As the originator of the thread that Merg referred to, I can update you that in the end I did paint the walls Kodak yellow (gave the store part of a film box to match.) The color is not terribly annoying. I do use strong direct white lights for evaluating prints so the wall color does not greatly influence my judgment either in exposing or toning prints.
I have decided that the theory that reflecting off of a yellow-orange wall will render safe any white light that spills out of the enlarger, is probably only partially true, not absolutely true. Even a red surface can reflect some blue. With two 25 Watt amber globe safe lights on the ceiling, the room still has some dark corners. I think that brighter walls would make the room easier to work in. Were I to do it again, I would probably go for a significantly brighter yellow, if not white, and consider using black near the enlarger, as is frequently recommended.
Bookmarks