Selection
How to choose a Bodaq® pattern
Work from the surface and the light, not from the swatch library: decide what the surface has to do in the room, narrow to one or two collections, then compare physical samples under the project's actual lighting. With 468 patterns across 24 collections, the constraint is decision-making, not choice.
Start with the surface, not the pattern
Different surfaces want different things. A door leaf in a corridor is seen edge-on at distance under artificial light; a reception front is seen straight on, close up, often against daylight. Decide what each surface has to do before opening the catalog:
- Large wall areas — quieter patterns with irregular structure. Premium Painted Concrete and Stone & Marble cover big areas without an obvious repeat.
- Doors and frames — Standard Wood is the default; keep grain direction consistent across a run.
- Cabinet fronts — Standard Wood or Painted Wood, with Solid on reveals and returns.
- Feature walls — Premium Marble is designed to be the event in the room.
- Accents and trim — Real Metal and Gold in small areas against quieter surfaces.
Then think about light
Light decides more than colour does.
- Low or artificial light — lighter tones keep the space open. Filter the index to light patterns and look at Solid and the paler woods.
- Strong daylight — mid and darker tones hold up without washing out.
- Raking light along a wall — this is where substrate flatness shows. Choose Super Matt or a patterned finish rather than a dark gloss, which will telegraph every imperfection.
- Warm vs cool — check the pattern against the fittings and flooring already fixed, not in isolation.
Narrow with the filters
The pattern index filters by collection, by catalog section, by what is new for 2026–27 and by whether a pattern carries a flame-retardant option. If the surface sits somewhere code-driven, start with the flame-retardant filter — it is much easier than falling in love with a pattern and discovering the certificate does not exist. Every pattern page states its tone, warmth and grain character so you can shortlist before ordering samples.
Read the swatch properly
- Get physical samples. Screens shift colour and flatten emboss, and emboss is half the product.
- Look at them in the space, at the time of day the space is used, next to the finishes already chosen.
- Look at scale. A pattern that reads well at sample size can repeat awkwardly across a 3-metre wall — ask about repeat if the area is large.
- Check the direction. Woodgrains and brushed metallics have a direction; decide it before the installer does.
- Sign off the code, not the description.
A workable shortlist method
Pick one dominant pattern for the largest surface, one supporting pattern for secondary joinery, and one solid for reveals and returns. Three codes will carry most rooms. Add an accent only if it has a job to do. Then request that set as samples and look at them together rather than one at a time.