Anyone would think I was a brand rep for Farrow and Ball, given I have painted my whole house in Farrow and Ball paint colours! But no, I am just a huge advocate for the brand and I really like their colour options.
When deciding on the colour combinations for my home, I wanted to make each room different and to reflect its own personality and function but I also wanted to ensure a natural flow and tonal balance was achieved throughout the house.
I decided the best way to approach this was to use one paint brand (in this case, Farrow and Ball) and use colours that have a similar tonal weight.
For our large open plan room, I opted for Wimborne White. It is only a shade away from a pure white but has the addition of the smallest amount of warm yellow pigment which creates a very versatile shade and is just a little softer than All White. I didn’t want this large room to feel cold and clinical so by using a slightly warmer white tone, I thought it would make the space feel more welcoming. To complement this colour, I used All White for the woodwork which I continued throughout the rest of the house.
I decided to use Wimborne White in a few other rooms within the house, primarily because I wanted these rooms to be white but I didn’t want a cold, flat white.
I knew from the outset that I wanted a shade of grey on the walls in our master bedroom. I wanted to achieve a contemporary look that was sophisticated and gave a sense of spaciousness. After trawling through the colour charts, I decided on Pavilion Grey. I am really pleased with this colour as it provides a modern, contemporary look to the room. I simply cannot wait to style the room with some new furniture and soft furnishings as we currently have all our own old bits and pieces in there at the moment and is far from how I would like it to look!
The hallway, stairs and landing were painted in Shaded White. I was very keen to use a warm and inviting colour in this space and Shaded White has a gentle greyness, but with none of the cooler tones of Cornforth White, making it incredibly versatile within homes both old and new.
For the lounge, I wanted a wall colour that was bold, striking and would compliment the modern design of our newly installed chimney breast and wood burning stove. I went with a strong architectural grey called Plummett which according to Farrow and Ball “intensifies in colour in smaller spaces and has a strikingly modern feel which is conducive to minimal living”. Plummett is one of their most hard-edged and industrial feeling greys and provides the perfect backdrop for our wall mounted stag head (which we found on the mountains of Scotland over 10 years ago!).
In James’ room, I opted for a colour which I had previously painted the room prior to the build project. It is Cornforth White which is a mid-tone in the group of Easy Neutrals. It is extremely versatile, neither too warm nor too cool and provides a lovely calming feel to the room.
I get asked a lot what colours my kitchen units are painted in. The kitchen cabinets and island are painted in Tom Howley wood paint but work off similar colours to the Farrow and Ball colour chart. The cabinets are painted in Tansy (Cornforth White) and the kitchen island in Lithodora (Hague Blue).
After falling in love with the colour of our island, I just knew I had to bring the colour Hague Blue into another room of the house. To add some drama to our downstairs cloakroom and to continue this statement colour through to the room adjoining the kitchen, I painted the walls above the tiles in Hague Blue. The green undertones of this timeless, deep and dramatic blue means it sits as happily in small dark rooms.
And finally, our external windows and doors were painted in colours reference to the RAL colour chart. RAL is a European colour matching system which defines colours for paint, coatings and plastics. Our aluminium sliding doors were painted in Anthracite Grey 7016 and our wooden windows and doors, Dusty Grey 7037.
For those looking for some colour inspiration, I hope this post has been useful!
Thanks for reading x
Thank you so much for taking the time to share so much detail. I get so much inspiration from your home! Out of curiosity, which direction does your family room point… is it south facing? It always seems so bright and light and your colour choice most definitely complements this!
fabulous blog post sarah Jane – so much detail….
Hi ! What colour are your ceilings?
Author
I just went with off white
Love the mirror in the downstairs loo and the wooden toy with rotating numbers and letters – can you share details? Thanks! Emma
Author
Tkmaxx for the mirror and the wooden toy was from my local charity shop!
In the photo where you are testing the paint colours, what are you painting the test colours on?
Author
Just offcuts of plasterboard!
Hi there, can I ask if you used farrow or ball for the shaded white or did you get colour match? If son what brand did you use? Love the colour but can’t justify paying £75 for 5l paint tin!! Xx
Author
Yes, we colour matched using dulux paint! X
Love your blog and insta! This is a great post, thanks for sharing the colours you used, they’re beautiful. Would you be able to share the Dulux codes of the colour matched paint please?
Absolutely fabulous! Also interested in the Dulux codes if possible.
How do you find farrow & ball lasts once on the wall? I recently painted two walls with f&b and it’s chipping already. I had plans to paint my lounge in vardo but it’ll be really expensive and I’m dreading it chipping!
Author
I use either dulux or crown paint but colour match to farrow and ball!
Love your website!! Which do you prefer – Dulux or Crown for colour matching? Do you just paint onto a piece of wood? Would you say it’s safe enough to colour match then go for the full works or do you test the colour match too? Thank you!! xx
Author
We did colour, swatch and sample match! I used dulux on our walls x
Hi love your house, can I ask did are your outside windows uPVC? And did you paint them by hand? Just wondering if this is possible. Thank you
Author
Hi, we used to have vPVC but replaced them all with wooden ones. I believe it is possible to paint uPVC windows but you have to use specific paint.
Hi, this is unbelievably useful – thank you so much for putting all this together. Can I ask – did you spray the alcove cabinetry in the lounge or was it hand painted? The finish just looks so good! Is it eggshell? Looks absolutely divine 🙂 🙂 🙂
Author
Yes, our carpenter spray painted it prior to installation! It’s a satin finish.
Hi, when you colour matched your paints did you go for a washable modern emulsion for the walls or one close to Farrow and Ball’s chalky emulsion? Many thanks for your articles. I find them invaluable.
Thankyou for post found it very good and will copy all colours could you tell me yr flooring Sheila
Author
Tiles are from http://www.pure-stone.co.uk
Are these the brushed marble ones? Thanks
You have created a beautiful home – the colours you have chosen are fab. Love that you colour match – will definitely be stealing some of your ideas for my own home refurb project.
Hi SJ this all looks amazing. I’m not sure if you will remember me my sister and I met and chatted with your sister last Sat at Tom Howley. Please can you let me know where you purcased the sink in your downstairs cloakroom.
Thanks
Jacky
Author
Hi Jacky,
Lovely to have met you! I have a HIB sink in the cloakroom and I purchased from our local bathroom stockist in Hemel but Victorian Plumbing also sell it; https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/hib-metro-cloakroom-washbasin-9770
Thanks SJ, that’s kind of you adding a link for this.
Absolutely love the rug in Scarlett’s room!!!
Can you tell me where you got it from ? So gorgeous.
Author
Of course, it’s from ALSO home – I absolutely love it!
Hello, your home is beautiful! Could you please tell me where the rug in your lounge is from? Thanks
Author
It’s from Dunelm 😊
love the fire place can I asked what log burner have you installed ?
Author
Thanks! It’s a Rais Q-tee wood burner
Hello, I love the colours and the way you have made your home. Please could you tell me about the wooden floors, are they real oak? (Where are they from?) Do you gave any carpet at all in your home or is it all hard?
Also! Do you have under floor heating?
Author
It’s engineered oak from Havwoods and yes, underfloor heating throughout! Just have rugs and carpet on the stairs x
Everything looks really great and truly inspiring. Are you able to share the code for the wooden flooring you have used?
Hi SJ,
I’ve just come across you on Insta and am loving your blog and style!
I am currently renovating and am also using Wimbourne White on some wall areas. Could I ask, did you use it on the ceilings too?
Author
Hi, no, we just used white for the ceilings x
hi did you use Farrow & Ball – Ammonite or winterbourne white for the kitchen? Many thanks for confirming 🙂 I love the colour and our TH kitchen is just being fitted next month
Author
It’s TH colours Tansy and Lithodora
Hi! Where did you get your white shelving units for your living room area? Thanks!!
Author
We had our carpenter make them!
Hi, can I ask which oak floori g you used from havwoods? Thanks
Hello. I am in a dilemma currently I have only two FB colours throughout the house. Pointing and Tungsten Green (now archived). Trying to pick a white. The pointing is lovely and changes colour but is perhaps a little cream. Have an open plan living, kitchen, dining 1st floor – french doors each end – one due south, one due north!. Now thinking about Wimborne through out the area.
Does it have some warmth to it? My living area has leather seats and bright artwork but it does look cosy too. Don;t want to kill that.
Help – Farrow and Ball just to so many whites I can’t afford lots of sample pots………..
Great blog! Can I please ask what the flooring in the kitchen is called? I’m currently considering Botticino Marble from Pure Stone. Many thanks!
Author
It’s called Mazzano marble x
Hi love your kitchen units where are they from please?
Thanks in advance x
Author
They are from Tom Howley kitchens x
Thank you for your blog, you have a stunning home. Can you tell me what colour you painted your kitchen walls please? Thank you
Author
It’s Wimborne white xx
Hi your kitchen is beautiful, love the F & B colours you have chosen… can I ask is the brick wall in the kitchen made with brick slips?
If so, which have you used?
Thankyou!
Author
They are real reclaimed bricks x
Hi I am having a dilemma wth my kitchen colour on the walls ( I have cream a cream kitchen diner with good natural light ) then saw your beautiful hallway in shaded white I really liked the undertones of green grey would this be correct ? And did whom did you use for colour mixing or was it Farrell & Ball
And what a beautiful home & colours you have stunning
Amazing, I had separately picked out these exact same colours (I kid you not) so it’s soooo nice to see them in one house!