Naples Samples

A swatch is a small window onto a large object, and colour gains weight as it scales up. A mid tone the size of a postcard becomes a considerably heavier presence once it covers a headboard and runs the full length of a surround, and a texture that barely registers in the hand can be the first thing you notice across the width of a superking.

The Naples sample lets you allow for that in advance. Hold it at arm's length rather than up close, prop it near the wall where the bed will actually stand, and try to picture it multiplied many times over rather than judged as the small square it is. Standing back is the whole trick.

It is worth the small effort because our beds are not stock items waiting in a warehouse. Each one is cut and upholstered after the order is placed, from a roll of its own, which is why we quote a tolerance between the sample and the finished bed rather than promising an exact match — the figure is listed in the specifications.

• Judge Naples at arm's length, the way you will see the finished bed
• Understand how the colour behaves at full scale before you commit
• Useful when matching a headboard to an existing scheme
• A sensible first step before ordering a bed made from scratch