ELAN Design Source is an exclusive stockiest for Farrow and Ball Paint.
The single most important characteristic that makes Farrow & Ball paint so very special is the extraordinary way the deep and richly pigmented colors respond to light throughout the day, bringing walls to life.
Who designed it?
Chemist John Farrow, who had worked for Ireland’s Agnew Paints, and engineer Richard Ball, who had survived a World War II prisoner of war camp. After they met at a Dorset clay pit in 1946, John Farrow and Richard Ball set about creating an original paint formulation using rich pigments and natural ingredients – with the help of their wives, Ena Rose Ball, who managed the accounts, and Peggy Farrow, who designed the first logo.
Why We Love It
Elephant’s Breath, Dead Salmon, Arsenic… Farrow and Ball’s quirky color names are as famous as the paint itself, which is synonymous with stylish interiors and, dare we say it, something of a status symbol. However, behind the characterful names are high-quality paints that justify their celebrity status.
Manufactured in small batches to a traditional formula, little has changed since the 1940s, when Farrow & Ball won its first contracts to supply paint to Raleigh Bicycles and the Admiralty. In fact, the only formula change came in 2010, when it became the first manufacturer to switch its entire range of oil-based paints to a water-based formula, which is low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and better for the environment.
There's a fine art to mixing the unique shades: Farrow & Ball’s Dorset factory is said to resemble a giant bakery, with super-sized mixing bowls and whisks where each color’s ‘recipe’ is painstakingly created. New hues are subject to months of experimentation and expert scrutiny before they're deemed worthy of earning their place on the celebrated color card.
Farrow & Ball has stayed true to its origins. Resisting the allure of acrylic-based ingredients and mass production, it continues to make paint using traditional methods and natural ingredients, such as in the china clay-based Estate Emulsion formula with its pleasingly tactile finish. The colors are loaded with deep pigments that respond to different light to bring a room to life.
While many of the shades were inspired by historic properties, the brand likes to keep things fresh and is always ahead of the curve when it comes to color like its newest collection Carte Blanche. It was created in collaboration with American fashion designer Christopher John Rogers, who has dressed the likes of Michelle Obama and Rihanna.