Farrow & Ball red paint colors

Farrow & Ball's red family is small and deep on purpose. With only six reds in the deck and an LRV range from 12 to 16, every one of them reads as a dark, saturated color rather than a bright pop. These are reds with weight, built from heavy pigment so they hold their character even in a dim room.

The undertones run from warm and earthy to almost brown or wine. Picture Gallery Red (No. 42) leans crimson, Eating Room Red (No. 43) pulls toward terracotta, and Radicchio (No. 96) carries a pink-purple edge. Because these colors are layered with pigment, they shift through the day, looking richer at night and more open in daylight.

LRV is the light reflectance value, a 0-to-100 scale where higher numbers bounce back more light. This whole slice sits between 12 and 16, so all six reds are dark. The differences between them are small but real, and they matter most in a room that does not get much natural light.

Blazer (No. 212) at LRV 16 is the lightest and most forgiving of the group. Picture Gallery Red (No. 42) at 15 is close behind. The four deepest reds, Rectory Red (No. 217), Incarnadine (No. 248), Eating Room Red (No. 43), and Radicchio (No. 96), all sit at 12, so expect them to feel enveloping and to need good lighting to show their full color.

Dark reds at this LRV work best where you want drama instead of brightness. Dining rooms, studies, powder rooms, and hallways are classic homes for them, and the name Eating Room Red points straight at that traditional dining-room use. A small room painted in one of these reds feels intimate and finished rather than cramped.

For walls, Estate Emulsion gives a chalky matt look, while Modern Emulsion is the washable choice for high-traffic or damp spots. On trim, doors, or cabinetry, reach for Estate Eggshell or Modern Eggshell. Painting trim the same red as the walls in a soft, even sheen is a simple way to make a deep red feel intentional rather than busy.

A deep red wants quiet companions. A soft off-white on the trim and ceiling keeps the room from feeling closed in, and Farrow & Ball's own neutrals like Pointing are made for exactly this kind of warm pairing. If you want the cocooning look, carry the red up onto the ceiling too and let one color wrap the whole space.

For coordinating walls or adjacent rooms, these reds sit well next to deep greens like Studio Green and rich blues like Hague Blue or Inchyra Blue. Warm woods, brass, and aged metals also flatter the earthy reds such as Eating Room Red and Rectory Red.

Farrow & Ball is a British premium import sold through its own showrooms and authorized stockists, and the paint is mixed to order rather than sitting pre-made on a shelf. Expect to pay around $100 or more per gallon, roughly two to three times a mainstream brand, in named finishes like Estate Emulsion, Modern Emulsion, Estate and Modern Eggshell, Dead Flat, and Full Gloss. Each color carries a number, like Blazer No. 212, which helps when you order or color-match.

If the price or availability is a problem, almost any US paint store can color-match these reds into another brand's base using the number and name. The match is close but not identical, since Farrow & Ball's pigment depth and light-shifting quality are hard to copy exactly. The featured Kompozit deck can be matched the same way at the tinting machine, so you can pull a Picture Gallery Red or Incarnadine look into a more affordable line if you prefer.