Farrow & Ball · No. 254 · Purples
Farrow & Ball
Pelt
Valspar
Rare Wine
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
Nearest availablescore 5.70
This brand has nothing closer. Treat it as a starting point only.
Option 2 · 7
Adventurer
Nearest availablescore 8.08
Option 3 · 228
Lamp Black
Nearest availablescore 12.23
Sold through independent stockists in the UK and mixed to order.
UK stockists
Closest · 2072-20
Black Raspberry
Very closescore 1.90
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · AF-645
Chambourd
Closescore 2.28
Option 3 · 1393
Grappa
Closescore 3.04
North American colour card.
Closest · SW 6272
Plum Brown
Closescore 3.37
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · SW 6265
Quixotic Plum
Nearest availablescore 5.26
Option 3 · SW 6013
Bitter Chocolate
Nearest availablescore 5.98
North American colour card. The Valspar range sold in UK stores is different.
Closest · 1011-9
Rare Wine
Very closescore 1.11
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · 1011-8
Antique Burgundy
Similarscore 4.65
Option 3 · 1010-9
Gypsy Rouge
Nearest availablescore 6.13
North American colour card.
Closest · 1046-7
Purple Basil
Similarscore 3.96
A sensible alternative, but clearly its own colour beside the original.
Option 2 · 1172-7
Blackberry
Similarscore 4.45
Option 3 · 1047-7
Carob Chip
Similarscore 4.81
North American colour card.
Closest · 740B-6
Windsor
Closescore 2.68
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · N120-7
Grand Plum
Closescore 2.83
Option 3 · PPU17-20
Eclectic Purple
Closescore 3.04
North American colour card.
Closest · DEA193
Preserve
Similarscore 4.33
A sensible alternative, but clearly its own colour beside the original.
Option 2 · DEA194
Mulberry
Nearest availablescore 6.18
Option 3 · DE5979
Purple Trinket
Nearest availablescore 6.78
From the trade
Paint Pelt 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 Pelt, 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.