Farrow & Ball · No. 268 · Reds and browns
Farrow & Ball
Charlotte's Locks
Benjamin Moore
Orange Parrot
Lower score means closer. Under 2 is hard to tell apart on the wall; over 5 is a different colour that sits in the same family.
British paint maker, widely stocked across the UK.
UK stockists
Closest · 21
Orange Aurora
Similarscore 4.12
A sensible alternative, but clearly its own colour beside the original.
Option 2 · 189
Carmine
Nearest availablescore 12.94
Option 3 · 190
Atomic Red
Nearest availablescore 14.30
Sold through independent stockists in the UK and mixed to order.
UK stockists
Closest · 2169-20
Orange Parrot
Closescore 2.02
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · 2170-20
Tropical Orange
Closescore 2.22
Option 3 · 2169-10
Racing Orange
Closescore 3.14
North American colour card.
Closest · SW 6884
Obstinate Orange
Closescore 3.16
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · SW 6628
Robust Orange
Similarscore 3.91
Option 3 · SW 6621
Emotional
Similarscore 4.05
North American colour card. The Valspar range sold in UK stores is different.
Closest · 2002-1A
Autumn Blaze
Closescore 2.59
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · 2011-3
Vivid Orange
Similarscore 3.56
Option 3 · 2005-3A
Roasted Pumpkin
Similarscore 4.40
North American colour card.
Closest · 17-16
Candy Corn
Similarscore 4.22
A sensible alternative, but clearly its own colour beside the original.
Option 2 · 1193-7
Cinnamon Stone
Similarscore 4.44
Option 3 · 1192-7
Tabasco
Similarscore 4.91
North American colour card.
Closest · P210-7
Japanese Koi
Similarscore 3.93
A sensible alternative, but clearly its own colour beside the original.
Option 2 · M210-6
Orange Liqueur
Similarscore 4.31
Option 3 · 240D-6
Chivalry Copper
Similarscore 4.57
North American colour card.
Closest · DE5146
Campfire
Closescore 2.22
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · DEA110
Untamed Orange
Closescore 2.34
Option 3 · DEA111
Burning Tomato
Similarscore 4.21
From the trade
Paint Charlotte's Locks and your chosen match on two boards in the same finish. A flat and an eggshell in one colour never look identical.
Check them on the darkest wall in the morning and again under your own lamps at night. That is where small differences show.
Give the merchant the brand, colour name and code shown here. It avoids the guesswork of a scanned match.
In your light
Pick the way your window faces and the time of day. The same paint can look like three different colours.
North light is steady but cool and grey. It pulls blues and greys colder and makes greens look heavier. Warm based colours hold up best.
An approximation of how light colour and strength shift a paint. Use it to narrow a shortlist, then paint a sample board and look at it at these same times.
Building a scheme
Worked out from undertone and depth, the way a decorator would put a scheme together. Paint samples side by side before you commit.
A pale colour from the same undertone as Charlotte's Locks, so the ceiling does not look stark white against it.
One step lighter or darker on skirtings, doors and window boards. A tonal scheme is the easiest way to make a room feel finished.
A dark colour that sits under it. Use on a fireplace wall, an inside door, a kitchen island or a hall below the dado.
From the other side of the colour wheel, at a similar depth, for a door, a bookcase or a cushion. Use in small amounts.
Colour values are on screen approximations taken from published community colour libraries (Farrow & Ball; Farrow & Ball (cross check); Little Greene; Benjamin Moore; Sherwin-Williams, Valspar, PPG, Behr, Dunn-Edwards), compiled 2026-10-09. Scores use CIEDE2000. Screens, light and sheen all change how paint looks, so always check a physical sample. Aethos is not connected to any of the paint makers named here and all colour names belong to their owners.