Ever wonder why paint colours never seem to look the same on your wall as they do in the shop or in pictures? 

Well, there are two aspects at play here. The first is the quality of the actual paint, and the second is the light in the room. We’ll check out both right here:

Paint swatches - are they accurate?

We've all had it. That feeling when the final painted room bears no resemblance to the colour card in your hand. The fact is, the ‘realism’ of the paint swatch or colour card (how true it is to what goes on your wall) depends heavily on how it’s produced.

If it’s printed, like lots of the small tester cards, then it won’t be a great representation. But if the sample strip is painted, chances are you’ll get the shade you’re after - or very close. 

The size of the swatch matters too. Fiddly little cards and colour chips can be a good way to narrow down choice, but it's pretty hard to get a real grip on the colour from such a small cards.

The only way you can be totally certain is with large, painted swatches. A larger paint out will give you a good idea of how the colour will look on the whole wall. Not blowing our own trumpet (well, a little) but the big COAT swatches are all painted, by hand, using real COAT paint. So you can get a 100% accurate representation of colour and texture too.

Natural lighting makes a difference

When you’re testing paint colours, make sure you try out different areas of the room. 

The same colour can look massively different depending on the time of day or angle of the sun. If the room is south facing then it gets a lot of natural rays, making the colour look lighter. An east facing room is brighter in the morning while a west-facing room is brighter in the afternoon. 

The colour can vary depending on which wall in the room you’re looking at. Shadows can affect colour too. The amount of light in the room is a big consideration when choosing paint colours.

How does the colour look against the curtains? Or your sofa? It’s important to compare the colour sample to other furniture and items in the room – especially if you already have another prominent colour.

COAT peel-and-stick swatches are easily reposition-able, so you can try them out in various light conditions and spaces around your home. Easy.

Artificial lighting can skew things too

Light shining directly onto a painted wall, from an uplighter or lamp for instance, will change how bright that part of the room is - and so how the wall colour appears.

The type of bulbs you choose can also change the colour of a wall. Cool white LEDs will make a bold colour stark while a warm white LED bulb will give it warmth. An old-fashioned Edison light-bulb will add a yellowish tint to the wall (which in our view is never a bad thing - big Edison bulb fans). 

Give yourself a day or so to see your colour in different lights and make sure you love it. We created large peel & stick paint swatches to make it easy for you to try and move colours around the room - so now it's totally possible to check from multiple angles.

If you’ve found your favourite COAT colour then we’re ready when you are to mix it fresh. But don't rush the process, colour mishaps are nobodies cup of tea. If you need too you can always grab a few more peel-and-stick swatches to test out if you're found "the one".

And they'll be with you the very next day. Happy Swatching!