US company Backdrop is aiming to ease the process of choosing the right paint, through a curated selection of colours and adhesive samples for testing on walls, along with an essentials kit and a redesigned can.
Launched this fall by Natalie and Caleb Ebel, Backdrop is a platform that seeks to alleviate the pitfalls of selecting paint, and to encourage people who would otherwise be discouraged from the process.

"Paint is looked at as a hardware store purchase and not a design purchase," Natalie told Dezeen. She and Caleb live on Manhattan's Upper West Side and have moved apartments many times, always opting for a fresh coat of paint to transform a room.
"We used to live by the hardware store, and we'd always walk by and see people in front of the colour wall with like 3,000 colours, almost pulling out their hair," Caleb said. "It became a running joke, how overwhelming it [the process of choosing paint] is."
Backdrop's website allows decorators to pick colour samples for $2 each, with free shipping. Adhesive sampled in the selected shades arrive by mail, so users can stick them anywhere around their home to test the colours in different rooms and lighting conditions.
"What's really important is that is moveable because light changes in a room," Natalie said. "We think this is the best way to sample paint."

Once the perfect hue is chosen, the paint is ordered online. Backdrop offers a calculator that helps users work...