So many testers! Looking for some help please?

[Loveandhappiness]

Hello, I’ve tried the following Dulux testers trying to find a neutral, modern, hallway colour for a long narrow hallway in a 1930s property. None quite hit the spot! Walls are currently a mid-grey (not sure of exact colour/brand) and I also have (light) grey floors and two kids who run their hands up the wall too. It looks a bit like a prison corridor to me! There are two floors so I want to minimise costs with a Dulux range or somethings similar. Not F&B unless I can get it mixed at a fraction of usual or RRP.

Pebble shore - a bit cold/flat
Nutmeg White - a bit creamy
just walnut- quite like and considering going with this but unsure
mellow mocha- too pinkish
Perfectly taupe- quite like this but it is too dark- a shade or two lighter would be good but can’t find it.

Chic shadow - awful
Egyptian cotton - too yellow

I haven’t tried natural hessian yet so that’s the next one on my list, other than that I’m running out of options! I have just painted a couple of bedrooms in Timeless but it’s too light for the hallways.

Can you recommend any colours for me please?

I've recently painted the hallway of my 1900s property with B&Q's good home paint in chiapas. Looked like wet plaster when it went on but it's dried to a much more pleasing colour! This is the neutrals page from thier collection. It actually comes up slightly lighter than on the colour chart IRL.

By the way. U can have farrow and ball matches at b &q. I didn’t realise until the man at the paint desk told me.

they match any of the paint colours. U can have testers as well. When u got my tester pot they put the colour under my name. So when I went back I got the exact colour I had tested. Colour was a perfect match to the farrow and ball colour. U tell them what farrow colour u want match and they do it.

I’ve just got testers of Valspar earthy green and Elk’s antler from b&q, they are warm greigey, neutrals?

fyi all paint inc testers is 3 for 2 in b&q until next Monday.

Thanks @Beth262, they look promising. Chiapas looks nice. I quite like the look of Tijuana especially if it comes up a bit lighter.

Thanks @Paranoidandroidmarvin, I didn’t know B&Q would do that. Do you know any good warm, neutral, F&B colours for a hallway? I have ‘blackened’ in my bedroom, which has lots of light and ‘cornforth white’ in my living room (north facing) which I love (but it’s been there for ten years now and is due a repaint!) but don’t think either are right for my hallway.

Thanks @thenewaveragebear1983 I’ll take a look at those colours. A warm, greigey neutral is just what I’m after. I like valspar paint too. Did my daughters bedroom in it once.

This could be my last tester round 🙂 Will let you know how I get on 🤞 Thank you.

Viewing the patchwork of testers on my wall, my interior designer sister said “FGS Lady just choose anything that looks more or less right, they are all good and it will look 100 times better than what you have”

And she was right. I was trying to choose the absolutely perfect colour from about 10 equally perfect colours.

Go with Just Walnut. If you’re not wild about it it will need repainting in a couple of years anyway.

I've got Natural Hessian in every room in my 1930's semi. It's actually papered with a very simple basketweave anaglypta wallpaper that's been up since we moved in, in 1985. Always use vinyl silk to reflect as much light as possible. It was done 8 years ago and before that i had Barley White which I am going back to next time.

Farrow and Ball Ammonite is the perfect light greige.
The key is get to go to a Johnstone's and get them to make it up at half the price of F&B. They have all the colours there. Ammonite is perfect for your hallway

Johnstone's paint shops

Locate from here

You can also get old Dulux colours made up at their paint mixing things. They keep all the codes, even if the colour isn't on the shelves any more.

Have you considered hiring a colour consultant? Dulux sometimes have their own or might be able to recommend one.

We have Natural Hessian and its sibling Natural Calico in various locations. N Hessian is quite plastery in some lights but we've lived with it happily for 10 years. N Calico is creamier and works ok in our dingy hallway but gets too creamy in full natural light. We have Just Walnut in another north facing room and I love it, so might redo the halls in that.
Originally painted the whole thing in Timeless and it was blooming hideous throughout, looked pasty, grubby and washed out.

Thanks all for your response.

@LadyGardenersQuestionTime you/your interior designer are right of course, I shouldn’t overthink it and just choose one! @Fizzadora I am going to have to try natural hessian! I had this in a previous house and liked it. @bananaAgogo thanks, I’ll have a look at amonite too. @PickleMcPickle I haven’t, I’m trying to keep the costs low as I need to re-carpet the stairs too but perhaps I wouldn’t spend so much on testers! @tpmumtobe good to know you love just walnut. Timeless would be a disaster in the hallway but is ok in the bedrooms with other soft furnishings and pictures up.

I get a colour consultant from Dulux. I'm in Australia and it's quite cheap here but I don't know the cost in the UK. It just saves all the testers and the second guessing. Plus they can advise on other rooms while they're there.

So to update. I tested valspar’s Elk’s antler and earthy beige but I found them too dark for my already fairly dark hallway. I also tried B&Q’s own paint in Tijuana which I liked but it was a bit brown for me and I wish I’d tried Chiapas instead! I had a tester of farrow & ball’s Amonite made up and although it looked a bit light on my card, I have gone with that! I’m sure it will be lovely! I’ll update when it’s done 🙂

update please! Do you like F & B Amonite?