East-facing rooms get the best of the morning. The light comes in crisp, bright and slightly blue — gorgeous for a kitchen or breakfast room while you're having your coffee. The catch is what happens after about midday: the sun swings round to the other side of the house and the room goes flat, cool and a bit grey for the rest of the day.
That's the trap. People paint to the morning light, fall in love with how a cool grey or pale blue looks at 8am, then wonder why the room feels dingy by teatime. So the rule for east-facing is: paint for the afternoon, not the morning. If it looks good when the light's gone, it'll look fantastic when the sun's on it.
Lean warm to balance the cool light. Farrow & Ball Setting Plaster is a cracking east-facing choice — that soft pink-clay tone glows in the morning sun and stays warm and flattering once the light drops. For something a touch more neutral, Pointing gives you a warm off-white that won't go cold and blue in the afternoon shadows. If you want a bit of depth, Little Greene French Grey - Pale carries enough warmth to avoid the grey-flatness trap.
What about cooler colours — can you ever use a blue or a cool grey east-facing? You can, but go in with eyes open. They'll sing in the morning and sulk in the afternoon. If that suits a bedroom you mainly use first thing, fine. For a living space you're in all evening, I'd steer you warm.
Practical bit: always test on the wall that gets the *least* light, and look at the sample at three points — 8am, midday and 6pm. Big A2 patches, two coats, never judge off the tin lid. Live with it a couple of days before you commit. East-facing light lies to you in the morning, so don't trust first impressions.