Which of these two Farrow and Ball colours is best?

[Shoezembagsforever]

I am need of some advice on the two colours we’re deciding between to decorate the downstairs of a Victorian terrace. My DH is holding up the carpet, cork tiling for the hallway and the wood the storage and shelving will be built with. I’m strongly in favour of one and he’s strongly in favour of the other, but don’t want to bias opinions!

We’re planning on having the area ‘drenched’ as in all walls, woodwork, cornicing and ceiling are to be painted the same colour and finish. The colour on the left is Shaded White and on the right is Skimming Stone.

This is causing a bit of consternation currently so I thought Mumsnet may be able to help.

Skimming Stone

Pale one for drench, darker with white trims

Skimming stone. Which coincidentally is what we also have in our hallway!

By the way we always get cheaper copies of Farrow and Ball from Johnstone Paints.

I'm worried Shaded White clashes with the carpet.

Shaded white is too yellow and skimming stone goes much better.

However, it will depend on the actual room as I have skimming stone in my hall and a bedroom. In the bedroom it has pink tones and in the hall it looks like the swatch.

I have shaded white skirting, doors and walls in my living room with school house white cabinets (shown in pics). It doesn’t look as yellow as your swatch. So the light is a big factor.

Are you sure about cork for a Victorian hallway?

Skimming stone - I did our hall in it and we have now done several rooms in it. A really nice colour. Brighter where there is light but not dingy in the shadowy areas

Under the armpit (which lets face it could be the name of a Farrow and Ball paint)

It does.

Well, then they aren’t skimming stone or shaded white. They’re just the closest approximations with different sheen levels which will affect the finish.

Skimming stone is beautiful, have been considering it myself for my study.

I'm not against a darker colour but shaded white doesn't seem neutral enough, as others have said.

@Gribbit987 that's really helpful thanks. My sister also has Shaded White in her apartment and said it looks way lighter than in my photo. Don't want to risk it though.

Can you post a photo of your Skimming Stone room?

@Gribbit987 the colours in the photo are actual Farrow and Ball, to be clear.

Armpit.

skimming stone, we have it in our house

Armpit definitely!

We're not necessarily trying to save money by getting dupes, it's just most decorators we've used over the years won't work with Farrow and Ball.

Prefer armpit.

Armpit gets my vote

I prefer armpit

I prefer the lighter, under armpit one. The darker one looks a bit dingy.

In my experience the dupes for F&B are never quite right. And actually, the F&B paints just don't work in my 80s boxy house - I think they need the light and space of a Victorian or Edwardian house to look their best. On my walls they were too saturated and made everything feel gloomy.

Skimming stone.

Free advice from an interior designer here 😁

The lighter colour.

The darker one will look dingy, and it doesn't go with the carpet at all.

The darker one looks bad alongside the carpet.

Under armpit one here too but I really don't like it when people paint ceilings, covings etc with the same shade. You need something to break it up. It looks too boxy otherwise and it takes away all those lovely features of a period property.