16 Luxury Paint Brands To Have On Your Radar

A Guide To Luxury Paint

After browsing the top names in the business, you might still be wondering: what makes a tin of paint feel luxurious? According to the experts, it all comes down to the colour. ‘It’s the nuance of tone and hue, where subtle shifts completely change a room’s atmosphere,’ confirms Peter Gomez, Lead Designer at Zoffany. ‘Luxury isn’t a palette of 1,000 shades; it’s a curated collection of timeless colours, edited and refined by experts who understand how paint interacts with every other element in an interior.

‘It is also about quality, tactility, and performance,’ he adds. ‘True depth of colour relies on high-grade pigmentation paired with the right finish for the job. That means smart matte, opaque finishes alongside durable options for high-traffic areas, zero compromise on effect, superior coverage, and excellent sampling tools.’

The Paints To Pick, By Room

Some rooms need to work harder than others – and so does their paint. Before picking out a paint, you’ll want to assess the room for how it’s used and how often. For example, the bathroom will need something moisture-resistant, while the hallway may need something that can weather scuff marks from haphazardly flung shoes.

‘High-traffic areas and homes with busy lifestyles or children require durable, washable finishes with long-lasting performance,’ notes Peter. ‘The condition of your walls dictates the choice as well. Flat matte paint is non-reflective, making it ideal for disguising uneven surfaces or poor plasterwork. Unlike sheened paints, which highlight every wall imperfection when light hits them, a quality matte finish absorbs light to showcase rich colour depth and density while hiding a multitude of sins.’

How To Pick The Right One

1. Define The Purpose & Mood

‘Decide if you want a calm, airy feel or a cosy retreat, and choose tones that complement what else is in the room.’

2. Study Your Inspiration

‘Take note of how paint is used in your favourite designer interiors and consider if those shades are transferable to your home.’

3. Test Thoroughly

‘Observe how light shifts across the space throughout the day. Always use paint samples, live with the colour, and apply the recommended number of coats so existing wall colours don’t distort the true tone.’

Bonus: Trust Your Decorator

‘Paint is one of the most accessible design mediums (anyone can pick up a brush) but achieving an exquisite finish requires meticulous attention to detail. Listen to advice regarding compatibility and coverage. Choosing the right expert, using the correct tools, and preparing surfaces properly ensures your chosen paint achieves its full potential as a finished article.’

The Top Luxury Paint Trends For 2026

Wondering what’s hot in the world of luxury paint? In 2026, Peter has seen more and more homes adopting ‘real playfulness with colour across classic and contemporary interiors alike. Colour drenching is evolving into variations like colour layering, using tonal shades within the same colour family to alter the interplay between ceilings, walls, and skirting boards.’

Designers, meanwhile, are ‘moving away from feature walls to treat the whole home as a nuanced palette,’ notes Peter. ‘Rather than decorating room by room in isolation, it is now about creating a holistic, whole-house living experience where colours interact through vistas as you transition between spaces. As wall treatments advance with tactile fabrics, moirés, and grasscloths, paint plays a key role in knitting these textures together across woodwork and in-between surfaces.’