Metamerism: New phenomenon lighting up our homes

Remember the striped dress that broke the internet when we argued over what colour it was? Turns out we were all right.

A pink sofa, golden armchair and tables, paired with black and white checkered tiles. But is everything as it seems or are your eyes playing tricks on you? Picture: Istock

• Christian Wilkins painted his lounge room a very unusual colour and not everyone is here for it.
• The grubby truth about life in the country

Have you heard of Metamerism? It’s a phenomenon under which colours appear different under different lighting conditions.

All home interior colours are affected by the intensity of light coming from doors, windows and artificial lights like overhead lighting and accent lights from lamps.

The green of the garden view outside your window – or the red brick wall from your neighbours – can reflect on to your white walls and make everything appear tinged with green garden or red bricks. That sparkling blue water view might even mix with the green trees outside and throw a different cast over those cream walls you thought you had painted.

So how to choose lighting that remains ‘true’ when you’re designing a new home or updating the one you already have? Let’s consider.

Let’s brainstorm lighting and talk about metamerism. Picture: iStock.

Finding QED in LED

Lighting can be as effective as paint at making a room be more welcoming, dramatic or functional. LED lights – especially smart globes – can change and adapt to a different colour scheme or lighting need at the touch of a button. Look for: LED globes between 2700 and 3300 Kelvins in strength to create a nurturing colour temperature.
You want a warm white globe rather than standard cool white, which looks more hospital-like.
Look for a CRI rating of 80 per cent or more – this is the colour rendering index. Cheaper LEDs often won’t publish their CRI, but try lighting stores to find better quality LEDs for richer, warmer lighting that can change your room. Look for R9 specifications on quality LED globes to ensure your LED can render reds well, which will make your furnishings look richer and more inviting.

A dreamy blue. But is it? Picture: iStock.

Choosing the right colour

To avoid metamerism creating a false rendering of your wall colour, Katrina Hill recommends getting an A5 sized paint colour sample and sticking it on a white A3 sheet of paper. “You need to Blu-Tack that big A3 sheet to the wall and watch how the A5 colour chip appears at different times of the day,” she says.
You will note the different ‘casts’ of colours caused by metamerism on the white A3 sheet of paper and gain a true understanding of what your paint colour will look like in your home’s lighting conditions.

You and your mate might see the same colour hues. But not necessarily. Picture: iStock.

Colour and light theory

• Use skylights, windows and bi-fold doors to bring in as much natural light as possible.
• Functional rooms like kitchens and bathrooms need task lighting so people can see details to prepare food or put on makeup.
• Relaxing rooms such as bedrooms and living areas can go for flexible lighting that can be dimmed or change colour to suit different moods and needs.
• Bathing a room in orange light can add a feeling of connection with other people.
• Use paint colours to camouflage, highlight or conceal a room’s good or bad points, understanding how the colour changes under different artificial and natural lighting.
• Cooler blue lighting will increase alertness and boost productivity.
• If you replace halogen downlights with energy efficient LEDs, make sure you buy high-quality globes.
• Cheaper globes can have slightly different colour casts over the light, creating an uneven rainbow effect.

Glamour living room interior with a pink sofa, golden armchair and tables, painting and checkered tiles. Picture: iStock

Blacks, whites and greys are good to add drama, but not every house can be all white. “White is unforgiving and takes on all the reflections of the colours from your floors, ceilings, furniture and windows,” says Katrina. Also, Architectural lighting designer Petra Kleegraefe says south-facing rooms or those with small windows should avoid dark blacks and greys.

Shades of blue with a touch of fuchsia, red and sunshiney yellow. Picture: iStock

Choosing different shades of the one colour is a good way to work with different lighting conditions throughout a house, for example if you like green you might choose a khaki for the hallway and a bluer green option for the bedroom.

Tropical living room design with shades of Millennial pink and teal. Picture: iStock

Choosing colours from opposite colour spectrums (think red and blue, or purple and yellow) may not be a good idea for a relaxing home space. After all, sports teams use complementary colours to attract attention. “These are best used in spaces where you don’t want people to feel comfortable or you want to shock them,” says Katrina.

Originally published as Metamerism: New phenomenon lighting up our homes