LRV explained

Choosing paint colours for your project is a challenging task in itself and can be made even more confusing when you come across terminology that you don't understand. What does LRV mean? This code sometimes appears on paint chips.

The Light Reflectance Value (LRV) is a handy piece of information that designers take into account when selecting paint colours. In a nutshell, it is a measurement that tells you how much light a colour reflects or if dark, how much it absorbs - which will affect the outcome of a space.

LRV is measured on a scale from 0% - 100%. Zero is absolute black and 100% is pure white.



(via thelandofcolor.com)


When selecting interior wall colours, 50% is the mid-way point where values higher than this (say yellow) will reflect more light back into a room and darker colours (charcoals etc) will absorb light. If you have a room with copious amounts of natural light, it can be tempered with a colour that has an LRV below 50.



bedroom by Blank Slate Interiors

LRV is also taken into account by lighting designers to determine how many and what sort of lights will be needed in a space.

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