Farrow and Ball to Launch New Wallpapers and a New Book

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited, along with several other bloggers to meet Nikki Chee, the Communications Manager for Farrow and Ball, and to hear about, and see first hand some of their new wallpapers to be launched in September. Not yet released, I wasn't able to take any photos, but I can tell you that Farrow and Ball have outdone themselves (again) with this new lineup.  The new papers are fresh takes on traditional papers, all in the most scrumptious colors, and all with corresponding paint colors to match.  This makes it easy and affordable to paper just one wall and use the paint on the others.

Nikki is so interesting and has such a passion for Farrow and Ball, it really is contagious.  As a huge fan of Farrow and Ball already, I didn't really need convincing that this is a wonderful product.  But I did come away with new information.  These wallpapers are made in small batches using traditional methods such as block printing.  The paper is not even made until you order it, which means no waste or over runs.   The papers are all printed with actual paint, giving them a glorious hand made appearance. The paints colors are mixed in the factory, so there is a consistency to every color. All the paint and papers are available to order online, which make it easy for those in areas that don't have a local stockist.

If you have never used a Farrow and Ball paint, you may wonder what the difference is.  We talked about that with Nikki, and it really comes down to the pigment.  The pigment has more depth and cannot be replicated simply by color matching another brand.  To prove this, Nikki had several Farrow and Ball colors matched with 2 major paint brands and they were not the same at all.  The difference may be subtle enough not to worry some, but if you want a particular F & B color, you need to buy the F & B paint.  I tried in my own home with a color match to Off Black, and it was so off, I should have halted the painting, but I went ahead and now have regrets.  Of course, all F & B paint is low or zero VOC, and they have eliminated oil from their paints, but you can still get that gorgeous High Gloss finish as well as their amazing Floor Paints.

As a decorator, I find paint color the trickiest thing.  I have a hard time with hundreds of shades of colors.  I particularly like the much smaller selection of colors and find it much easier to select colors from a smaller palette, which also means I have used and seen more of the colors in an actual installation.  In college, I studied the Farrow and Ball books as they went into depth about color history and combining colors, and how light and lack of light affects your choices.   A new book "Living with Colour" is on it's way in September, and it looks fabulous.

It was a lot of fun to meet Nikki and the other Farrow and Ball people, and of course to see their beautiful Toronto shop.  One of the bloggers I met lives very close to me and has a lovely blog.  Vanessa has a wonderful view on the Canadian design scene and you can visit her blog HERE.

Thanks to the folks at Farrow and Ball for a wonderfully informative event and for inviting and acknowledging bloggers!    

All photos from Farrow and Ball website. http://www.farrow-ball.com/