Ask us what the single most important characteristic that makes Farrow & Ball paint so very special is, and we’ll tell you this…
It’s the extraordinary way our deep and richly pigmented colours respond to light throughout the day, bringing walls to life.
This distinctive Farrow & Ball look can be made uniquely yours, inside and out, wherever you live and whatever your style. Read a little more about creating your own unique look here or discover what makes us different below.
Responding extraordinarily to all types of light, Farrow and Ball’s highly pigmented paint and handcrafted wallpaper deliver a unique depth of colour and quality of finish that brings walls to life. The rich blend of pigments within the Farrow and Ball paint range create an inimitable vibrancy in every room of the home.
From subtle neutrals and muted pastels, to lively accents and rich dark hues, each of Farrow and Ball’s 132 colours have been created with care and thought to ensure they work beautifully alone or as part of a scheme in homes both old and new. Pick your favourite Farrow and Ball paint colour here.
The intriguing story behind every Farrow and Ball paint colour is reflected in its name – be it the beauty of nature, historic houses or inspiring people and places.
Every one of Farrow and Ball’s 132 paint colours is available in a full range of durable interior and exterior paint finishes. From our signature matt Estate Emulsion to our high shine Full Gloss, Farrow and Ball rigorously test each batch of paint and roll of wallpaper for richness and durability to ensure the best possible long lasting performance for your home
Farrow and Ball water based paints are low odour, eco-friendly and safe for you and your family to use in every room of the home. From our recyclable paint tins to our responsibly sourced wallpapers, ensuring all Farrow and Ball paints and papers are as kind as possible to the environment is at the heart of everything we do.
Farrow and Ball experts are always on hand to discuss your ideas and projects, or to help you find the perfect colour scheme and finish. We are never more than a phone call, click or showroom visit away.
If you’re hoping for a little more guidance, we also offer a free-of-charge appointment with one of our Home design team. During this appointment, you’ll run through some initial ideas combining suitable groupings fabrics and paint colours to suit your interior. For more information click here.
Farrow and Ball create handcrafted wallpaper using their own paints and traditional block and trough printing methods, giving an exquisitely tactile finish and a seamless connection between paint and paper. With over 300 wallpaper designs, from bold geometrics to delicate florals, there’s a Farrow and Ball wallpaper to suit every style of home. Call us on 0113 281 3209 to discuss your requirements or visit our showroom at Hicklam House, Aberford.
Wallpapers are usually made with ink, but not ours. We use our own richly pigmented paint and traditional block and trough printing methods to give a uniquely tactile finish, creating a seamless connection between paint and paper. From delicate florals and damasks to bold geometrics and stripes, our designs are inspired by archives of timeless wallpapers, fabrics, and patterns from around the world. When it comes to inspiration, no stone is left unturned by our creative team. Once designed, our small team of skilled craftsmen set to work bringing each wallpaper to life. It’s a lengthy and intricate process, but this only makes the first roll of wallpaper all the more rewarding.
We start by painting our ground colour and then choose one of three traditional printing methods to create our richly textured patterns. We finish by coating with a specially formulated glaze to ensure that the quality remains long after it’s left our hands. It means that not only is our wallpaper wonderfully tactile, it’s tough as well.
Uncover a little more about our ground paper colours and the traditional printing methods we use below.
We begin with rolls of high quality paper and brush on a coat of Farrow & Ball paint, creating the first layer of texture.
Most of our ground colours are drawn from our timeless collection of 132 paints, while others are specially developed as a wallpaper background colour. Once painted, the papers are passed through a warm drying oven and stowed carefully in rolls until the pattern is applied.
For our larger wallpaper designs and longer pattern repeats such as our Lotus, we use a traditional flat bed block printing method. Inspired by 18th century techniques, each block is carefully engraved by hand.
Our paint is then applied to the beautifully etched surface through a trough and roller and the block is pressed onto the paper, just like a stamp.
The block is then slowly raised and the paper moved forward. The next impression must be exactly aligned to create our seamless patterns.
Designs such as our Samphire are incredibly intricate, and achieving such accuracy and attention to detail during printing is a real art. Roller block printing is perfect for the job, and allows our creative team to introduce ever more sophisticated designs.
Firstly, the design is hand engraved onto a cylinder and carefully coated with a foam roller passing through a paint filled trough. The roller block is then rolled onto the paper to print the pattern.
Similar to our flat bed block prints, the unique texture of this method is achieved by the way the roller releases the paint as it peels off the paper.
For our striped and dragged papers we use the trough printing method. It’s a meticulous process that requires absolute attention to detail and a great deal of patience.
It’s important here that the texture of the paint is just right for a smooth and even flow through the trough pads and onto the paper, creating our signature tactile finish.
Our paint flows into the trough, through foam pads, and onto the paper to create the first layer. The paper is then oven dried and ready for the second stage.
For a stripe, the second hue is poured through the next trough and onto individual foam pads. Our dedicated craftsmen carefully cut these pads by hand, with each needing to be replaced as often as every five rolls to keep up with our high levels of accuracy and quality.
