This is how I picked French Gray pebble sheen without ever seeing it in a pool before. This is probably backwards from what most people do.
FIRST, I looked at all the pebble colors in the PebbleSheen sample, online and in the store. Did I like all of the individual pebbles in the sample? Did I like the base color of the sample? Keep in mind that the pebbles will not be distributed 1000% evenly in a rigid grid over the base color. It's a natural product that may have a bit more of one color here or there. I figured I couldn't be 100% sure what color the water would end up, but I did know what the base and the pebbles would be, right? You are also going to be seeing more of that "sample" look in the shallow areas, steps and seats. So you should really like that look.
SECOND, I searched online for every possible photo of a pool with French Gray pebblesheen. Only look at photos that you can 100% confirm are the color you are considering. So add "-pinterest" to whatever you are searching for, because pinterest is the worst for confirmation of facts....it's just pretty pictures from other sites. Save all the confirmed photos somewhere. Try different spellings too (i.e., French Gray/Grey PebbleSheen Pebble Sheen etc....). The water color of these pools all looked a little different (which makes sense: different depths, different times of day, different sun/clouds, different surroundings, etc....) BUT I did like how the water looked in all the pics I found. So I figured: chances are I will like whatever water color the French Gray gives us.
THIRD, I propped my iPad Pro on various spots outside by the pool and looked at the different "confirmed" pictures of French Gray Pebble Sheen that I had saved. I looked at them by the pool, from inside the house, etc... and tried to imagine seeing that color of water in our pool. Would it make me happy? When I decided yes, I knew that French Gray was the color for us even though we never saw it any where.
FOURTH, thanks to the great people here I knew to spring for the Shimmering Seas. Another thing I have never seen in a pool anywhere, but everyone here RAVES about their shells so I knew it was worth taking a chance on. And, WOW, it is awesome. My husband loves it too.
