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Home decoration

Help with Farrow and Ball Colours for hallway and stairs.

112 replies

deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 16:24

Help desperately needed with colour scheme for my hallway. Been dithering for ages and have a decorator coming in two weeks time, so need to make a decision pronto!
My hallway, two stairscases and landing are narrow and fairly dark, particularly the hall. Upstairs there are east facing windows on both landings, so lots of light in the morning, but pretty dingy from mid-day onwards.
I have a longing to get away from neutrals, but think that darker colours would be too much in such a narrow space. Also the rooms which come off the landings upstairs are various shades of cream and grey, so I guess I should stick to colours which work with those colour schemes.
I'm at the point where I just want someone to make the decision for me!
I'd prefer to use Farrow and Ball, but willing to consider any other brands!
I would like to steer away from cream/yellow/brown tones - looking for something soft but clean looking which will brighten things up.

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deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 17:21

I was keen on Brinjal for my tiny windowless bathroom, but bottled out at the last moment!

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Alwayscheerful · 04/04/2013 17:22

Wimborne white is lovely but very neutral and pale, I think HSL will stand a darker shade unless you want a shaded white look.

Borrowed light and pale powder are great for bedrooms, they are very clean and fresh, green with some light blue in other light they can give a pale duck egg effect, are you looking for a fresh contemporary colour?

I have not tried pavilion blue. ( I have elephants breath everywhere, fab in the HSL and gorgeous in the sitting room I can only describe it as greige).

deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 17:23

noddyholder - have you used Dimity anywhere? Did it come out quite pink?

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deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 17:26

Alwayscheerful - yes I guess I am looking for something contemporary and fresh. I think you're right about BL and PP being more bedroom colours.

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noddyholder · 04/04/2013 17:27

It is quite peachy if the sun/light is right on it otherwise very subtle and slightly grey

deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 17:30

This is the problem for me when it comes to choosing, Noddyholder- the fact that colours can change so drastically in different lights.

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noddyholder · 04/04/2013 17:34

I sometimes hang lots of charts around the rooms and see how they change but I do this for work and realise its a bit much to give it that much thought when you have other things going on !

deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 17:39

I'm thinking about nothing else at the moment - obsession you might say!

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deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 17:41

But this is what's driving me mad - I think I've made a decision. then I look at the colour later on in the day and it has changed into something I'm not as keen on!

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Bonsoir · 04/04/2013 17:45

I like the look of F&B Calamine but will have a hard time persuading DP that we should paint our bedroom pink. I have had several pink bedrooms in the past and love it... hmm. Maybe I should paint the loo with Calamine and see how he gets on with it?

deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 17:46

... and I haven't even got started on carpet! Sisal or wool???

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deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 17:47

My carpet fitter is dreading me chosing sisal - he reckons it's a nightmare to fit and just not as great as it's made out to be. But I can't think about that yet until I've decided on paint colour...

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Bonsoir · 04/04/2013 17:48

I want this and, for DD's room, this.

deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 17:50

Bonsoir - yes I was wondering if you'd get away with it if DP has a say! It's not too pink, though, you could sell it to him as Bisque or something that sounds a little less girly!

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deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 17:52

Love those rugs, esp the flowery one..

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AnonymousBird · 04/04/2013 17:52

OP - have you used F&B on walls before? All I'll say is, there are some great colours but the coverage is absolutely awful. We used it, and regretted it, the number of coats (and therefore the cost!) was shocking. A pot went nowhere.

My lovely friend who is a decorator says she recoils in abject horror when clients present her with F&B emulsions.... and she always has to warn them that they will need at least 50% more paint than they think they do!

Sorry - can't help with colours - we are white, white and white again!

AnonymousBird · 04/04/2013 17:55

Sisal shrinks, big time, acclimatise it in your house for as long as you possibly can (days, if not a couple of weeks) before laying. When the edges pull away, which inevitably they will, it can look really tatty next to the skirtings.... hard to avoid. The stuff itself though is glorious, I absolutely love it as a flooring.

Sorry, I'm the bearer of annoying news today! I'll skulk off somewhere else....

deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 17:57

AnonymousBird - I used it in the bathroom and it went on so well and just needed one coat, which is why I became a complete convert! It was the modern emulsion, which might be different. I previously scoffed at people who were FandB addicts!

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deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 18:00

Yeah I know that about sisal, which is why I think I'll end up not using it. Some peoplke have had good experiences, but on balance I think it's probably not worth the risk. You need to use a real expert to fit it too, and is more pricey to fit than other carpets. It's so nice though...

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Bonsoir · 04/04/2013 18:00

My painter managed to need four coats of F&B Elephant's Breath in DD's room. He puts incredibly thin layers on... I told him that I slap it on! Fortunately he works incredibly fast (does a layer in under an hour in a 12 square metre room - it would take me a day...).

Bonsoir · 04/04/2013 18:03

I think Calamine might work in our bedroom - I think it would go OK with the linen bed. I could go for Cinder Rose too, personally... Maybe I should drag DP to the paint shop tomorrow afternoon?

MarshaBrady · 04/04/2013 18:03

Painters do tend to dislike it. We said before hiring that it would be F&B.

Most complained, one canny guy built his whole thing on using F&B and charged twice the amount. Didn't use him, but thought it was a good idea.

We have a dark hall and it's really nice to walk into the lighter rooms. Chappell Green, so all go with that - pale powder to shaded white type colours.

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Bonsoir · 04/04/2013 18:08

I'm very nice to my painter and cook him special veggie lunches to keep him happy

MarshaBrady · 04/04/2013 18:09

Sounds nice Bonsoir.

deedeelondon · 04/04/2013 18:10

Bonsoir - see, I can choose for other people, just not for myself! Good luck
persuading DP !

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