The best brown and taupe paint colours are warm, quiet and full of depth: Farrow & Ball's London Clay (244) for a rich, earthy brown, Elephant's Breath (229) for a soft taupe, and Little Greene's Portland Stone (77) for a characterful putty neutral. Each one is far more interesting on a wall than a plain beige.
Browns have been quietly returning to favour for some years, as people look for neutrals that feel warmer and more grounded than grey. They suit period houses and modern ones, sit beautifully with wood, linen and stone, and are easy to live with day after day.
Here are the browns and taupes we recommend most often, from all three brands, and how to put them together.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: London Clay (244)
Brown, taupe or stone?
The words overlap, but they describe different moods.
- Browns are the deepest of the three: chocolate, clay and earth. They make a room feel enclosed and warm.
- Taupes sit between brown and grey, often with a hint of pink or lilac. They are soft and sophisticated, and change noticeably with the light.
- Stone and putty colours are the lightest: warm neutrals that work as a backdrop in almost any room.
Many of the best schemes use all three, with the lightest on the walls and the deepest on woodwork or in a hallway.
Rich, deep browns
- London Clay (244). Farrow & Ball describe it as a warm and charming brown loaded with magenta pigment, creating the most charismatic and elegant of rooms. They suggest it for a hall or transitional area, which makes the rooms off it feel lighter by contrast.
- Chocolate Colour (124). A deep, rich brown from Little Greene, lovely on joinery, a kitchen island or a study.
- Attic II (144). Little Greene describe it as a darker and more complex version of their Silt. It sits between brown and grey, and suits panelling and woodwork particularly well.
- Moleskin (218). A soft, deep brown-grey from Paint & Paper Library, good for a calm, enveloping bedroom or snug.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Elephant's Breath (229)
Soft taupes
- Elephant's Breath (229). Farrow & Ball describe it as an uplifting mid grey with a hint of magenta, noting that it can become almost lilac in the cooler light of west-facing rooms. Sample it on more than one wall.
- Charleston Gray (243). A warm, muted grey whose brown undertones, Farrow & Ball say, create a warm, enveloping and hushed atmosphere. Very popular in living rooms.
- Mushroom (142). A gentle, earthy taupe from Little Greene that sits easily with natural materials.
- Truffle (271). A warm taupe from Paint & Paper Library, calm and versatile.
Stone and putty neutrals
Little Greene describe Portland Stone (77) as a much-loved putty colour with bags of character: earthy, versatile and particularly elegant alongside its sister shades. That family runs from Portland Stone Pale (155) and Portland Stone Light (281) through to Portland Stone Dark (157), which makes it easy to build a tonal scheme from one colour family: the paler shade on walls, the original on woodwork, the darker version in a hallway.
Photo Credit: Little Greene; Colours Used: Portland Stone (77), Portland Stone Pale (155), Baluster (321), Pompeian Ash (293)
How to put browns and taupes together
Farrow & Ball present London Clay, Elephant's Breath and Charleston Gray as natural companions. Their suggestion is to offset Elephant's Breath with Charleston Gray and London Clay for an earthy scheme with more intense accents, and they call London Clay the perfect accent for the other two. Strong White (2001) is the complementary white for all three.
- Keep the undertones consistent. Warm browns sit best with warm whites and creams. Cool, stark whites can make them look muddy.
- Go darker on woodwork. A deeper brown on skirtings and doors gives a pale taupe room definition.
- Add texture. Browns love linen, wool, oak, rattan and aged brass.
- Mind the light. Taupes shift more than most colours. Our guide to choosing colours by room orientation explains why.
Questions we are often asked
Is brown back in fashion?
Warm, earthy colours have been gaining ground for several years as an alternative to grey, and browns are a natural part of that. They are less a trend than a return to colours that have always worked in British houses.
Will a brown room feel dark?
A deep brown will feel cosy and enclosed, which is lovely in a snug or dining room. For a lighter feel, choose a taupe or stone colour and keep the deep brown for woodwork or a hallway.
What is the difference between taupe and greige?
Both sit between brown and grey. Taupe usually carries more warmth and often a hint of pink, while greige tends to be lighter and more neutral.
