So this weekend, we were finally at the point where everything in the room had been prepped, filled and panelled within an inch of it’s life and we could finally get to the good stuff – painting.

Now, as I mentioned in this post, I’d decided on Farrow & Ball’s Blackened. One of the reasons I decided to give Farrow & Ball a try is because it’s very difficult to ignore all the hype around this brand. I know so many people who absolutely swear on it and wouldn’t consider painting their homes in anything else. That kind of brand loyalty is impressive and I knew it was really good quality paint – but I did wonder two things – were people just saying this because it was a high-end brand and it made them sound more sophisticated/posh? (I know, I can be such a cynic!) And was Farrow & Ball paint really worth all the hype? How good is it REALLY? 

I wanted to find out for myself.

Is Farrow & Ball worth the money? Is the paint really good quality? Does it live up to the hype? I made it my mission to find out!

So once I’d decided on the colour, I approached F&B about working with me on this project as one of my sponsors. I was already impressed with the sample so I was eager to see if painting all four walls would really make me – a bit of a Dulux girl myself – turn over to the Farrow & Ball side. Happily, they agreed to work with me on this one, with the understanding that it would be, as always, an honest review of their product.

They supplied a 5L tin of Blackened in Emulsion Estate for the walls and a 750ml tin of Blackened in Estate Eggshell for the metal radiator. On early Friday morning, we got up, taped up the walls and with Wayne starting on one side of the room and I on the other, we began with the cutting in, around the skirting boards, coving, panels and dado rails with small brushes. As the only parts we would be able to use a roller were inside the ‘squares’ of the panels, we knew it was going to take a while so Wayne took the top half of the room and I took the bottom.

Cutting in with Farrow & Ball Blackened, I'm asking is Farrow & Ball worth the money?

When all the edges were complete, we did the same again with the roller with Wayne taking the top half of the wall and me the bottom, working our way from opposite ends of the room to the other, criss-crossing in the middle.

The first impressions we both had was that the coverage was incredible. I had heard some critics say the coverage isn’t exceptional on this paint and that admittedly scared me a little – would I need to do 3 coats? Did I get enough paint? But I was genuinely blown away with how quickly the paint took to the wall and the quality of the coverage that was left behind with each brush stroke and pass of the roller. While I am used to the first coat ending up a bit patchy with lots of the original colour coming through, I was shocked at how little white (the base colour) could actually been seen after the first coat.

Wondering is Farrow & Ball worth the money? This is one coat of Farrow & Ball Blackened over white paint.

Those patches on the left is just where the paint was still wet and the light was hitting it!

Of course, doing a second coat would complete the transformation and when we returned to repeat the whole process again 4 hours later, the results were incredible.

*excuse my animals – they are all camera hogs.

Thinking about indulging in some quality paint? I'm asking is Farrow & Ball worth the money?I'm putting Farrow and Ball Blackened paint to the test to see if it's worth the money!

Is Farrow & Ball worth the money? I put it to the test!

On Saturday morning, I hung the wallpaper which I’ll share with you on Wednesday but once that was complete and I’d finished off a few other bits and pieces, we decided to remove that manky floor covering we’d been living with for 4 weeks. Suddenly, it all looked more like a room and no longer like a building site! Hurrah!

Farrow & Ball Blackened paint, is it worth the money?Is Farrow & Ball worth the money? I put it to the test in my dining room!

The paint is beautiful. Really truly stunning. It has a soft warm glow and in the southwestern light of my dining room, there is a distinct subtle lilac undertone (which is what I wanted). One of the things that happened when we’d originally painted it bright white to ‘cancel out’ the original deep indigo blue walls was that I was determined not to lose that light and bright look the room suddenly had. I didn’t want a murky grey that would make the room feel at all dark again. And Blackened was such a perfect choice for that. It reacts so beautifully in changing light but it never goes dark or murky or purple – it stays a beautiful shade throughout – from a pale dusty lilac to a blue-y grey to nearly white in full light.

I’m utterly in love with this paint. I get it now. Honestly. Is it worth the extra money? I suppose that would be up to you because I think there are decent mid-range paints out there for sure and if you are on a really tight budget, that option makes sense (although I would never recommend going to a really cheap paint – total false economy!). But do I think you get what you pay for? Yeah, I do – it’s amazing paint with excellent coverage and beautiful pigmentation. Would I spend the money and purchase it for another room? I reckon I would for sure. The ease of painting this room was definitely due to the quality of the paint and the final colour is just stunning. And yes, that’s absolutely my honest feelings about Farrow & Ball.

So I’ll be sharing the wallpaper with you soon (I shared a sneak peek on Instagram – are you following me there?) so stay tuned for that but in the meantime, what do you think of the transformation? What do you think of Farrow & Ball paints? If you’ve not used it yet, are you tempted?

 

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Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post but did receive paint free in exchange for my honest review. As always, all images, words and opinions are my very own. I only work with companies I really like and think you will too! Thanks for supporting the brands that support Swoon Worthy!


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