looks like natural white wood.


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## JSteel (Nov 24, 2022)

I found out that i can't work while staring at a wall, i need a window to look out, ideally with a nice view in the nature.


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## bleupalmtree (Nov 24, 2022)

JSteel said:


> I found out that i can't work while staring at a wall, i need a window to look out, ideally with a nice view in the nature.


Eh, I'll just hang a picture of nature or some shit on the wall I'll be facing


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## JSteel (Nov 24, 2022)

Let me guess: Palmtrees?


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## bleupalmtree (Nov 24, 2022)

JSteel said:


> Let me guess: Palmtrees?


YES!! 
I love palm trees. I think there's a piece by Monet where he painted palm trees. Maybe I'll get me that.


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