Choose colours with confidence before you buy the paint.
A practical guide to the things that make colour look different once it reaches a real room — light, undertones, neighbouring finishes and the way you test it.
Just your name and email. You do not need to tell me about a decorating project.
Inside the guide
Light, undertones and the room around them.
A swatch can look perfect online or in a shop and completely different at home. The guide is designed to help you make decisions in the room itself, rather than trying to memorise colour theory.
It is useful whether you intend to decorate yourself or ask somebody else to do the work.
01
Light
Why the same colour changes through the day.
02
Undertones
Why two ‘neutral’ colours can fight each other.
03
Testing
How to test before committing to litres of paint.
04
Woodwork
Ceilings, trim and finishes that affect the whole palette.
05
Palette
How to choose colours that sit well together.
For real homes
Find colours that work in your home.
“A colour only has to work with the light, fixed finishes and rooms you actually live with.”
Abermaw Decorating · West Wales
Three useful habits
Three things to try before buying the paint.
01
Test in the actual room.
Not on a phone screen, not under shop lighting and not just once at midday.
02
Look at fixed finishes first.
Flooring, worktops, tiles and existing furniture often narrow the sensible choices quickly.
03
Look at the colours together.
Walls, ceilings and woodwork are seen together. Treating them as separate decisions can create accidental clashes.
Free guide
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Use the short form at the top and it will be sent to your email. You can read it without starting a decorating enquiry.
