Monday, 3 March 2014

Colour Study Farrow and Ball French Gray

Welcome to a Paint Colour Case Study on Farrow and Ball French Gray (still tempted to spell it French Grey!!).

Farrow and Ball French Gray bathroom
Farrow and Ball French Gray bathroom

I hope these Farrow and Ball Case Study posts can do all the legwork for you so you can see at a glance whether the colour is going to work for you in *your* house with *your* lighting conditions.

Farrow and Ball French Gray in Modern country bathroom
Farrow and Ball French Gray bathroom

Farrow and Ball French Gray is a perfect example of how light can change chalky paint colours, read on to see why...

Harvey Jones kitchen in Farrow & Ball 'French Grey'
Farrow and Ball French Gray kitchen

In South-facing rooms that receive a good amount of natural light, Farrow and Ball French Gray appears as a muted green....

Farrow and Ball French Gray Bathroom
Farrow and Ball French Gray 

and, at times, as quite a strong green...

Harvey Jones kitchen painted in Farrow & Ball 'French Grey'
Farrow and Ball French Gray kitchen

Harvey Jones Shaker kitchen painted in Farrow & Ball 'French Grey' with Oak and Zimbabwe worktops
Farrow and Ball French Gray kitchen

Farrow and Ball French Gray
Farrow and Ball French Gray 

In north-facing rooms, which get a much cooler cast, Farrow and Ball French Gray appears as a gentle graceful grey and all of a sudden, I can feel my Modern Country heart pitter-patting merrily.

Painted dresser in Farrow and Ball French Gray
Farrow and Ball French Gray 

And, with dusk drawing in, Farrow and Ball French Gray turns greyer still..

Farrow and Ball French Gray, painted kitchen cabinets, shutters, white subway tile
Farrow and Ball French Gray 

Particularly, when given the chance to build intensity in rooms with internal corners aplenty...

Who are you to believe? Are these photos lying?

Farrow & Ball's French Gray a beautiful country kitchen.
Farrow and Ball French Gray 

No! The answer is that Farrow and Ball French Gray paint can appear as ALL of these. 

Farrow and Ball French Grey
Farrow and Ball French Gray 

Farrow and Ball French Gray paint
Farrow and Ball French Gray 

Especially if waxed and distressed...

Kitchen painted with Farrow & Ball’s French Gray
Farrow and Ball French Gray 

Farrow and Ball French Gray can look green, 
Farrow and Ball French Gray can look grey....

Farrow and Ball French Gray Estate Eggshell
Farrow and Ball French Gray 

Farrow and Ball French Gray can look green....

Farrow and Ball French Gray kitchen
Farrow and Ball French Gray kitchen

... and Farrow and Ball French Gray can even appear blue

Farrow Ball French Gray Walls
Farrow and Ball French Gray 

Get it right, and, oh my! Just look at this Farrow and Ball French Gray kitchen:

Kitchen Farrow and Ball French Gray units
Farrow and Ball French Gray kitchen with red Aga

Kitchen....Farrow and Ball French Gray units
Farrow and Ball French Gray kitchen with red Aga

It absolutely sings Modern Country....

Farrow and Ball French Gray kitchen
Farrow and Ball French Gray kitchen

You need to know which of these you're aiming for before you choose the setting it'll work for with you.

Farrow and Ball French Gray harmonises wonderfully with natural materials.

Farrow and Ball French Gray painted furniture
Farrow and Ball French Gray painted furniture

PAINTED FURNITURE FARROW & BALL FRENCH GREY
Farrow and Ball French Gray kitchen painted furniture

and looks great in rooms which lead onto the garden...just feast your eyes on this French Gray kitchen....

Farrow and Ball French Gray PAINTED KITCHEN
Farrow and Ball French Gray 
How does French Gray compare to other Farrow and Ball paints?
(l-r Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray, Manor House Gray, Hardwick White, Pigeon, Blue Gray and French Gray)

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray, Manor House Gray, Hardwick White, Pigeon, Blue Gray and French Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray, Manor House Gray, Hardwick White, Pigeon, Blue Gray and French Gray

Farrow and Ball French Gray can seem confusing...

Farrow & Ball Off White and Farrow & Ball French Grey on the tongue and groove paneling
Farrow and Ball French Gray panelling

I know it sounds confusing but, really, it's not.

Farrow and Ball
Farrow and Ball French Gray
Warm light makes all paint appear greener, you see. Here's Farrow and Ball French Gray with warm light:

Farrow and Ball
Farrow and Ball French Gray paint

And cooler light makes it look bluer...here's Farrow and Ball French Gray on an overcast day...

Farrow and Ball French Gray
Farrow and Ball French Gray
If a certain colour is already veering on the grey-green scale then chances are that putting it in a south-facing room will tip it right over into definite green territory.

farrow & ball french grey
Farrow and Ball French Gray

The Modern Country rule of thumb with French Gray is to keep it on the dark side of your home.

French Gray from Farrow and Ball
Farrow and Ball French Gray

Isn't it pretty? With the right light, Farrow and Ball acts as a chalky, muted shade of grey paint, with enough green to add stunning Modern Country interest.

Coming up soon...using Farrow and Ball French Gray for exteriors!

If you're a fan of muted, gently-greyed paint colours then you've struck gold here at Modern Country Style! Have a look at my other colour studies:



Images via: Lucy Swales, my French country home, Harvey Jones, little biba, Harvey Jones, Harvey Jones, Accio Fabric, House To Home, Remodelista, rurally screwed, Plain English, Made Sign Interest, Desire To Inspire, Attic Mag, James White Photography, Rurally Screwed, west egg interior, Farrow and Ball, JS Joinery, Houzz, Modern Country Style, Modern Country Style, The Kitchen Spray Company, unknown, ebay, unknown, virginia Roberts, Lucy Swales, Lucy Swales, unknown??, La Vie En Rose, Farrow and Ball, Icon Interiors, Busy Bee Studio, old creamery furniture, Farrow and Ball, 

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Saturday, 1 March 2014

Colour Study: Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

Farrow and Ball's Lamp Room Gray (yes, Farrow and Ball, a British company choose to spell grey the American way...why?) is a seemingly simple colour at first glance. 

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray (number 88)

Farrow and Ball describe it as 'a match to the original white which had dirtied down due to the trimming of the lamp wicks'. 

Farrow and Ball, Lamp Room Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray kitchen

Well, come on, Farrow and Ball, that's about as useful as a cat flap on a submarine, isn't it?

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

So....welcome to another Modern Country Style Colour Study, which I hope will help you to get a better understanding of how different paints will work in your home (and hopefully saving money on Tester Pots that you can put towards something lovely).

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray paint


Here are links to the Colour Studies:


Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

Farrow & Ball Lamp Room Grey.
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray bedroom

People often ask what the difference is between Farrow and Ball Cornforth White and Lamp Room Gray. You can see for yourself in the image below...

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray Painted Furniture
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray number 88

..that Farrow and Ball has a slightly bluer cast. Cornforth White is more of a neutral, soft grey. Lamp Room Gray has a stronger presence. (Through the doors below, you can see a peek of Farrow and Ball Pigeon):

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray Living Room
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

In the wrong position, under fluorescent lighting, for example, it has to be said that Lamp Room Gray (88) appears, dare I say it, dull. Just plain, old, boring grey... BUT, given the right treatment, the depth of pigment, as with any good paint, builds throughout a room to offer a grey that has a lot to give.

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

Just look at the different guises Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray can take on...

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray kitchen
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray kitchen

Probably the look Lamp Room Gray is most commonly used for is a masculine take on interiors. Here's a case in point...a lovely study:

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray 88

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

Handsome, no? But Lamp Room Gray can also do pretty. Look at this Country bathroom:

Farrow & Ball grey paint in Lamp Room Gray bathroom
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray 88 bathroom

And doesn't it look lovely as part of an all white scheme?

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray bahtroom grey
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray bathroom

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray does florals with style:

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray bedroom
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray bedroom

And it looks stunning teamed with wood:

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray bathroom
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray bathroom

...and natural materials...

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray kitchen
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray kitchen

In terms of changing colour, there is some variation with light. See how Lamp Room Gray takes on a creamy hue with bright skies...

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray in sulight
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray in sun

And then reverts to a cooler grey in overcast skies...

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray daytime
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray overcast 

Lamp Room Gray can vary in shade too. Warm sunshine brings a very slight green tinge...

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Grey front door
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray front door

And, conversely, lack of light can give a slightly taupier edge ...

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray kitchen
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

If you're wanting to paint furniture, then expect a lightening, as the colour won't build up in the same way..

Furniture painted in Lamp Room Grey by Farrow & Ball.
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

What marks Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray as special is more of a feeling than anything you can specifically put your finger on.

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Grey
Farrow and Ball

 This is one of Farrow and Ball's colours that I wouldn't recommend getting copied. Use the real thing, or choose another colour. Otherwise you're at risk of ending up with a flat, boring looking room, rather than a subtle grey which makes you want to look...and then look again.

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray and Skimming Stone
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray bathroom panelling

Grey is a colour that needs careful paint-choosing. More haste, less speed...That's why, if you're looking for a mid-toned grey, with a slight leaning to the cool, Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray is the one for me.

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray bedroom
F. Lamp Room Gray

Farrow & Ball's Lamp Room Gray bedroom
Farrow Lamp Room Gray

If you want a definite grey room but without it looking boring and dull and perhaps you're after a Swedish Country feel...

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray Country bedroom
Farrow and Ball's Lamp Room Gray

 or a touch of the industrial...

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray
Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

 then Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray comes highly recommended.


Canadian House and Home, Modern Country Style, Matthew Wawman, Farrow and Ball, Farrow and Ball, Houzz, ajbarnes online Farrow and Ball, House Beautiful, Brooke Gianetti, Brooke Gianetti, Brooke Gianetti, Brooke Gianetti, The Lennox, House To Home, Char Char, Pinterest, your nest design, Modern Country Style, Modern Country Style, adam van der gelderen, Matthew Wawman, Maria's Vintage Designs, Farrow and Ball, Housetohome, Living etc, Living etc, Veranda

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