The finish (or sheen) decides how shiny a wall looks, how well it hides flaws, and how easy it is to clean. Here is every finish explained in plain language, plus the best one to use in each room.
A soft, velvety look with almost no shine. It soaks up light, so colours read deep and rich, and it hides bumps and patches better than any other finish.
A gentle, low glow, like the surface of an eggshell. The popular all-rounder: still soft on the eye, but far easier to wipe down than matte.
A smooth, pearl-like glow that is noticeably tougher. The go-to when you want walls that can take daily life, sticky hands and the occasional scrub.
Shiny and very tough. It shrugs off moisture and scrubbing, which is exactly why it belongs on the hardest-working surfaces in the home.
A glass-like, reflective shine. The most dramatic and the most durable finish of all, but it needs a smooth, well-prepared surface to look its best.
The more a wall gets touched, splashed or cleaned, the shinier the finish should be. That is really all you need to remember.
Warm, earthy and easy to live with, these are the shades turning up in the most-saved rooms this year. Tones, not loud colour.
A tin of paint is the cheapest way to transform a room. These four looks punch well above their price, and most are a single weekend's work.
Paint the walls, trim, doors and even the ceiling in one shade. Wrapping a room in a single colour hides the edges, calms the eye and quietly makes the space feel bigger. It works best in a warm, muted tone.
Paint the lower two-thirds of the wall in one colour and the top in another, with a crisp line where they meet. It adds height, hides scuffs and knocks down low, and costs nothing but a roll of painter's tape.
A chalky, cloudy finish with soft movement, like aged plaster. It gives a flat, lifeless wall real texture and depth, and it's having a genuine moment in warm, earthy and Mediterranean-style rooms.
The classic, for good reason. One bolder wall, usually behind the bed or the sofa, gives a room an instant focal point for the price of a single tin. The trick is to keep the other three walls quiet.
| Room or surface | Recommended finish |
|---|---|
| Bedroom | Matte or eggshell, soft and cosy |
| Living room | Eggshell or matte, depending on traffic |
| Kitchen | Satin or semi-gloss, wipeable and splash-proof |
| Bathroom | Satin or semi-gloss, handles steam and moisture |
| Hallway and stairs | Eggshell or satin, takes daily knocks |
| Kids' room | Satin, easy to wipe crayon and marks off |
| Ceiling | Flat or matte, hides flaws, no glare |
| Trim, doors and cabinets | Semi-gloss or gloss, durable and crisp |
Browse our room designs for colour palettes, lighting and styling ideas you can recreate at home.
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