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No. 229

Elephant's Breath

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Delivery Information

Hand Picked

When we receive your order, your paint is picked by our dedicated warehouse team.

Safe and Sound

Every tin is carefully packed to keep it safe on its journey from us to you.

Out for Delivery

We work closely with our courier to make sure your order arrives on time, in perfect condition.

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Colour Consultancy

Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by endless possibilities or looking for the confidence to try something new, our expert Colour Consultants are here to help either online or in your home​.

Find out more


Our Showrooms

Visit one of our showrooms for help on colour schemes & finishes. Our in-store colour experts can help you find the perfect palette to match your vision.

Find your nearest showroom


Live Chat

Our live chat team are available from 9am – 7.30pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). Click on our live chat button on the right hand side to reach one of our colour experts.


Customer Services

For Sales, order queries, colour and general advice, our team of experts are here to help and advise. 

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    Add three sample pots to your basket and we’ll give you one of them for free *

A warm mid grey

This warm and contemporary grey is renowned for its characterful paint name, originally created by John Fowler, the notable English interior designer. Elephant's Breath reads as an uplifting mid grey with its hint of magenta, but can become almost lilac in the cooler light of west facing rooms. Try offsetting with Charleston Gray and London Clay for an invitingly earthy scheme with more intense accents, or pair with other Contemporary Neutrals such as the softer Strong White for a sense of neutrality and calm.

Complementary white: Strong White

Key features

The finest ingredients

The finest ingredients

We’re dedicated to perfecting the art of paint. At our home in Dorset, we combine the finest ingredients, 75 years of experience and technical precision to help you create beautiful spaces that stay beautiful. Even in our colour rich paints, less than 8% of the tin is the colour. The other 92% is what creates the quality, depth and extraordinary response to light that transforms your home. 
 
Paint is like coffee. The colour is the froth on the top, but it’s the quality of the rest of the cup that makes it taste good. 
– Richard Ball, Farrow & Ball Co-founder 

We use twelve exclusive pigments, all specifically selected for their colour intensity. We take colour seriously, so naturally, we only accept the very best. By using these same pigments to make every colour in our palette, all our shades combine effortlessly, making it easy for you to put together a cohesive colour scheme. 

Deeper, richer colours

Deeper, richer colours

Packed with pigment for an extraordinary response to every kind of light.

We add generous helpings of rich pigment to create our signature look – deep colours with complex undertones. The same space that feels bright and airy in morning sun, can feel cosy and intimate by evening. Our teams design each shade under every kind of light, so it will be perfectly balanced in every setting.

Extraordinary response to light

Extraordinary response to light

We spend months carefully crafting and testing each of our paint colours to make sure they share our signature extraordinary response to light. This beautiful reaction to changing light, like bringing out different undertones or shifting intensity, is what makes our paint so special.

Interior and exterior finishes

Interior and exterior finishes

From walls, floors and furniture to radiators, skirtings and sheds, our range of paint finishes can help you transform almost any surface in your home (and outside it, too).

We even have multi-surface finishes like Dead Flat and Full Gloss, so you can tackle walls, woodwork and metal at the same time. 

Our comprehensive range is comprised of paint finishes that not only look beautiful, but offer different practical benefits. Designed for a variety of different surfaces, each finish is compatible with our high-performance Primers & Undercoats to ensure exceptional coverage, adhesion and depth of colour. 


Colour Story

Complementary White

Complementary white: Strong WhiteComplementary white: Strong White

Strong White

One of our Contemporary Neutrals, the subtle urban feel of its light grey undertones add a contemporary twist to period homes, while staying in keeping with modern properties.  Find out more about Strong White No.2001

We pair each of our colours with a complementary white, hand-picked from our palette based on undertones, so they work wonderfully together and create an effortless, considered feel.


Find your perfect finish:

Available in new
Dead Flat

 

Walls, woodwork
& metal

Kitchen walls & ceilings

Bathroom walls
& ceilings

Ceilings

Interior
woodwork

Interior
flooring

Front doors
& woodwork

Exterior
metals

Exterior walls

Traditional plasterwork

Intricate mouldings


Recommended Primer & Undercoat

Primers & UndercoatPrimers & Undercoat

Mid Tones

Based on the colour Bone, using our Mid Tones Primer & Undercoat adds the richest depth of colour to some of our best-selling shades.

Made with the same natural ingredients and pigments as our topcoats, our Primer & Undercoat is the crucial foundation for creating a rich, even and longer lasting finish.


Why Choose Farrow & Ball?

Extraordinary response to light

We spend months carefully crafting and testing each of our paint colours to make sure they share our signature extraordinary response to light. This beautiful reaction to changing light, like bringing out different undertones or shifting intensity, is what makes our paint so special.

Matt 

Modern Emulsion is a beautiful, durable matt finish with 7% sheen.

Tough and Easy-to-Clean

Our super-tough superstar for washable walls, Modern Emulsion has a high-performance formula that makes it easy to wipe away spills and marks – not paint. We use high-quality minerals and strong binders to make sure it’s also resistant to knocks and scrapes. 

Resistant to Mould

Our expert chemists add a preservative to Modern Emulsion that protects it from mould, keeping moisture-prone kitchens and bathrooms looking fresh. So, although it makes a wonderful addition to every room of your home, it’s the best finish option for these steamy spaces in particular.

Scuff and Stain Resistant

We use high-quality minerals and strong binders to make sure Modern Emulsion is stain resistant and scuff-proof. 

The finest ingredients 

Even in our colour rich paints, less than 8% of the tin is the colour. The other 92% is what creates the quality, depth and extraordinary response to light that transforms your home.

Deeper, richer colours

We add generous helpings of rich pigment to create our signature look – deep colours with complex undertones. The same space that feels bright and airy in morning sun, can feel cosy and intimate by evening. 

Made by Us in Dorset, England

Every single tin of Farrow & Ball paint is handcrafted by our team in Dorset, England. As it has been since we started back in 1946. Each tin of Farrow & Ball is 75 years in the making, with a story and personal touch you simply won’t find anywhere else.

Responsibly sourced

We have long-standing relationships with suppliers who share our ethos, and we work with them to ensure that every single one of our ingredients, including our range of pigments, is responsibly sourced and not created or sourced as a result of exploitation.


Paint that can't be matched


Asking ‘can you match Farrow & Ball colours?’ misses everything else that goes into the tin to make our industry defining finishes. We pack our paint with quality minerals, coverage-enhancing pigments and resin (using a much higher proportion than many other brands), ensuring an exceptional base to add colour to.


100% water based
Our completely water based paint range doesn’t discolour over time like solvent based paints can. So your spaces stay beautiful for longer.


Toy safe
Independently tested and certified toy-safe in accordance with Safety of Toys Part 3: Migration of certain elements (EN 71-3:2019+A1:2021).


Low VOC
All of our finishes, including our tough trim and floor paints, are made with a low-odour, low-VOC water base that scores A+ for indoor air quality. 

Colour Schemes

#C7BEB3
#DBD5CA
#B7AFA9
#DBD5CA
accent Colour Skimming Stone
No.241
#B7AFA9
trim Colour Dove Tale
No.267
#C7BEB3
#736660
#9A9087
#736660
accent Colour London Clay
No.244
#9A9087
trim Colour Charleston Gray
No.243
#C7BEB3
#F6F6F2
#E4E2DC
#F6F6F2
accent Colour All White
No.2005
#E4E2DC
trim Colour Strong White
No.2001

Order Two Sample Pots, Get One Free

The best way to experience our colours before taking the plunge is with a true-to-colour paint sample. To help you narrow down your shortlist of shades, we've curated three of our most popular grey shades to help you find your perfect match.

Sample selection contains 3 x 100ml Sample Pots of our beautiful Ammonite, Skimming Stone and Elephant's Breath.

Compare colours

Our paint colours all share an extraordinary response to light, revealing nuanced undertones and shifting in intensity as the light changes throughout the day. It's what makes our paint truly exceptional. Trying a sample pot pack is the best way to ensure you're finding the perfect colour for your space.

 

Elephant's Breath

No.229

Darker Shades

For those wishing to curate a more intimate and moody atmosphere, our colour experts suggest considering these two alternative hues to help you discover the ideal shade.

Sample selection includes:

Elephant's Breath No.229
Dove Tale No.267
Jitney No.293


Lighter Shades

If you're looking to create a lighter space, our colour experts recommend also sampling these two additional colours to ensure you find the perfect shade for your project.

Sample selection includes:

Elephant's Breath No.229
Skimming Stone No.241
Strong White No.2001




View All Grey Paint Colours

Light or dark, warm or cool, grey paint is effortlessly versatile and can create every mood imaginable.

 

Discover Grey Paint Schemes

Find inspiration for your project and view beautiful images of grey paint schemes in real homes.


* Terms and conditions: Offer is valid on the purchase of sample pots of the 132 colours in our signature palette. Buy three sample pots for the price of two. Offer can be used multiple times in a single or multiple transaction, up to a total of 9 sample pots. Applicable in showrooms or online. Offer expires 29th November 2024.

Product information

Water Based and Toy Safe

Back in 2010, we moved to an entirely water based range of finishes, becoming the first in the industry to do so. These low-odor, low-VOC finishes are easy to clean without harmful solvents. They also meet child- and baby-safe requirements in accordance with The Canada Cribs, Cradles and Bassinets Regulations, Canada Toy Regulations (SOR/2011-17) – Section 23 and ASTM F963 – 17 - Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety.

Quality Finishes

Every one of our paint colours is available in a range of durable interior and exterior paint finishes, each rigorously tested to ensure an exceptional depth of colour and long-lasting finish. For the very best results, we always recommend using a Farrow & Ball Primer & Undercoat - see above for the correct tone for this colour.

Safety Information

Always read and follow the information on the product label.

All Farrow & Ball finishes except Limewash contain isothiazolinones, which may produce an allergic reaction. Farrow & Ball Limewash contains calcium hydroxide which can cause severe damage in contact with skin or eyes. For further information about our products, including guidance on safe use and application, click here to view our advice pages .

WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including acetaldehyde, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.