Anyone have a great bright white color from F and B for walls and ceilings??

oh-can we buy it in nyc anywhere besides at the D & D?

Obnoxious that in New York you can't actually see the paint chips in person if not a member of the trade. Paint pots for me I guess. grumble grumble grumble.

There is no comparison. You might get a similar color but never the finish. Much much richer. It is expensive but still worth the money if you can afford it. As for Behr, don't waste your money. Ralph Lauren is better than it used to be but still not as good as BM. When using BM, we always check RL colors and then substitute if we find something we like. With FB, you get what you order but read through the different finishes and try a sample pot to make sure that it's suitable to usage. There is nothing worse than paying for a beautiful application in the wrong location and having it wear poorly.

Oh and SPHH you might be mistaken. You can get sample pots and color cards on the website. D&D is now open to the public as well through their no decorator service. 212-759-6894.

Hi, great discussion. Can anyone recommend an F&B white or ivory (and coordinating colors) for a British Colonial look?

I'm aiming for matte (at least for main room), and we have dark cherry/mahogany wood and green plants. I'm pretty picky about 'true' tones. (I can only relate this to hair, lol, but always go w/neutral brunette w/no red or gold tones.)

Alternatively, favorite cozy, yummy browns? (Could go w/a sheen there.)

I have asked BM to replicate F&B colors and prefer the original F&B paints. They have a beautiful powdery finish. Also, in general the F&B colors are more natural looking than BM colors, though both are very good paints.

You will be happy with any high-quality expensive paint. Any expensive paint is better than cheap paint, especially cheap white rental paint, which lacks pigment and always looks gray and dingy. Also, F&B and BM are very close in price. (FB is $50, BM starts at $40.)

P.S. F&B has sample pots for every color it makes. They cost $4 each vs. having an entire $50 gallon made up in BM. (You can get a quart but if you then order another quart it won't be exactly the same color.) You will save a fortune there.

Can you buy Farrow and Ball paints anywhere in NY without a decorator license?

QUESTION RE FARROW AND BALL PAINTS. I love their colors and the matte finish, but was hesistant to use it because feared it would not be durable with small children and dog and it was so chalky felt it would chip. I used modern emulsion which is gorgeous and very durable and no problem, but slightly shinier (10% v. 2%). Does ANYONE have any long long term experience with the estate emulsion and durability with dogs and children?????????????????

These colors are superb. Even the modern emulsion was beautiful and not that shiny. I love the fact that the palette to chose from is small, gives you less headache!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this will be my first comment ever in this format setting. After 33 years of qualified experience it is interesting to see the comments about this question. It is wonderful to see how peoples beliefs in what there doing is accurate. Trust me no one but no one can give you an exact match or duplication to a product or color...period....For those who think this is possible your need for truth needs better souces..I personally know about and have all these lines in my store. Let me say this with the procedures of colorants ,bases, gram weights,titanium variances etc.paint is a science. when you seperate paint from color its another discussion. With that said every paint line can have a strong suit but few do all of them...the best...do yourself have the paint store do a side by side drawadown 8mil wet 4mil dry youll see the diffference. and if they cant....well what kind of match do you think your really getting??

Just wondering what finish of farrow and ball you'd suggest for my master bedroom? estate emulsion or modern? i'm torn and don't want to make a wrong choice. we do have kids, but no pets. thanks so much!!

I'm generally a great big cheapskate, but if you can possibly afford the Farrow and Ball option, do it. It isn't just about the colour, there is a quality to the paint that is hard to describe. In my experience, Estate emulsion is a much better idea with kids or animals around, unless you want to be running around yelling 'Nooooo!" a lot of the time.

I got in big trouble when a paint store mixed a color to "match" Farrow & Ball's Lamp Room Gray. Never again. You can see the difference in photos here:
http://projectnest.squarespace.com/project-nest-blog/2011/3/6/picking-paint-colors-for-a-challenging-space.html

I adore the look of my estate emulsion (Elephant Breath -- heavenly! and everyone asks what it is) but it's only been up 6 months and I"ve already marked it up quite a bit. My friend who sent me to F&B in the first place uses the Modern emulsion and it still looks very matte so I'd go with that next time I think, for most rooms anyway.

Farrow and Ball is by far the worst paint I have ever used. I am a professional finisher of 15 years. I have never experienced the problems I encountered with this product, at least not all at one time. It is extremely fragile, the slightest bump will leave a mar that will require another coat. Alcohol vapor will destroy it. Water will discolor it. The slightest imperfection underneath will telegraph through. Fingerprints will appear as if by magic and there is absolutely NO WAY to clean it. Horrid stuff. If you bid the job you will pay your client money to work. Guess why I'm bitter.