Farrow and Ball - Hype? BS? Worth It?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks! This is very helpful. It’s important to know when it’s worth paying for quality. There are a few voices here that suggest that, but not enough to tip me toward it. The comment about Home Depot and Lowe’s says more about the poster than the subject.

Yes, that particular comment bespeaks pretension (maybe a bit of affectation too)

[Anonymous]

I had a very fancy designer who steered us toward Benjamin Moore

[Anonymous]

I care very deeply (friends and family would say way too deeply) about paint colors and shades of white.

If you want to answer this question, you can answer it for the cost of two sample cans. Get one in the FB color you like and one matched by BM or SW. Have someone else paint the samples on the wall and keep the brand secret. Pick the one you like best.

The cost of the sample cans will be offset by the difference in the paint costs. If you don’t want to do this, just pick a brand. There’s no other way to know. This is a great way to know. Otherwise you’re just wasting time for the sake of gabbing.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on the shade you pick. Some are more complex than others. I am in love with FB Hague Blue, which is a dark blue that can look amazingly different depending on the light, middle blue in one, almost black in the other. I would, and have, paid extra to use that one. I am not sure I would do that for a lighter color. A blind test is a good idea.

[Anonymous]

I’m in love with the FB palette of colors and the pictures on their website. Beautiful!

For the dark or jewel tones, I would use FB. Also for a smaller space, just shutters, a single area etc.

For our whole house walls, the contractor matched FB slipper satin in BM. It looks great and I am very happy with the results. That said, if cost wasn’t an issue, I bet that the FB would be a richer color with more undertones.

[Anonymous]

How does paint “last longer?

I had a house painted with FB and didn’t notice a difference other than deep colors.

[Anonymous]

OP there's no "quality of paint" difference between BM, SW, FB or the other British brands. In fact I'd say FB came late with their wipeable "matte" finish, which was only released last year or two. The other brands already had stuff like that.

There is however a difference of eye. FB has a very small selection of colors that have already been pre-grouped into various schemes. Their colors are made to look best in a lower-light overcast climate not that different from the mid-Atlantic, and a lot of them are "ish" / dirty colors. And their wallpapers are printed with their own paint and match their paint colors so you can easily mix and match.

BM and SW have thousands of colors to pick from from very bright and clean to muted and earthy. All have good colors. If you trust your own eye then go with the cheapest (SW).

[Anonymous]

I agree with people saying that it’s easier to look at a limited collection of well chosen colors. But you can do that with BM/SW too. They have various color collections. The BM affinity one is very reliable/easy to use ime.

[Anonymous]

Agree that F&B wins for dark colors or rooms with tricky lighting. I used BM exclusively for years and really like both the historical and Affinity collar collections, but I used F&B in a couple of rooms in my current house and have been pleasantly surprised.

[Anonymous]

I use their book to select colors and get them matched by BM. It's nice to have a curated set of colors.