Down a F&B rabbit hole... please help!

[MunsteadWood]

Wanting to get our little 2 bed painted, with a view to (hopefully) moving house in a year or so. Got a few quotes but all much higher than I expected so have been planning to do it myself/with DH.

Having started out saying I didn't really mind about colours (we plan to move pretty soon so just want to look clean and neat), I've ended up covering in various testers of F&B colours, none of which are quite right... have been looking at greyish neutrals eg Cornforth White, Ammonite, Skimming Stone etc although all feel a bit cold.

I've just had a text from one of the companies we got a quote from to say they could do it much cheaper (like, half the price) if we agreed for them to decorate using paint they've got leftover from another job - White Tie, Off White and Clunch. It's a tempting offer but I've not tested any of these. From looking at the colour chart they all look a bit yellow.....

Anyone got these colours in their house and can comment? I am sure DH will say just to go with it (which is probably sensible if colours reasonably uncontroversial) but I'm nervous about ending up with colours I hate!

Extra info: we both go out to work during the week and have a toddler so doing it ourselves could be tricky (not painted a house before so not sure how much!)

He's also got some Dulux Trade Wiltshire White

We have skimming stone in our hall and all upstairs. I’d disagree with it being cold, I find it lovely and warm even in our north facing rooms. Its also a very easy colour to dress, goes with all decor and can be made to look grey or beigey demending on colours put with it.

Thanks @Lydia55y. I think Skimming Stone is prob my favourite of the ones I've tried and possibly just feels cold to me compared to the buttermilk type colour the walls are currently painted (legacy from previous owners).

I guess I'm trying to figure out whether I'm prepared to pay about twice the price to go with that colour compared to the other colours the decorator has left over in his shed. Logic says I probably shouldn't if we're going to move soon but I still feel uncertain...

Any views on White Tie, Clunch and/or Off White would be helpful too

(Or save money by doing it ourselves but create lots of hassle juggling painting with jobs and toddler)

Save the money if you're moving anyway and get a colour match ! You can buy flat matt colours nowadays in dulux etc
Horrendously expensive and I doubt it will influence potential buyers. If they don't like the house f and b paint on the walls won't change their minds. We've used copies and the real stuff and to be honest nobody knows any difference.

We used to have Off White on our woodwork - a sort of greige (more brownish than greyish). My fave is Strong White which we have in our bedroom - very pale grey - looks lovely against the white ceiling. I must say in your case, where you’re undecided and moving soon anyway, I’d be tempted to go with the leftover colours at a bargain price. It sort of makes the decision for you.

Thanks so much @Caucasianchalkcircles although sorry I should clarify the more expensive quotes are with colour match paint (Johnstone's/Dulux). But yes that's what we were planning if doing it ourselves!

I could maybe go back to him and try negotiating further but this offer was made after a couple of months of back and forth and chipping away at the cost

And thanks for this too @LillianGish I think you're prob right. Thanks for feedback on Off White - sounds like it could work in our house (furniture a mix of grey and brown, lots of oiled wood etc, carpets a pale greige-y colour, white kitchen and woodwork/ceilings)

Farrow and Ball paint is very expensive and imo is not an easy paint to use. The colours are lovely though. I have White Tie in my kitchen diner and it's a very flexible colour, I mean that it's easy to put stronger colours with it and that affects the overall look. I'm not explaining this very well but I have deep red curtains and a grey tiled floor and White Tie walls.

@LillianGish How dark is Off White? We've also got lots of colourful prints on walls in white/wood/gold/etc frames and think a pale colour would probably look best. Plus house on N-S axis so rooms on one side v sunny, the other side get no direct sun at all.

Oh great @Stardustinmyeyes that's really helpful. I've heard others say the paint can be hard to work with too but I guess if the decorators are doing it for us perhaps that's not so much of a concern! We're also not paying full price for it as it's leftovers. What colour does White Tie look in your house? Is it white/off white/yellowy?

maybe ask if they have any photos of the previous job so you can judge the overall effect? But personally I'd just go for it. Whatever you do probably won't be exactly what the buyer would have chosen, so as long as it is pretty neutral I don't think you can go far wrong.

That's a good idea @squee123

Well it’s in the whites spectrum so not very dark, but darker than white obv, so if you put it against pure white you would see the difference. I think all those F & B neutrals look - well very F&B! If that’s look you are going for you can’t really go wrong. Unless you are very set on a particular shade (because you’ve seen a room painted in that colour) It’s always a bit of a gamble.

I’ll post these two photos. As you can see it looks very different with different colours

I've tried to post photos from my phone it might take a while to upload. It looks very different with other colours

Ooh thanks so much @Stardustinmyeyes (love MN at times like this!)

I think that colour could work well - a nice, clean neutral.

And love your blinds! That dark red is my absolute favourite colour.

Never mind the blinds - I love your dog Stardust.

Ha - also that. What a cutie.

So apparently the majority of his leftover paint is Off White. Online reviews seem to say it comes up a bit green in some lights (not necessarily a problem for our house, I think, but quite different from the greys I had in mind). @LillianGish does/did it look at all green in your house? (I think maybe I need to go and buy another tester....)

It was in a previous house, but don't think I ever thought of it as greenish. More beige than grey I would say, but typical F&B "neutral" - if the quote is considerably cheaper and you are sprucing up with a view to moving I would be very tempted to go with it.

You've got me rooting out my paint chart now ! I think if you look at the other colours in the same column as Off-White, you can see it is on more of a brownish spectrum - ending in Mouse's Back (ie beige as I remembered) than on a greyish spectrum - which is where Cornforth White lies (a paler version of Mole's Breath). Not sure if that's making any sense to you at all, but I know what I mean

Thanks @LillianGish , yes I think we will go for it.

And in a way maybe having the decision made for us is no bad thing (I say as I surface from a sea of tester pots breathing a sign of relief...)