Farrow & Ball · No. 297 · Reds and browns
Farrow & Ball
Preference Red
PPG
Red Red 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 · 7
Adventurer
Similarscore 4.14
A sensible alternative, but clearly its own colour beside the original.
Option 2 · 15
Bronze Red
Nearest availablescore 10.98
Option 3 · 140
Tuscan Red
Nearest availablescore 11.34
Sold through independent stockists in the UK and mixed to order.
UK stockists
Closest · 1267
Ruby Dusk
Very closescore 1.79
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · ES-21
New Pilgrim Red
Closescore 2.35
Option 3 · HC-61
New London Burgundy
Closescore 3.05
North American colour card.
Closest · SW 0072
Deep Maroon
Closescore 3.02
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · SW 6307
Fine Wine
Similarscore 3.80
Option 3 · SW 6027
Cordovan
Similarscore 3.83
North American colour card. The Valspar range sold in UK stores is different.
Closest · 1011-5
Royal Garnet
Closescore 2.72
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · 1009-5
Moving Melody
Closescore 3.37
Option 3 · 1010-5
Spanish Tile
Similarscore 3.91
North American colour card.
Closest · 1049-7
Red Red Wine
Very closescore 1.56
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · 13-04
Merlot
Closescore 2.11
Option 3 · 13-06
Chianti
Closescore 2.74
North American colour card.
Closest · PPU1-14
Formal Maroon
Very closescore 1.63
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · MQ1-14
Twinberry
Very closescore 1.89
Option 3 · MQ1-15
Rumors
Very closescore 1.97
North American colour card.
Closest · DEA145
Wine Stain
Closescore 3.43
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · DEA147
Garnet Evening
Similarscore 3.99
Option 3 · DEC705
Burnt Crimson
Similarscore 4.45
From the trade
Paint Preference Red 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 Preference Red, 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.