The act of choosing a paint colour is typically fraught with indecision. COAT Paints, with its genius sampling and made-to-order, environmentally-friendly paints in a palette of beautiful colours is changing all that as the brand’s Co-Founder Rob Abrahams tells Jessica Jonzen
‘MR CLIFTON’ BY COAT
For those who understand how a home truly comes together, paint is never an afterthought. It sets the mood of a space, shapes how light moves through a room, and becomes the quiet backdrop to everyday life. Chosen well, it has the power to transform a home, softening it or giving it confidence without ever demanding attention.
COAT Paints understands this instinctively. Founded in 2020 by friends Rob Green and Rob Abrahams, the brand approaches paint not as a commodity, but as a carefully considered design decision — one that should feel intuitive, inspiring and in tune with the way we live now. With a pared-back palette of tasteful colours designed for real homes and the cool light of the Northern Hemisphere, and a made-to-order model that places care before excess, COAT has carved out a thoughtful alternative to the traditional paint-buying experience.
As a B Corp certified paint company, sustainability is woven through every layer of the brand – from its low-toxin, water-based formulations to a direct-to-consumer approach that reduces waste and enables well-informed decisions. But beyond the credentials, there’s a human warmth at the heart of COAT: a belief that decorating should feel exciting rather than overwhelming, and that the homes we create should support comfort, wellbeing and pleasure – as paint names such as ‘Home Is’, ‘Factor Fifty’ and ‘Gumption’ evoke.
COAT’s co-founder Rob Abrahams tells us more about their approach to conscious decorating, liveable colour, and why paint deserves a more meaningful role in the spaces we call home.
ROB ABRAHAMS AND ROB GREEN, CO-FOUNDERS OF COAT PAINTS
What first inspired you and your co-founder Rob Green to create COAT, and when did you realise the decorating world was ready for something different?
The initial seed was planted when renovating our first homes and experiencing first-hand the trek to-and-from the DIY store. It became a running joke between Rob and me, how long we spent there on weekends. In a world where we could get a sofa delivered the next day, food delivered in minutes, and pretty much everything else online with ease, finding and buying the perfect paint was a complete time suck.
As we started digging more into the idea, we realised that not only was the customer experience stuck in the past but the way paint was made and distributed was the same. Huge volumes of pre-mixed colours, shipped from overseas to sit on DIY store shelves on the off chance somebody wanted that colour. That was our driver to do things better for people, and the planet. We wanted to build a brand, with purpose, that we wanted to use ourselves.
For anyone approaching a new project at home, what do you think is missing from most people’s experience of choosing paint?
I think what’s so evident is the misalignment between online interiors inspiration and the process of choosing and buying paint. We live online and in social media, which is so full of such amazing interior content from incredible creators. Yet we’ve somehow got to leave all that behind, and trek to a soulless DIY store with rows of dusty paint tins and tiny colour chips.
COAT connects inspiration to the process and the product. We are in tune with the whole process, allowing people to get clever pre-painted colour samples to try at home in a couple of clicks, delivered the next day. We even curate sample packs aligned with common customer challenges, for example, our ‘North Facing Neutrals Pack’ to help with tricky dim spaces, or our ‘Bestsellers Pack’ with the hottest colours of the period to inspire people.
COAT has an ethos of “conscious decorating”. What sparked that approach?
People are more conscious about their buying decisions now, in almost every category. It’s impossible not to see and understand what is happening to the planet and so most people do want to make conscious, better choices. We chose the word ‘conscious’, because it speaks to that new age of awareness.
People are conscious in lots of ways when it comes to decorating. For example, ‘is my paint made-to-order, or mass produced to sit on DIY store shelves?’ ‘Does it have a shelf life and create waste, or is it only made in the quantities I need?’ ‘Is it water-based and rated A+ for Indoor Air Quality meaning my family can sleep easy without nasty toxins?’ ‘Does this company support social and community wellbeing?’ We hope that by doing almost everything differently, and being radically open about it, we can help people feel more informed when it comes to creating their homes.
‘LA TORRE’ BY COAT
Choosing paint can feel overwhelming. What isn’t the industry getting right?
The industry has two big blind spots. First, overproduction of stock. Most paints are made in large quantities and coloured to sit on shelves, which means potential waste is baked into the system. We make every tin to order, so there’s no dead stock and far less unnecessary manufacturing.
Second, choice without clarity. You’re offered thousands of colours with very little help and then told to choose in five minutes from a wall of tiny colour chips or endless plastic tester pots. We took a more curated approach, with fewer shades, better sampling, and more guidance directly from our team.
Our approach means we’re in control of both the production and delivery method, and the customer experience. So we can be, and do, better.
How do you create colours that feel liveable for modern homes?
We get inspiration from everywhere. Colour is everywhere. But it’s useless to us unless it has a practical application in paint. Often what’s on the runway doesn’t work on a wall. The “liveable” test for us is a constant. Does the shade still feel good at 8am on a grey Tuesday? UK natural lighting is naturally more grey/blue, so we need shades that balance that effectively and still feel inviting. It’s great getting inspired by our summer holidays and bringing that back to the UK, but what looks vivid and rich in Tuscan southern-hemisphere lighting, doesn’t look the same on a drizzly Wednesday in Reading, for example.
Another acid test for us is the “nature-inspired” one. Generally, humans respond better to colours that are observed regularly, and in large quantities, in nature. Greens, browns, pale blue. Colours found in nature often feel familiar, grounding and calming. Flip that around and think about purple. It’s the hardest shade for the human eye to read (two opposite ends of the colour spectrum), and you don’t see it in large quantities in the natural world. You won’t find violet purples in COAT’s colour range, unless they’re paired with strong natural overtones like brown.
‘ZIGGY’S YELLOW’ BY COAT
What sets COAT apart from other paint brands?
It’s the combination. True difference isn’t just what people see, but how the business operates from top to bottom. Climate-positive, low-toxin paint made to order. A curated palette. A smoother end-to-end experience. Decorating should feel exciting, not exhausting.
Is there a COAT colour you return to in your own home?
I see paint as the backdrop to life. It’s rarely the star of the show, but it has the power to create spaces with real feeling. My house is full of warm neutral shades like Home Is, and Mindful. Who wants to change their paint as often as their wardrobe? Nobody.
That said, The Tobacconist is a real favourite. It’s a complex, grubby green that feels sophisticated and bold but not remotely shouty. None of our colours shout; that’s another rule of ours.
‘THE TOBACCONIST’ WHICH ROB ABRAHAMS HAS USED IN HIS OWN HOME
Which one small decorating decision can make a big impact?
Skirting and woodwork – don’t just paint them a stark, contrasting white. Choose a shade that’s deeper than your walls. That soft tonal contrast will make the whole space feel more sophisticated and considered.
What has founding and running COAT taught you about what people want from their homes?
People want homes that support how they live, not just ones that look like those on Instagram or Pinterest. That means comfort, calm and a sense of personal identity. They’re also more conscious than ever about health and sustainability – because we all want to feel good about the homes we’re creating.
It’s sometimes tempting to launch loads of colours, to try and please everyone. But we’ve learned to stay in our lane and not try to be all things to all people. We stand by our clear principles of tasteful, muted shades and plenty of people resonate with that.
How do you hope COAT will continue to influence the way we decorate, live and think about our homes?
I hope that COAT will continue to deepen people’s relationship with paint. You no longer need to trade style for sustainability, or quality for convenience. We’re trying to make paint better from the bottom-up, for people and the planet.
‘SYBIL’ BY COAT
‘SONDER’ ON DOOR AND ARCHITRAVE
‘FACTOR FIFTY’ BY COAT
SAMPLING IN THE COAT STUDIO
COAT’S POPULAR STICK AND PEEL SAMPLE PACKS
‘PIGLET’ BY COAT
‘JONAH’ BY COAT
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