Color spec
| Brand | Farrow & Ball |
| Name | Elephant's Breath |
| SKU | No. 229 |
| Hex | #B5ADA0 |
| RGB | 181, 173, 160 |
| HSL | 37°, 12%, 67% |
| LRV | 50 |
| Undertone | red-orange / warm |
| Family | Neutral |
About Farrow & Ball Elephant's Breath
At LRV 50, Elephant's Breath is a light color that bounces daylight around a room without tipping into stark white. Its orange undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. It holds its undertone in most exposures, which is what makes light shades like this so forgiving room to room.
Elephant's Breath is an easy whole-room color for living spaces and bedrooms, and light enough to carry onto trim or a ceiling if you want a soft, seamless look. Greige-leaning neutrals like this are the safe whole-home choice when you want warmth without committing to a color.
Closest matches by brand
16 brands within ΔE 5The closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Only colors within ΔE 5 (close enough to substitute on a wall) are shown — brands with no real match are left off. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all neutral from that brand.
Sherwin-Williams
Behr
Benjamin Moore
Valspar
PPG / Glidden
Glidden
Dutch Boy
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams
Dunn-Edwards
Magnolia Home
Diamond Vogel
Hirshfield's
Rodda
C2 Paint
Portola Paints
Kompozit
Similar Farrow & Ball colors
closest in the Farrow & Ball deckThe nearest shades to Elephant's Breath within Farrow & Ball's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #B5ADA0 in HSL space. Pair Elephant's Breath with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Accessibility (WCAG contrast)
WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.
Farrow & Ball Elephant's Breath Equivalents at Other Brands
Matching Elephant's Breath from a different paint counter? Below is the single closest color in each major US deck and how close it really is. Remember that any paint store can also custom-tint Farrow & Ball No. 229 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.
Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
At Sherwin-Williams, the closest color to Elephant's Breath is Perfect Greige (SW 6073) — very close at ΔE 2.3, though not an exact twin. It runs noticeably darker (LRV 42 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Perfect Greige swatch →
Behr Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
Behr's nearest match is Perfect Taupe (PPU18-13), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.26). It runs noticeably darker (LRV 42 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant's Breath without repainting risk. See the full Perfect Taupe swatch →
Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
Benjamin Moore's nearest match is Smoke & Mirrors (CSP-105), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.99). It runs noticeably darker (LRV 42 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant's Breath without repainting risk. See the full Smoke & Mirrors swatch →
Valspar Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
At Valspar, the closest color to Elephant's Breath is Ivory Brown (6006-1C) — very close at ΔE 2.92, though not an exact twin. It runs noticeably darker (LRV 42.2 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Ivory Brown swatch →
PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
PPG / Glidden's nearest match is Boulder Creek (PPG0999-3), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.69). It runs noticeably darker (LRV 42 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant's Breath without repainting risk. See the full Boulder Creek swatch →
Glidden Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
Glidden's nearest match is Boulder Creek (PPG0999-3), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.98). It runs noticeably darker (LRV 42 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant's Breath without repainting risk. See the full Boulder Creek swatch →
Dutch Boy Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
At Dutch Boy, the closest color to Elephant's Breath is Shale Ridge (421-3DB) — very close at ΔE 2.01, though not an exact twin. It runs noticeably darker (LRV 41 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Shale Ridge swatch →
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
At HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams, the closest color to Elephant's Breath is Perfect Greige (HGSW 2475) — very close at ΔE 2.3, though not an exact twin. It runs noticeably darker (LRV 40 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Perfect Greige swatch →
Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
At Dunn-Edwards, the closest color to Elephant's Breath is Sunbleached Pine (DESS42) — very close at ΔE 2.61, though not an exact twin. It runs noticeably darker (LRV 43 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Sunbleached Pine swatch →
Magnolia Home Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
Magnolia Home's nearest match is Drawing Room (JG-157), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.2). It runs noticeably darker (LRV 42 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant's Breath without repainting risk. See the full Drawing Room swatch →
Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to Elephant's Breath is Salem Clay (H107) — very close at ΔE 2.14, though not an exact twin. It runs noticeably darker (LRV 40 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Salem Clay swatch →
Hirshfield's Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
Hirshfield's's nearest match is Marshy Habitat (0204), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.36). It runs noticeably darker (LRV 44 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant's Breath without repainting risk. See the full Marshy Habitat swatch →
Rodda Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
The closest Rodda equivalent of Elephant's Breath is Stone (CA080). At ΔE 0.52 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same warm red-orange undertone and runs noticeably darker (LRV 42 vs 50). If Rodda is your counter, order Stone and you'll get the same color. See the full Stone swatch →
C2 Paint Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
At C2 Paint, the closest color to Elephant's Breath is Intrigue (C2-812) — very close at ΔE 3.33, though not an exact twin. It runs noticeably darker (LRV 41 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Intrigue swatch →
Kompozit Equivalent of Elephant's Breath
Kompozit's nearest match is Marshy Habitat (0204), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.36). It runs noticeably darker (LRV 43 vs 50) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant's Breath without repainting risk. See the full Marshy Habitat swatch →