Wednesday 26 February 2014

Colour Study: Farrow and Ball Hardwick White

Welcome to another Modern Country Style Paint Colour Case Study. This time its the turn of Farrow and Ball Hardwick White (number 5) to come under my watchful eye.

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White

Hardwick White takes the rather shaky accolade of 'Most Changeable Colour In The Whole Wide World Ever.' 

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White bathroom
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White

Yes, that's a bonus if you want a chameleon of a colour that shifts between taupe and green and blue and grey and brown but it makes my job explaining it to you pretty trick-eeeeeeee. 

Painted Kitchen Units in Farrow and Ball Hardwick White
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White kitchen

This is a colour that sits right on the cusp of a bazillion others so that it slips away in unexpected directions. 

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White Hallway
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White Hall

Compare it to Farrow and Ball Light Blue, for instance...

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White and Light Blue
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White and Light Blue
or Farrow and Ball Blue Gray...

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White and Blue Gray
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White and Blue Gray
...it veers right over to the taupe end of its dastardly spectrum... yet put it up against the natural tones of these reindeer antlers and watch  Hardwick White's green undertones sing right out to greet you.

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White
You might find it useful to compare Farrow and Ball Hardwick White to these other paints in the image below (From top left...Farrow and Ball Charleston Gray, Lamp Room Gray, Ammonite, Purbeck Stone, Mole's Breath, Elephant's Breath, Manor House Gray, Skimming Stone and Hardwick White) to get a better handle on it. Hard to pin down, isn't it?

Farrow & Ball Charleston Gray Lamp Room Gray Ammonite Purbeck Stone Mole's Breat  Elephant's Breath  Manor House Gray  Skimming Stone  Hardwick White
Farrow and Ball Charleston Gray, Lamp Room Gray, Ammonite, Purbeck Stone, Mole's Breath, Elephant's Breath, Manor House Gray, Skimming Stone and Hardwick White

So here's the nub: before you get swept away in picking Farrow and Ball's Hardwick White, bear in mind the following factors:

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White

The direction your room faces....

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White Modern Country kitchen
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White Modern Country kitchen

In rooms that receives lots of warm southern light, Hardwick White can appear positively chocolate-like. There'll no escaping those taupe-y tones.

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White in south-facing room
But in a north-facing room, just look! For the vast majority of the time, particularly with the glum weather we've been having, Hardwick White takes on a far bluer character....

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White in shade
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White in north-facing room
The second thing to bear in mind is the size of your room....
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White builds intensity like nobody's business, so the the closer your internal corners are (i.e. the smaller your room) the darker the paint will seem. 

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White in north facing room
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White

Just look at the difference in the image below between full light and shadow. Those differences, my Modern Country friend, are what you'll be playing with.

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White in south facing room
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White
Conversely if you're painting furniture with Hardwick White and you have plenty of external angles that bounce the colour away from itself, this shade never has the chance to build and you start to see where the White part of Hardwick White comes to play. See the kitchen island below?

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White kitchen island
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White kitchen

And this holds true for floors and doors...

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White floor paint
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White floor paint

Farrow and Ball Slipper Satin Estate Emulsion and Hardwick White Estate Eggshell.
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White painted floor

including front doors painted in Farrow and Ball Hardwick White....

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White front door
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White front door

The last thing to take into account is the time of day that you'll be spending time in the room...if it's evening, and the lights will be on, then, again, Mr. Brown will be your constant companion...

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White kitchen
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White walls

 ...but chose a garden to room to decorate with Hardwick White, where you'll see it mainly in daylight hours, and Hardwick White can appear as a soft grey-green.

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White dining room
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White woodwork

If that all sounds a lot to take in then let me add in some enormous plusses to using Farrow and Ball's Hardwick White.

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White bathroom
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White bathroom

It can hold its own beautifully against stronger colours. Here is Hardwick White against a strong orange-red....

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White kitchen
and here against Farrow and Ball's Down Pipe.

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White Down Pipe
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White with Down Pipe
One of the things I love most is the lip-smackingly crisp contrast of Hardwick White and true White. 

Traditional Bathroom.  Farrow & Ball's "Hardwick White"
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White walls

See what I mean in this fantastic bathroom:

 Farrow and Ball Hardwick White bathroom panelling
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White bathroom tongue and groove panelling

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White tongue and groove
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White bathroom panelling

This is a colour that can sit happily at the Modern end of Modern Country....

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White hallway
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White Victorian Hall

or right at the Country end of Modern Country: Aga and all!

F Hardwick White
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White kitchen

More slippery than a bar of soap I think you'll agree.

Painted furniture in Farrow and Ball Hardwick White
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White painted furniture
By going to the Gorgeous Paints tab at the top of Modern Country Style (see it up there?), you can browse my other Colour Case Studies at your leisure. Or, takes the lazy girls' route and get click-happy with the links below...


Front door farrow and Ball Railings Victorian house in Hardwick White and All White (Farrow & Ball)
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White house and Railings front door

ALL the Colour Studies are of colours that I've used {and loved} myself. Included are lots of images of each paint in lots of different situations and lots of different lights to give you a really full understanding. No one likes nasty paint surprises, do they?

Farrow & ball Hardwick white  with wood panelling
Farrow and Ball Hardwick White walls in light hallway with white panelling

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Images via Farrow and Ball, House To Home, roundhousedesign, Farrow and Ball, Modern Country Style, Modern Country Syle, Modern Country Style, An Urban Cottage, Farrow and Ball, Modern Country Style, Modern Country Style, Evie's House, Modern Country Style, Houzz, Plain English, Plain English, Decor De Provence, Pinterest, House To Home, alternative eagle, Yorkshire Pine, Flickr, hgtv, Narratives, Narratives, Farrow and Ball,  Kitchensrenew, Sally Wells, Pinterest, Pinterest

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Monday 24 February 2014

My Top Ten Farrow and Ball Front Door Colours

The time has come to take a delicious detour into the world of Farrow and Ball-painted front doors. One of the lovely things about Farrow and Ball paints is the way they change so much in different lights and never more so than when on a front door.

Here's our front door...

Front door paint Farrow and Ball Powder Blue
Front door in Farrow and Ball Powder Blue

...which is currently painted in Farrow and Ball's Powder Blue Gloss paint. It's served us well but it needs a fresh new coat so.....

Here are my top ten Farrow and Ball front door colours....

1. Farrow and Ball Hardwick White
2. Farrow and Ball Railings
4. Farrow and Ball French Gray
5. Farrow and Ball Green Blue
8. Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray
9. Farrow and Ball Card Room Green
10. Farrow and Ball Ball Green

This rustic door is painted in Farrow and Ball Hardwick White, a gorgeously uncertain grey-taupe. 

Front door paint Hardwick White by Farrow and Ball
Front door in Farrow and Ball Hardwick White

Next up is this French-style door, painted in dark-and-moody Farrow and Ball Railings.

Front door in Farrow and Ball Railings
Front door in Farrow and Ball Railings

This lovely door is painted with Farrow and Ball French Gray.

Door in Farrow & Ball's French Gray No.18
Front door in Farrow and Ball French Gray

We already have Farrow and Ball Blue Gray in our kitchen but it's a strong contender for our front door too...

Victorian front door in Farrow & Ball's Blue Gray no. 91 in exterior eggshell
Front door in Farrow and Ball Blue Gray

Farrow and Ball Green Blue gives a French Country feel.

Farrow and Ball Green Blue French Shutters
Shutters in Farrow and Ball Green Blue 

This front door is painted in Farrow and Ball Pigeon which is sometimes green and sometimes grey, depending on the light

Victorian front door in Farrow & Ball Pigeon No. 25 exterior eggshell
Front door in Farrow and Ball Pigeon
.
Farrow and Ball Downpipe changes dramatically depending on the light; it moves from a murky charcoal to a definite deep teal.

Farrow and Ball Down pipe front door
Front door in Farrow and Ball Down Pipe

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray is restful and serene...and a little bit industrial chic.

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray front door
Front door in Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray 

Farrow and Ball Card Room Green has a delightful country cottage feel.

front door paint Farrow and Ball Card Room Green
Front door in Farrow and Ball Card Room Green

Farrow and Ball Ball Green creates that elusive Cotswold front door vibe.

Farrow and Ball Ball Green front door paint
Front door in Farrow and Ball Ball Green 
.
Over the coming posts, we'll take a look at each colour in depth...

It's so hard to choose! I'm dying to know...which is your favourite from my Top Ten Best Farrow and Ball Front Door Colours?


Images via Modern Country Style, Lynn Gill, mydesignchic, Farrow and Ball, Voysey and Jones, houzz, Voysey and Jones, Rightmove, Sels, Raw Silk and Saffron, Vintage Heart

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Tuesday 18 February 2014

The Best Climbing Rose In The World?

Any Modern Country Garden has to have climbing roses. It's a given, right? So, with that decision made, I'm often asked, which is the best climbing rose to choose? 

Unless you have acres to devote to any rose that takes your fancy, a good idea is to only choose roses that perform beautifully. Look for profuse flowering over a long period, healthy, strong growth, and, of course, delicious perfume.

The climbing rose New Dawn (AGM) ticks all those boxes and more! It is reliable and healthy, with glossy, dark green foliage that lasts well into winter. New Dawn has fragrant blush pink flowers which appear freely from early summer to late autumn. Truly who could ask for more for their Modern Country Garden?

New Dawn

Last year, we planted the rose 'New Dawn' to grow up the front of our house. It's still in its baby-stages but I can't wait for it to reveal its full glory, as in the images below. Aren't they beautiful?

New Dawn Roses are soooooo beautiful/ATTRACTS: Bluebirds. A climbing Rose.

May 2013.  New Dawn roses "ginger's house"


New Dawn Rose

I want New Dawn roses to cover the tool shed out back.


If you have enough sun don't underestimate the majesty of the climbing rose. Try New Dawn for pink or John Cabot for red in abundance!

New Dawn rose on a white picket fence. Who could ask for more!?!

Throw Some Glitter In The Air

my idea of heaven

New Dawn | http://awesome-beautiful-garden-decors.blogspot.com

Modern Country Garden perfection!

Having given all that sensible advice, I have to admit, somewhat sheepishly, that I find it hard not to resist the call to squeeze in a few more roses in our own Modern Country garden. 

Now, please 'fess up, I'm dying to know...
which is your favourite climbing rose?


Images via heirloom roses dindebat, keely spencer methany, erinartandgardens andrea vintage rose garden, marieardenpinkliving, gardendesign, crystal rose cottage, idthrowglitterintheair, housetohome awesome beautiful garden decors

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