Farrow & Ball · No. 284 · Greys
Farrow & Ball
Worsted
Benjamin Moore
Willow Creek
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 · 117
Lead Colour
Nearest availablescore 5.65
This brand has nothing closer. Treat it as a starting point only.
Option 2 · 233
Serpentine
Nearest availablescore 6.17
Option 3 · 114
Mid Lead Colour
Nearest availablescore 7.88
Sold through independent stockists in the UK and mixed to order.
UK stockists
Closest · 1468
Willow Creek
Near identicalscore 0.89
Most people could not tell these apart on the wall.
Option 2 · AC-30
Winter Gates
Near identicalscore 0.89
Option 3 · CC-518
Escarpment
Near identicalscore 0.89
North American colour card.
Closest · SW 7024
Functional Gray
Very closescore 1.64
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · SW 7640
Fawn Brindle
Very closescore 1.85
Option 3 · SW 0023
Pewter Tankard
Very closescore 1.89
North American colour card. The Valspar range sold in UK stores is different.
Closest · 6004-2A
Aspen Gray
Very closescore 1.48
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · 6005-2A
Coastal Villa
Closescore 2.34
Option 3 · 6002-2A
Tornado Watch
Closescore 2.95
North American colour card.
Closest · 1019-4
Simmering Smoke
Very closescore 1.95
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · 1018-4
Winter's Nap
Closescore 2.09
Option 3 · 1008-4
Gray By Me
Closescore 3.17
North American colour card.
Closest · PPU18-15
Fashion Gray
Very closescore 1.04
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · N180-4
Moleskin
Closescore 2.31
Option 3 · MQ2-56
Abbey Stone
Closescore 2.44
North American colour card.
Closest · DE6060
Twilight Taupe
Similarscore 4.95
A sensible alternative, but clearly its own colour beside the original.
Option 2 · DE6229
Calico Rock
Nearest availablescore 5.23
Option 3 · DE6368
Walrus
Nearest availablescore 5.37
From the trade
Paint Worsted 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 Worsted, 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.
Worsted is close to neutral, so almost any colour will sit beside it. These have enough character to show.
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.