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Original poster

Farrow & Ball paint colour - that divine greenish-grey...

118 replies

MrsSeanBean · 05/01/2009 16:33

What is the shade typically used on exterior woodwork on older houses which works so well?

Is it vert de terre? Pigeon? Ball Green? Or even Stone White?

Maybe any are acceptable. But IME they vary greatly once actually applied.

Does anyone know?

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsSeanBean · 06/01/2009 16:34

French Gray

OP posts:
Vamonos · 06/01/2009 17:10

oooh Mrs SB - well done, you are a genius detective

Maybe it's my monitor but the website 'paint sample' doesn't look at all greenish, but paint samples are always rubbish aren't they.

I have taken a photo of DD's chair (it's on my profile) which I think is a good approximation of the colour I have in my head, can you take a look? It's probably slightly too blue, just an iota more greenish and it would be perfect I reckon, what do you think? Are we on the same track?

Original poster
MrsSeanBean · 06/01/2009 17:16

Hmmm, tricky Vamanos. Chair looks a bit pale to me, but that may be from a flash, or the fact there is no stonework to contrast it with.

Farrow & Ball paint samples are the worst. Every shade I have ever used looks completely different once applied.

OP posts:
Vamonos · 06/01/2009 17:30

I'm going to have to get hold of a sample pot of French Gray I reckon (as well as the Ball Green, Castle Gray etc while I'm at it)

I can't even find my F&B paint chart at the moment, disaster.

Yes, the photo of the chair is probably slightly lighter than it appears in RL, sigh - it's so difficult isn't it!

But maybe that is where I've been going wrong, I've always got samples of the F&B greens, not the blues/greys - and they are indeed quite 'loose' with their colour descriptive wordings...

bronze · 06/01/2009 17:36

fantastic. I can add this to my knowledge for when we move

SwedesInACape · 06/01/2009 19:16

Ooh exciting. French Gray is my favourite F&B colour. We have a piece of junk cupboard in our kitchen painted in French Gray, as well as chest of drawers in one of the bedrooms, a bookcase and a small table. It's lovely. And it is very very similar to Ball Green.

Well done MrsSeanBean.

JolieGirl · 06/01/2009 20:16

Yay!

Am the winner - please note as you scroll down that I was the first person to have suggested French Gray - it's the colour we have in our dining room and it's stunning.

What's my prize then

Original poster
MrsSeanBean · 06/01/2009 21:41

Hi JolieGirl - well done

Would you like a link to some nice pics of Sean as your prize?

OP posts:
pamplemousse · 07/01/2009 09:12

Well done Mrs SB, great detective work, however the colour I NEED is more greeny, though as you say its really hard to see colours true to life on the computer screen.
Hope you find your perfect greyey greeny colour

midnightexpress · 07/01/2009 09:15
SwedesInACape · 07/01/2009 10:10

MidnightE - Even in Glasgie you will get away with French Gray as it's very warm and creamy-green. It's cool greys you need to steer clear of...... as well as citrusy yellows I used to live in the West Highlands where it was light for about 10 minutes a day in winter and we had French grey in our sitting room and it was lovely. The best yellow btw is Laura Ashley's 'Honey' it works particularly well with pitch pine which there is a lot of in Scotland.

CountessDracula · 07/01/2009 10:12

I have stone white in our kitchen I love it
If you are in SW London you are welcome to come and have a look! (unless you are insane or a hairy trucker)

CountessDracula · 07/01/2009 10:13

oh exterior, sorry
it's not london stone is it?

SwedesInACape · 07/01/2009 10:13

And the best green is Zoffany's 'Fennel'

CountessDracula · 07/01/2009 10:14

London Stone

SwedesInACape · 07/01/2009 10:35
midnightexpress · 07/01/2009 11:02

You used to live in the Highlands Swedes?????? Where?

Get the kettle on Countess D.

SwedesInACape · 07/01/2009 11:41

here

midnightexpress · 07/01/2009 11:55

Oh it's 'the loch that looks like Scotland'! I know exactly where you are - we pass it on our way to grandfather's croft the ancestral seat. How lovely.

SwedesInACape · 07/01/2009 12:13

Where is your ancestral seat? Is it in Glenelg?

midnightexpress · 07/01/2009 12:17

Just down the road from there (in Highland terms) - Dornie. I have dotty old rellies in Glenelg - one of them made a £20 note sandwich for a visitor last year. And we spent a v happy day with the grannies and the DSs on the Glenelg ferry last year.

SwedesInACape · 07/01/2009 17:15

Midnight. Yes I know what you mean by Highland local -- my nearest villiage shop was 15 miles away at Invergarry and that closed down. Both my big boys were born up there which perhaps explains why they are so tight careful with their money.

peasoup · 07/01/2009 18:08

I've just been lurking on this thread as I'm not in need of French Grey but am really concentrating on colours in my home at the mo-loads of bare woodwork waiting to be painted-tons of Farrow and Ball pots lying about. And i just saw your link to the loch, Swedes. Is it Loch Garry?

SwedesInACape · 07/01/2009 20:48

Peasoup - Yes, Loch Garry at the bottom and Loch Inchlaggan above the bridge and beyond that the River Kingie and Kingie Pool. Do you know it?

EachPeachPearMum · 07/01/2009 21:16

Aarrrrrggghhhhhhhhhhhh- between this thread and the duck egg /poo thread... I was dreaming of paint charts last night!