This is the F&B wall paint for kitchens, baths, hallways, and kids' rooms. The 7 percent matte takes a damp cloth and mild soap, so fingerprints by the switch and splashes above the backsplash lift without leaving a polished halo. Built-in mold protection makes it a genuine bathroom paint, not a bedroom paint you hope survives. The trade is depth: a deep color reads slightly brighter than the same color in Estate. At $120 to $149 a gallon, buy it where the F&B color is the reason for the room.
Spec Sheet
- COVERAGE
- Up to about 490 sq ft / gal per coat (about 12 sq m per liter)
- SHEEN
- One finish only — washable matte, about 7%
- WASHABILITY
- Scuff and stain resistant; wipes clean with mild soap
- TOUCH DRY
- About 2 hr
- RECOAT
- About 4 hr
- FULL CURE
- Several weeks to full hardness
- MOLD PROTECTION
- Built in; rated for moisture-prone kitchens and bathrooms
- VOC
- Low-VOC water base; A+ indoor air quality rating; toy-safe
- PRIMER
- F&B Wall & Ceiling Primer & Undercoat (light/mid/dark) on bare plaster or a big color jump
- SURFACES
- Interior walls and ceilings, including kitchens and bathrooms
- SIZES
- 100ml sample pot, gallon (2.5L), 5L
- PRICE
- $120–149 / gal in the US
When It Goes Wrong — and How to Fix It
A dark color reads brighter than you pictured
Why it happens: The 7 percent sheen reflects a little more light than Estate's 2 percent, so an inky blue or a deep forest green loses a shade of velvet. Side by side, at conversational distance, you can see it.
The fix: Sample on the actual wall and live with it for a few days, at the hour you use the room — F&B color shifts more than most between morning and evening. If that depth is the whole reason you chose the color and the room is calm and low-touch, the honest answer is Estate Emulsion, not this.
A touch-up that catches the light on an older wall
Why it happens: The slight sheen helps a spot repair blend better than a dead flat would, but a wall that has been up a year has settled, and a fresh dab can read differently in raking light.
The fix: Re-roll the whole wall corner to corner rather than dotting in. On a fresh job a touch-up usually blends, so fix dings early instead of saving them all up for one afternoon.
Patchy color over bare plaster or a big color change
Why it happens: It is not self-priming on raw plaster or a dramatic color jump. Two finish coats over a wrong-tone base leave the color sitting unevenly, especially where a repair has been skimmed.
The fix: Prime with the F&B Wall & Ceiling Primer & Undercoat in the matching light, mid, or dark tone first. Over a similar existing color in sound shape, two coats of Modern cover on their own.
Running short mid-job
Why it happens: F&B sells in metric-derived tins through showrooms, stockists, and its own site. Outside a showroom city you are ordering online and waiting, and there is no Sunday-morning emergency gallon at the big box.
The fix: Measure the room, buy the full quantity up front, and order the tinted undercoat in the same go. Keep the leftovers labeled for touch-ups rather than counting on a fast reorder.
Application Settings That Work
- BRUSH
- Lays out smooth and forgiving with a good 9-inch roller. It is a touch stickier under a brush than the chalky Estate, so load the sash brush well, cut in and roll in sections while the cut line is still wet, and keep a wet edge across the wall.
- PRIMER
- Over a sound, similar existing color, two coats cover on their own. On bare plaster, patched drywall, or a big color jump, prime with the F&B Wall & Ceiling Primer & Undercoat in the matching light, mid, or dark tone — matching the base tone is what gets you to two finish coats instead of three.
Modern Emulsion vs Estate Emulsion vs Dead Flat
People fall for a color on the card and grab whichever tin is handed to them. Then they wipe a wall and learn the difference the hard way.
| Modern Emulsion | Estate Emulsion | Dead Flat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheen | About 7%, washable matte | About 2%, chalky flat | About 2%, and genuinely matter than Modern |
| Can you clean it | Yes — scuff and stain resistant, wipes with mild soap | No. A scrub leaves a shiny scar | Yes — more durable than Estate |
| Surfaces | Walls and ceilings, including kitchens and baths | Walls and ceilings only | Walls and woodwork both |
| Color depth on a dark shade | Slightly brighter, a touch less velvety | The deepest of the three | Deep, with a tougher film underneath |
| Moisture and mold | Built-in mold protection; tolerates steam | Not for a room that steams | Not the moisture specialist |
| Where it belongs | Kitchens, baths, hallways, kids' rooms | Formal living rooms, bedrooms, low-traffic ceilings | A premium do-it-all flat, often specified by designers |
| Price per gallon | $120–149 | $120–149 | $130–155 |
Where the wall gets touched, splashed, steamed, or grabbed by small hands, use Modern. Where the room is quiet and the color is doing emotional work in soft light, use Estate — a formal living room reads richer in it, and a family kitchen survives in Modern. Dead Flat is the step up when you want F&B color on walls and woodwork at once and the look has to be flawless. If you only take one thing from this page, take that first sentence.
What It's Good At
- +Taking a damp cloth and mild soap without leaving a polished halo
- +Keeping the F&B color character behind a stovetop or a sink
- +Built-in mold protection in a small windowless bath that fogs after every shower
- +Kitchen and bath ceilings, where a flat would mark and a satin would glare
- +Low odour, an A+ air rating, and toy-safe certification, so a nursery is back in use the next day
- +Covering cleanly in two coats over a sound, similar color
What It's Not Good At
- −Deep saturated colors, which read brighter and less velvety than they do in Estate
- −Big rooms on a budget — a kitchen and ceiling can pass $300 in paint for one coat
- −Same-day buying; metric tins, ordered direct or through a stockist
- −Touch-ups on a wall that has been up a year
- −Bare plaster or a dramatic color jump without the tinted undercoat
Honest Alternatives
Washable, holds color beautifully, and touches up better than almost anything in the category, for about $40 less a gallon, with a dealer in most towns. What you give up is the specific F&B color character, the soft light-eating quality that Aura simply renders differently.
F&B color, more durability than Estate, and a flat that works on walls and woodwork both. The designer's do-it-all finish, and genuinely matter than Modern. Weigh it when the look has to be flawless and the budget is open.
For a shower-side wall or a windowless bath that fogs after every use, a paint engineered specifically for moisture buys more peace of mind than Modern's built-in mold protection alone.
Modern Emulsion Questions, Answered
Is Farrow & Ball Modern Emulsion worth it?
In a kitchen, bath, hallway, or kids' room, yes. It is the only F&B wall paint that gives you the brand's color and a surface you can wipe clean, with built-in mold protection for steamy rooms. In a calm, low-touch room it is the wrong choice, because the 7 percent sheen softens the depth you are paying for and Estate Emulsion reads richer. At roughly $120 to $149 a gallon a kitchen and ceiling can pass $300 in paint, so buy it where the F&B color is the actual reason for the room.
Is Modern Emulsion washable?
Yes. This is the washable finish in the F&B wall range: a 7 percent matte that is scuff and stain resistant, so a damp cloth with a little mild soap lifts fingerprints, splashes, and most kitchen grime without polishing the surface. Estate Emulsion, the chalkier flat, is not washable.
What is the difference between Modern Emulsion and Estate Emulsion?
Sheen and toughness. Modern is a 7 percent washable matte with built-in mold protection, made for kitchens, baths, hallways, and kids' rooms. Estate is a 2 percent chalky flat that gives the deepest color but cannot be scrubbed. Use Modern where life happens and Estate in the calm rooms where the color is the whole point.
Does Modern Emulsion give the same color depth as Estate Emulsion?
Close, not identical. The extra sheen in Modern reflects a little more light, so the same color reads slightly less velvety and a touch brighter than it does in Estate. In a deep, light-absorbing tone the gap is visible side by side. In a soft white or a mid neutral, most people never notice.
Is Modern Emulsion good for bathrooms?
Yes, and this is one of its best uses. It carries built-in mold protection and a matte that tolerates steam, so it is a genuine bathroom wall paint rather than a bedroom paint you are hoping survives. In a small windowless powder room that fogs after every shower, that protection is the difference between a fresh wall at year two and a speckled ceiling line.
Can I use Modern Emulsion on a kitchen ceiling?
Yes. Because it is matte and washable it works where a flat would mark and a satin would glare. The light lands soft and even, and the surface still takes a wipe when cooking film settles up there.
Does Modern Emulsion need a primer?
On bare plaster, patched drywall, or a big color jump, yes. F&B makes a tinted Wall & Ceiling Primer & Undercoat in light, mid, and dark tones, and matching the base tone to your color cuts you to two finish coats instead of three. Over a similar existing color in sound shape, two coats of Modern usually cover on their own.
Will touch-ups blend on Modern Emulsion?
Better than on a dead flat, but not reliably on an aged wall. The slight sheen helps a spot repair sit in, though on a wall that has been up a year a fresh dab can catch the light differently. For a clean result, re-roll the whole wall corner to corner rather than dotting in.
Where can I buy Farrow & Ball Modern Emulsion?
Direct from Farrow & Ball, from a showroom, or through an independent stockist, which is also where you get the matched tinted undercoat and a sample pot. Third-party listings exist but you have to check the finish and the tin size before you trust the price.
Ask a Question
Mid-project with Modern Emulsion? Stuck between two cans?
Ask Jessica below — every question gets a real reply, usually within a day. Put Modern Emulsion in a kitchen or a bath? Tell us how the wall wiped down after a year — the steamy powder-room reports are the ones we want.