The colour that looks perfect on a tiny card can look completely different on your wall. Here is how to choose with confidence.
Almost everyone has painted a wall a colour that looked lovely on the card and wrong once it was up. It is rarely a bad colour — it is that a small swatch under shop lighting tells you very little about how it will read across a whole wall in your home.
Light changes everything
The same paint looks different depending on which way the room faces, the time of day and whether you are looking at it under daylight or a warm lamp. North-facing rooms pull colours cooler; warm evening light pushes them warmer. Always judge a colour in the actual room, at different times.
Watch the undertones
Greys can lean blue, green or purple; whites can be warm or cold. These undertones are what surprise people. The trick is to compare shortlisted colours side by side rather than in isolation — the undertone jumps out when it sits next to another.
Test properly
- Put a decent-sized patch of tester on the wall — a small dab tells you nothing.
- Paint two coats so you see the true colour, not the wall showing through.
- Live with it for a day or two and look at it morning, afternoon and under lamplight before committing to litres.
- Try it near the skirting, the floor and any furniture that is staying.
Pop in to browse colour cards, take some home, and let us match and mix testers so you can try before you buy the full amount.
