Farrow and Ball Alternative

[Tyranasaurus]

I used to think fancy paint ranges were a big con 'til I bought a tester pot of Farrow & Ball. I was then a total convert and my entire Victorian terrace was painted in F&B.

I've now moved and F&B paints just don't work here (believe I've tried- with my rather excessive tester pot collection). The house is a similar age but has lots of large sunny windows and some dominant period features. Whereas previously colours looked muted and sophisticated they're just looking drab and dirty now.

Does anyone have any paint ranges they like for period properties?

I agree, Little Greene is lovely paint. I like the colours better than F&B too, less "muddy", purer.

That said I am also quite a big fan of the Dulux Heritage range.

Im a bit fan of fired earth paint as its finish and coverage are excellent and the choice of colours is perfect for me

Thanks for the suggestions. I remember looking at little greene for my old house and not liking the colours as they were too strong- so will definitely have a look.

Another fan of Dulux Heritage here. I've used Ochre White quite a lot and depending on the light it can vary from having a yellow, green or grey undertone.

Hi,
I did a load of paint testing when I was looking to find the perfect paint (quality and colour) for some products/upcycling I have done for home and my business.
I found the Little Greene range good but expensive. Steered clear of Laura Ashley and Designers Guild as paint quality was not great. The best I found was the Crown Breatheasy range - nice colours, quality and doesn't smell (which is great if you need to paint at night with little ones in bed!) and if you get lucky at one of the big retailers you sometimes get 3 for 2 offers.
Good luck with the search
Jess

I'm using earthborn at the moment - no nasty smells and it lets the walls breathe too. have even managed to paint a wall of my children's bedroom whilst they were sleeping and no worries about it at all. Colours are lovely but you have to pay a little bit extra for the extended range which is a shame. coverage is really good and ultra matt too.

We have just painted our living room in fired earth 'duck egg' and it's lovely. My husband said it was great to apply.

Annie Sloan is who you are thinking of Ohhelponoitsa, I know she does AMAZING furniture paint, not sure about emulsions, based in Oxford

I've always used F&B, but last year we had to do an emergency paint job so I brought Wickes chalky flat matt in wolf. All the way through I moaned (constantly!!), but actually when it was dried it looked fab. So cheap its worth getting a tester pot.

I was just about to say wickes chalk flat matt too! We tested 9 paints for our living room, including f&b, and wickes came out top!

It is a sunny room as well. It works really well.

Can you tell I get a bit obsessive about finding exactly the right paint

Dulux Heritage is marvellous, you can order testers and a colour card from their website. And you can get it made up in matt endurance finish at B&Q, scrubbable

Check out paint and paper library - fabulous colours and great to apply. I get loads of compliments when I use it

I would definately try the Little Greene Paint company, it goes on a dream, a bit on the expensive side, but sometimes when you weigh up the costs and effort of more paint and more time to achieve the same quality of finish, its definatley worth the extra bit up front.
Theyve got some lovely wallpapers too now.