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Brands · answered by Fini

What's the closest Dulux match to Sanderson Night Fishing?

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Quick answer

The closest Dulux match to Sanderson Night Fishing is Amethyst Falls 1 at ΔE 1.9 — very close and barely distinguishable. Plum Compote is the runner-up at ΔE 2.4.

If you want Night Fishing's deep plummy-purple in a Dulux can, go for Dulux Amethyst Falls 1. It lands at ΔE 1.9 from the original (LRV 5.8), which is well inside the "very close" band — most eyes won't pick it apart from Sanderson's version on the wall.

Your back-up is Dulux Plum Compote at ΔE 2.4 (LRV 5.9). Still a tidy match, just a touch further off — it leans very slightly different in undertone, so I'd treat it as the second choice rather than a dead heat. Both sit around LRV 6, so you're working with a properly moody, light-swallowing colour either way. That's no bad thing for the kind of room this shade suits — a snug, a bedroom, a panelled dining room — but it does mean you'll want the lighting sorted before you commit.

Here's the honest bit, mate: a ΔE under 2.5 is a genuinely good match, but a colour this dark is *all* about undertone, and undertone shifts under different light and on different sheens. North light will pull the purple cooler and bluer; warm artificial light at night will push it richer and more wine-coloured. So don't take my word or the numbers alone — get a tester of Amethyst Falls 1, paint two coats onto an A4 of lining paper, and live with it on the actual wall across a full day and an evening.

Why switch to Dulux at all? Usually it's availability, price, or matching into an existing Dulux spec on a job. If you're not tied to it, Sanderson's own Night Fishing is the truest version and worth pricing up first. But if Dulux is the brief, Amethyst Falls 1 is the one I'd order.

Use Dulux Diamond Matt or their eggshell for a dark colour like this — the tougher finish wipes clean, which matters more on deep shades that show every scuff.

Colours from the answer

LRV 5.7
Sanderson
Night Fishing
LRV 5.8
Dulux
Amethyst Falls 1
LRV 5.9
Dulux
Plum Compote

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