Colour Scales

Light to dark, in one family, under one light.

A colour scale is a run of shades from the same family, stepping from light to dark, so you can use several of them together in one room or across a whole home and know they belong to each other.

Our eight scales

What is a colour scale?

Traditional colour scales take one hue and step it down in depth: the same undertone, more and more pigment. Because every step shares its character, you can paint the walls one shade, the woodwork the next and the ceiling a paler version without any of them clashing.

Each of our scales starts with a white chosen for that family, then runs from light to dark. The light reflectance value (LRV) of each shade is shown, so you can see how big each step is: LRV tells you how much light a colour reflects, from 0 (black) to 100 (perfect white).

Our difference: every scale is lighting-coherent

Shades that look like a family in daylight can fall apart when the lamps go on. One shade might look its best under a warm 2700K bulb while its neighbour wants cooler light, so after dark the scale fractures.

We built each scale from our bulb-affinity model, which rates how every colour responds to 2700K, 3000K and 4000K bulbs. Every shade in a scale shares a bulb it looks good under, with no shade that loves warm light sitting next to one that loves cool light. Switch the lamps on and the scale still reads as one family.

2700K vs 3000K vs 4000K bulbs

How to use a colour scale

Tonal drenching

Paint the walls in one shade, the woodwork one step deeper and the ceiling in the scale’s white. The room feels considered and calm, with just enough definition at the edges.

Room-to-room gradients

Move one or two steps along the scale as you go from room to room: lighter in a hallway, deeper in a snug. Doors left open frame a gentle shift rather than a jump.

High-contrast accents

Pair the palest step with the deepest for a door, a kitchen island or a single wall. Because the two share an undertone and a bulb, the contrast looks deliberate, not mismatched.