Elephant's Breath (229) is a warm mid grey from Farrow & Ball, with a soft brown and pink cast that stops it ever feeling cold. Farrow & Ball describe it as a warm and contemporary grey, and its name is one of the best known in paint: it was originally coined by the decorator John Fowler. It remains one of the colours our customers ask about most.
The appeal is that it behaves like a neutral without being bland. In good daylight it reads as a gentle, mushroomy grey. In cooler light, Farrow & Ball note, it can take on an almost lilac tone, which is worth knowing before you commit a north-facing room to it.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Elephant's Breath (229)
What colour is Elephant's Breath?
It sits in the middle of the grey spectrum: deeper than a pale stone, lighter than a true taupe. What makes it different from a flat grey is the warmth underneath. There is enough red in the mix to give it a soft, slightly pinkish depth, so it pairs naturally with oak, linen, brass and warm whites rather than chrome and bright white.
Within Farrow & Ball's own palette, the closest lighter neighbours are Skimming Stone (241) and Strong White (2001), and the darker ones are Dove Tale (267) and Jitney (293). Seeing it beside these helps you place it.
Where Elephant's Breath works best
- Bedrooms. Its softness makes it a natural choice for walls you look at last thing at night, particularly with pale bedlinen and timber floors.
- Living rooms. A calm backdrop for art and books, warm enough for an evening room without reading as beige.
- Hallways and stairs. A mid grey hides scuffs better than a white, and the warmth keeps a narrow space from feeling gloomy.
- Woodwork and joinery. Painted on skirting, doors or a run of shelving against a lighter wall, it gives a room quiet definition.
Light matters. In a south-facing room the warmth comes forward; in a north-facing one, expect the cooler, lilac side to show. Our guide to choosing colours by room orientation explains why.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Skimming Stone (241)
Which finish to choose
Farrow & Ball recommend their Mid Tones Primer & Undercoat beneath Elephant's Breath, then two topcoats.
- Walls and ceilings. Estate Emulsion gives the chalky, 2% sheen finish that shows the colour at its softest. It is gently wipeable rather than washable, so it suits bedrooms and sitting rooms best.
- Busier rooms. Modern Emulsion is the washable choice for kitchens, bathrooms and hallways.
- Woodwork. Flat Eggshell, at 20% sheen, for skirting, doors and furniture, or Modern Eggshell (40%) where you want something tougher and a little shinier.
- Outside. Exterior Eggshell for doors and window frames, and Exterior Masonry for rendered walls.
Colours that pair with Elephant's Breath
Farrow & Ball name Strong White (2001) as its complementary white, for ceilings and woodwork. In their suggested schemes for Setting Plaster (231), Elephant's Breath appears as the trim colour, alongside Skimming Stone or School House White (291), which shows how well it sits with a soft pink.
It sits comfortably beside colours from the other brands we stock too. These are our own suggestions:
- Little Greene Slaked Lime (105). A warm, mineral white for ceilings if you would like a softer contrast than Strong White.
- Paint & Paper Library Powder I (291). A pink-based neutral that picks up the warmth in Elephant's Breath for an adjoining room.
- Paint & Paper Library Stone I (201). A soft, light beige that works as a calm partner in a hallway or landing.
- Little Greene French Grey (113). A greener, more classic grey if you want a contrast between two connected rooms.
Photo Credit: Paint & Paper Library; Colours Used: Stone I (201), Stone II (202), Stone V (205), Moleskin (218)
A sampling tip
Because Elephant's Breath shifts so much with the light, a small chip on a colour card will not tell you how it will behave. Order a sample pot, paint two coats onto a large sheet of lining paper, and move it between your darkest and brightest walls over a day. Look at it again under lamplight. If it turns too lilac, try Skimming Stone; if it feels too pale, Dove Tale has more depth.
Questions we are often asked
Is Elephant's Breath grey or beige?
Farrow & Ball class it as a grey, but it is a warm one. In most homes it reads as a soft grey with a brown, slightly pink undertone, which is why it is so often described as greige.
Will Elephant's Breath look purple?
In cool, north-facing light it can lean towards lilac, as Farrow & Ball themselves note. Sample it in the room before you decide.
What white goes with Elephant's Breath?
Strong White is Farrow & Ball's own recommendation. For a softer, warmer contrast, Little Greene's Slaked Lime is a good alternative.
