Farrow & Ball · No. 264 · Neutrals and stones
Farrow & Ball
Oxford Stone
Sherwin-Williams
Fresco Cream
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 · 142
Mushroom
Very closescore 1.68
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · 38
Hammock
Closescore 2.58
Option 3 · 334
Masquerade
Similarscore 4.31
Sold through independent stockists in the UK and mixed to order.
UK stockists
Closest · 1081
King Arthur's Court
Near identicalscore 0.74
Most people could not tell these apart on the wall.
Option 2 · CC-368
Sandpiper Beige
Near identicalscore 0.74
Option 3 · 1128
Adobe Beige
Very closescore 1.28
North American colour card.
Closest · SW 7719
Fresco Cream
Near identicalscore 0.50
Most people could not tell these apart on the wall.
Option 2 · SW 6106
Kilim Beige
Very closescore 1.32
Option 3 · SW 7527
Nantucket Dune
Very closescore 1.51
North American colour card. The Valspar range sold in UK stores is different.
Closest · 3001-10B
Milk Toast
Very closescore 1.95
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · 3003-10B
Hopsack
Closescore 2.08
Option 3 · 3004-10B
Holmes Cream
Closescore 2.55
North American colour card.
Closest · 1079-3
Cocoa Cream
Closescore 2.16
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · 14-17
Armadillo
Closescore 2.80
Option 3 · 1078-3
Comfort
Closescore 3.01
North American colour card.
Closest · S240-3
Ash Blonde
Near identicalscore 0.51
Most people could not tell these apart on the wall.
Option 2 · 250E-3
Wild Porcini
Near identicalscore 0.99
Option 3 · BXC-77
Riviera Retreat
Very closescore 1.17
North American colour card.
Closest · DEC747
Sahara
Near identicalscore 0.92
Most people could not tell these apart on the wall.
Option 2 · DEC746
Apache Tan
Very closescore 1.58
Option 3 · DEC720
Cliff's View
Closescore 2.06
From the trade
Paint Oxford Stone 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 Oxford Stone, 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.