We often get asked to send pictures of carpet colours to help customers choose — but then we hear, “It looked different in the photo!”
Recently, we demonstrated this in our showroom by taking two photos of the same carpet sample book. The only thing we changed was the background it was laid on.
Both pictures were taken moments apart, in natural light near our front window, using an iPhone 16 Pro on the standard auto setting — yet the colours look completely different! Can you believe it?
Modern phones are brilliant at taking high-quality photos, but when left on “Auto,” the camera tries to balance light and colour automatically. Something as simple as a change in background can dramatically alter how the carpet appears.
There’s another factor too — the screen you’re viewing the photo on. The same image can look one way on a mobile phone and completely different on a larger computer screen. Professional photographers use calibrated monitors to ensure true colour accuracy, but most of us don’t!
You can even try this at home: take two photos of the same object on different backgrounds and compare the results. We’d love to hear how you get on!
So next time you’re choosing a new carpet, remember why we always recommend seeing the samples in person. Photos can be misleading, but your eyes won’t lie!
Come and visit our Hereward Carpets showroom in Peterborough to see our wide range of samples in the flesh — the best way to find your perfect colour match.
Hopefully you can now see why we never suggest choosing a carpet from a picture online and always recommend seeing the carpets ‘In-the-flesh’. Did you know we have a large showroom where you can do this!? Feel free to come and have a look at our large selection of samples.
