Farrow & Ball · No. 36 · Reds and browns
Farrow & Ball
Mahogany
PPG
French Toast
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 · 277
Córdoba
Similarscore 4.02
A sensible alternative, but clearly its own colour beside the original.
Option 2 · 7
Adventurer
Nearest availablescore 9.99
Option 3 · 227
Scree
Nearest availablescore 10.22
Sold through independent stockists in the UK and mixed to order.
UK stockists
Closest · 2115-20
Incense Stick
Very closescore 1.96
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · 2114-20
Mississippi Mud
Closescore 2.06
Option 3 · CW-175
Tucker Chocolate
Closescore 2.67
North American colour card.
Closest · SW 7510
Chateau Brown
Closescore 3.40
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · SW 6013
Bitter Chocolate
Similarscore 3.88
Option 3 · SW 6041
Otter
Similarscore 3.99
North American colour card. The Valspar range sold in UK stores is different.
Closest · 4002-2C
Black Raisin
Very closescore 1.54
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · 1011-10
Brown Velvet
Closescore 2.34
Option 3 · 6011-2
Burnt Tile
Closescore 3.42
North American colour card.
Closest · 15-24
French Toast
Very closescore 1.18
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · 1014-7
Black Walnut
Very closescore 1.42
Option 3 · 16-24
Racy Raisin
Closescore 2.03
North American colour card.
Closest · QE-24
Manchester Brown
Very closescore 1.40
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · HDC-CL-14
Pinecone Path
Very closescore 1.66
Option 3 · N170-6
Natural Bark
Closescore 2.29
North American colour card.
Closest · DE6399
Molasses
Very closescore 1.46
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · DE6042
Bear in Mind
Closescore 3.04
Option 3 · DE6392
Mink
Closescore 3.34
From the trade
Paint Mahogany 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 Mahogany, 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.
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.