Interiors: Coat Paint Review
For as long as I can remember I’ve been prone to off the cuff painting projects - a refresh here or a new colour there. There’s also the furniture that’s been painted all manner of colours over the years, perhaps the most memorable being the lemon and lime green living room circa aged 18. It was different then for rentals - internet wasn’t mainstream so there was no Rightmove and it was rare you used an agency. You found a flat by scouring the property to let section at the back of the paper and there wouldn't be referencing, a big deposit wasn’t the norm or a big list of things you couldn't do.
So began my love of brushing colour over walls on a whim. Usually with paint picked up from Wilko’s or my local hardware superstore. Premium paint has often only been accessible to professional decorators or designers but in recent years we’ve found more and more brands showing up in hardware stores. It has given us all access to gorgeous pain and colour, stepping our options for interior creativity up a notch.
But while all this was happening I was living in rentals with increasingly tighter rules and I’ve not really been able to experience and instead looked from afar. That all changed when I moved into this flat: renting from a friend who gives me complete creative freedom I’ve been able to play a bit more. That said, things haven’t hanged much since I moved in in 2019. I think I was so excited about painting I just went all out on the feature walls. And while I do have more freedom here I didn’t want to go too bold painting whole rooms in these dark colours.
I’l probably a good job I didn’t because actually it turns out it’s hard to accessorise a dark blue wall and the black wall in my south facing bedroom wasn't the best idea.
I spent most of 2020 sorting, organising and refining my possessions and had in the back of my mind to paint again but I never quite got round to it. So why it took me until the year I hope to buy to want to paint again isn’t clear but it is probably a toss up between time and money.
So anyway, it was time. The two main feature walls had to go and I set about getting some inspiration. I’m not sure how and when I was made aware of Coat but I loved their branding, their message, that they’re a B-Corp and it’s climate positive paint. I’m someone who takes toxicity very seriously (I trained in nutrition) so the low VOC (toxic) content was attractive to me.
Planning Process.
From the word go, planning paint colour with Coat is a delight. They have a number of tools on their site that help you figure out how everything is going to look: this includes a room visualiser with furniture and accessories from Heal’s and a well laid out website that shows you complimentary colours for each shade. I signed up to their newsletter and not long after was sent a code for 3 free swatches so I took advantage and ordered a few.
The swatches themselves are peel and stick - the reason Coat do this is for the impact on the environment. I usually use Valspar who sell a good sized sample pot and I must admit I did miss being able to paint a few different areas to see how it would look in the different light together but they still did a good job at showing me how the colour would look. In fact on sticking them up I decided they weren't right and went for something different.
Ordering and delivery.
Everything about the order process feels luxurious and well thought out. The paint comes really quickly (next day depending on what time you order) and the delivery notifications are clear. Inside the box the paint tins sit in a canvas bag which I’ve repurposed to keep my paint tools in - one for brushes and another for masking tape and cloths etc. Also in the box is a paint stirrer which I didn’t actually see until I took the box to my recycling point.
Usage.
The first thing that hit me was how little you could smell from the paint. The Baked shade I used in my bedroom had no odour where the Just Breathe had a faint odour. Cracking open the tin felt like a real treat - how Coat have managed to make opening a tin of paint a treat is beyond me!
First the edges of the wall and corners were done with a brush and the paint glided on beautifully - it was noticeably thicker to what I was used to. Both of the walls I was painting were dark but if they hadn't been I don’t think I would have needed to do the edges twice. Then came the roller and I was amazed to find that the paint didn’t splat or drip in anyway, I didn’t get a spot of paint on me and I didn’t really need to dust sheet the floor either.
I went for litre tins to paint each wall and I was scraping the barrel at the end and just made it but this might be due to the dark colours I was painting over. I would definitely get a big tin if you’re doing anything over a small wall. Coat are always on hand to advise on what you’ll need if you’re not sure.
Verdict.
Coat paint really is a joy to use and hid a number of sins on my walls. The light hits and sits on it sublimely and it looks classy, expensive and I can see it’s made to last. It was definitely worth paying a bit more for paint from Coat - I suppose like any purchase, the more considered the buy the more you appreciate the product and every time I sit down in my living room I take a moment to look at the wall and appreciate how the pain has made the space so much more luxurious.
Monty had no qualms about being in the same room as the wet paint when usually he dramatically sneezes and leaves in disgust when I paint usually, so good testament!
I’ll be sharing room makeover posts for both walls in the next few weeks. Watch this space.
I inject a little deep mustard yellow into my kitchen with breathable and bio based Block Print Yellow paint from Atelier Ellis.