Dead Salmon (28) is a deep salmon pink from Farrow & Ball, and one of the most complex colours on their chart. In some lights it looks clearly rosy; in others its brown and warm grey tones take over. That is exactly why it divides opinion: some people see a soft, grown-up pink, others a mushroom brown, and both are right.
Farrow & Ball call it a flattering backdrop for any space, and say it looks particularly beautiful by candlelight, which makes it a natural choice for a dining room. Joa Studholme, Farrow & Ball's Colour Curator, has said she has used it extensively in her own home and counts it among her top ten Farrow & Ball colours.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Dead Salmon (28)
Pink or brown? Why it changes
Dead Salmon sits on the line between the two. Joa Studholme describes it as a colour some people see as mushroom and others see as pink, noting that it reads more pink in very bright light but always has a certain softness.
In practice, that means a sunny room will draw out its warmth and rosiness, while a cooler, dimmer room will bring its brown and grey undertones forward. Neither is the "wrong" version. It is simply a colour that moves with the day, and that is a large part of its charm. If you want to know which side of it your room will show, paint a large sample board and look at it morning, afternoon and evening before deciding.
Where the name comes from
The name is less alarming than it sounds. Farrow & Ball found it on an old painter's invoice at Kedleston Hall, for painting the library in "dead salmon". The word "salmon" described the colour. "Dead" referred to the finish: a very flat, matt paint with no shine at all. Fittingly, it still looks its best in a chalky matt finish.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Preference Red (297)
Where to use Dead Salmon
- Dining rooms. Farrow & Ball single out the dining room, where candles and low lamps make the most of its warmth.
- Sitting rooms and libraries. A fitting home for a colour whose name comes from a library. It suits books, dark timber and old rugs.
- Bedrooms. Softer and more grown up than a sugary pink, and calm under bedside lamps.
- Halls. A warm welcome in a hallway that gets little sun, where its brown side will show more.
Colours that pair with Dead Salmon
Farrow & Ball give Dimity (2008), a pale taupe with a subtle red base, as its complementary white for ceilings and woodwork. They also suggest two more confident schemes:
- Dramatic. Paint the lower half of the wall in Preference Red (297), Dead Salmon above, and a strong colour such as Jitney (293) on the ceiling.
- Colour-led. Dead Salmon with Green Smoke (47) and Brinjal (222), inspired by the stalk and flesh of an aubergine, with Dead Salmon as the foil for both.
It also sits well beside the other brands we stock. These are our own suggestions: Little Greene White Lead (74), an aged, creamy white, for a softer trim, and Paint & Paper Library Canvas II (302), a warm sand neutral with subtle red undertones, for an adjoining hall or landing.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Green Smoke (47)
Which finish to choose
Farrow & Ball recommend their Red & Warm Tones primer and undercoat beneath Dead Salmon, which you can find in our Farrow & Ball primers and undercoats.
- Walls. Estate Emulsion, a chalky 2% matt, is the finish closest to the "dead" flat paint the colour was named for. Modern Emulsion (7%) is the washable choice for kitchens and busy dining rooms.
- Walls and woodwork together. Dead Flat gives one flat finish across walls, woodwork and metal, ideal for a fully drenched room.
- Woodwork. Flat Eggshell (20% sheen) for skirtings, doors and panelling.
Questions we are often asked
Is Dead Salmon a pink?
Farrow & Ball call it a deep salmon pink, but its brown and warm grey tones mean it often reads as a soft, earthy neutral. It is far from a bright or sweet pink.
What is a similar colour?
Farrow & Ball's Sulking Room Pink (295) is a deep, muted rose that also has a strong neutral presence in some lights. For more on using pinks as neutrals, read The New Neutral: Rediscovering Pink.
Will it look the same as on my screen?
No colour does, and this one shifts more than most. Order a sample pot and test it in your own light.
