How to choose and use paint sample pots: a step-by-step guide

Choosing the right paint colour for your home can be surprisingly difficult. A shade that looks perfect on a screen or in a colour card can feel quite different once it is on your walls. This is because colour is influenced by so much more than the paint itself, from the direction your room faces to the natural and artificial light it receives, as well as your flooring, furniture, fabrics and existing colours.

That’s why paint sample pots are such a valuable part of the decorating process. Sampling allows you to see how a colour behaves in your own home, in your own light, alongside the things you already live with.

Whatever colour you have in mind, taking the time to test your chosen colours can help you feel confident before committing to a full tin of paint.

Here is our step-by-step guide to choosing and using your Edward Bulmer Natural Paint sample pots.

Step 1: Think about your room

Before choosing your colours, take a moment to consider the room you are decorating. The way a colour looks can change dramatically depending on its surroundings and the amount of light available.

Think about:

• What is the room used for? A calm bedroom might call for a very different atmosphere from a busy kitchen or sitting room.
• Which direction does the room face? North, south, east and west-facing rooms each have their own quality of light.
• How much natural light does it receive? A bright, sunny room can handle colour quite differently from a darker space.
• What colours and materials are already there? Look at flooring, furniture, curtains, upholstery, artwork and architectural details.

Step 2: Choose a shortlist of colours

Once you have thought about the room, start by choosing around 3–6 colours that you love.

Rather than trying to find one perfect colour straight away, create a small selection of sample pots. Look at shades that are similar but have different undertones, as these subtle differences can become much more apparent once the paint is on your walls.

It can also be useful to include:

• A couple of very similar shades so you can compare their undertones.
• One or two alternative options that you might not have considered initially.
• A wildcard colour that is slightly outside your comfort zone.

Sometimes the colour you weren’t expecting to love brings the whole room together.

If you are decorating adjoining rooms, consider the colours as a whole rather than choosing each room in isolation. They don’t need to match, but thinking about how shades sit alongside one another will help you create a cohesive scheme.

Step 3: Order your sample pots

Ordering sample pots before buying your tins of paint is one of the easiest ways to avoid an expensive colour mistake.

A colour card is an excellent starting point, but a real paint sample allows you to see the depth, character and undertones of the colour in your own home.

When ordering your Edward Bulmer Natural Paint samples, use the code SEPTSAMPLES at checkout. This will allow you to buy 2 sample pots, get 1 free and free postage too.  The code can be used up to three times per customer, giving you the opportunity to experiment with different combinations.

Shop our Natural Paint sample pots

Don’t be afraid to order several colours. Sampling is all about experimentation, and seeing a number of possibilities side by side can make the final decision much easier.

Step 4: Prepare and paint generous samples

One of the most common mistakes when testing paint colours is painting a tiny patch on the wall and trying to judge the whole room from it. For sampling, paint two coats. Let the first coat dry then reapply, either straight onto your walls or onto sheets of paper or boards.

The bigger the sample, the better … paint a generous area.  You want enough colour on the wall to understand how it feels when you are standing back in the room.

Don’t simply paint a small square at eye level and leave it there. If possible, extend the sample vertically so you can see how the colour looks in relation to the room’s architecture.

If you are testing several colours, keep the samples clearly separated. This makes it easier to compare them without the colours visually merging together.

Where should you paint your samples?

The position of your sample matters almost as much as its size, this is why moveable sample boards can be helpful.

Try to place samples:

• On a wall that receives plenty of natural light.
• On a wall that receives less light, if the room has one.
• Near windows, but not only directly beside them.
• On walls that face different directions where possible.
• Close to architectural features such as fireplaces, alcoves or doorways.
• Near the furniture, flooring or fabrics that will remain in the finished room.

This gives you a much more complete picture of how the colour will behave.

If your room has two very different walls, it’s unlikely the colour will look identical on both. The changing light can make the same shade appear noticeably different.

Step 5: Look at your samples throughout the day

Don’t judge colour after just one glance.

One of the joys, and challenges, of choosing colour is that it changes with the light. Take time to look at your samples at different points throughout the day.

Ask yourself:

• What does the colour look like in the morning?
• How does it change as the sun moves?
• What does it look like in the afternoon?
• How does it feel as natural light begins to fade?
• What does it look like under your artificial lighting in the evening?

The same colour can appear warmer, cooler, lighter, deeper or more muted depending on the light around it.

This is exactly why testing paint colours at home is so worthwhile. You aren’t simply choosing a colour from a chart — you’re discovering how that colour lives in your particular room.

Step 6: Look at your samples alongside your room

A paint colour rarely exists on its own. The colours and materials already in your room will influence how your chosen shade looks.

Stand back and look at your samples alongside:

• Flooring and rugs
• Wooden furniture
• Upholstery and fabrics
• Curtains and blinds
• Artwork
• Tiles and stone
• Existing paint colours
• Metal and decorative finishes

Try looking at your sample both close up and from across the room. A colour can feel quite different when viewed as part of the whole space.

You may also discover that a colour brings out an unexpected tone in your flooring or upholstery. This can be a useful way of understanding how the finished scheme will come together. If you have painted on boards or card, spend some time moving them around the room.

Step 7: Live with your samples

Now comes the most important part: live with them.

Leave your samples in place for several days. Don’t feel that you have to make a decision immediately.

Live with the colours through different weather and at different times of day. Notice how they make the room feel when you first walk in, when you are sitting quietly in the evening and when the room is full of daylight.

Ask yourself:

Which colour do I keep coming back to?

Often, your favourite will reveal itself gradually rather than instantly.

You may find that one shade feels calming and restful, another feels warm and welcoming, while a third feels more energetic or dramatic. Think about the atmosphere you want the room to have, as well as whether you simply like the colour.

Step 8: Narrow down your choices

After several days, it is time to start narrowing things down.

If you began with five or six samples, try to reduce them to two or three favourites. Remove the colours that don’t feel quite right and concentrate on the ones you keep noticing.

When comparing your final choices, ask:

• Which colour works best with the natural light?
• Which works best with the furniture and flooring?
• Which creates the atmosphere I want?
• Which colour works throughout the entire day?
• Which one feels most natural in the room?
• If I had to choose today, which would I pick?

It can also help to compare your final two colours at a distance rather than standing right beside them. Step back, leave the room and come back in. Notice which colour catches your eye first.

And remember, you don’t necessarily need to choose the colour that looks the brightest or most impressive on the sample. The best colour is often the one that quietly makes everything else in the room look better.

Step 9: Order your paint and get ready to decorate

Once you’ve lived with your samples, narrowed down your favourites and considered the wider scheme, you should feel much more confident about your final colour choices.

Now you can order your full tins of Edward Bulmer Natural Paint and get ready to decorate.

If you’re planning an autumn decorating project, starting the sampling process now gives you plenty of time to experiment, live with your choices and find the colours that feel truly right for your home.

Take your time with colour

Choosing paint should be an enjoyable part of decorating, not something to rush, but if you’re finding it too hard to choose, our colour consultants can help set you on the right path.

A few carefully chosen sample pots can help you understand how a colour will look in your particular room, from the first morning light through to the evening glow of your lamps.

Paint your samples generously, try them in different parts of the room, move them around, look at them with your existing furniture and — most importantly — live with them for a while.

You may be surprised by which colour eventually wins.

The right colour isn’t simply the one you like on a colour card. It’s the one that feels right in your home.

Discover more articles and advice to help you choose your paint colours:

How to choose paint colours

Learn how light affects paint colours

Colour schemes for west-facing rooms

Colour schemes from north-facing rooms