Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone: DUPES, coordinating colors & Sarah’s full review

Today in the land of paint obsession we’re discussing Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone, one of the British paint powerhouse’s most popular neutral colors. farrow ball purbeck stone dupe

Design by Hendricks Churchill

In this blog post, we’ll explore Purbeck Stone’s undertones, discuss coordinating colors, review the best way to sample Purbeck Stone, look at photos of Purbeck Stone used in real-life projects, and study the closest dupes and matches to Purbeck Stone from more accessible paint brands, such as Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and Behr.

Let’s dive in! farrow ball purbeck stone dupe

What Color is Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone?

Situated at that busy intersection of gray and beige, Purbeck Stone is a sophisticated neutral that evokes calm. Its balanced warm-cool undertones add depth and complexity to any room, making it an ideal canvas for both traditional and contemporary styles.

The Story Behind the Name

Like all of Farrow & Ball’s paint colors, Purbeck Stone draws inspiration from the world around us. Named after the stunning limestone found on the Isle of Purbeck on England’s Jurassic Coast, Purbeck Stone captures the essence of its namesake’s natural beauty.

Rugged cliffs! Sandy beaches! A gentle interplay of cool gray and warm taupe tones!

Is Purbeck Stone a Light or Dark Neutral?

Purbeck Stone is a mid-tone paint color that sits squarely in the middle of Farrow & Ball’s neutral lineup. Purbeck Stone is lighter than Farrow & Ball Hardwick White, Worsted, and Mole’s Breath and darker than Farrow & Ball Cornforth White, Ammonite, and Wevet.

And Now, Let Us Discuss LRV

What’s LRV? If you’re acronym-averse, don’t panic.

LRV stands for light reflectance value. LRV is the amount of light a paint color reflects.

The LRV spectrum ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 being pure white (reflecting all light), and 0 being pure black (absorbing all light and heat). farrow ball purbeck stone dupe

If a paint color has an LRV above 50, it REFLECTS more light than it absorbs. If a color has an LRV below 50, it ABSORBS more light than it reflects.

Bear in mind, though, that no paint color has an LRV of 100 or 0.

The highest LRV you’ll find in consumer paint is around 92 (see: Chantilly Lace, High Reflective White, and All White); the lowest averages out around 4 (see: Tricorn Black, Black, and Pitch Black).

For any super nerds out there (my hand is raised), scientists at Purdue recently developed a white paint that reflects 98 percent of light; you can read about that here.

But heed this, friends: high LRV does not necessarily equal WHITER paint.

Warm, creamy paint colors can have HIGH light reflectance values. In the chart I created below, notice that Wimborne White, a creamy white, has an LRV of 89!

Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone LRV

The LRV of Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone is 51.

That means Purbeck Stone is a mid-tone color, and is (just barely) on the lighter end of the spectrum. Purbeck Stone reflects more light than it absorbs. farrow ball purbeck stone dupe

A bathroom painted Purbeck Stone. Design by Gabby Deeming

Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone Undertones

One of the fascinating aspects of Purbeck Stone is its chameleon-like quality when exposed to different lighting conditions. Depending on the light source, time of day, and surrounding colors, Purbeck Stone can exhibit various undertones, ranging from soft lavender to warm greige.

Notice how pale and cool Purbeck Stone appears on this London exterior, below, photographed in bright daylight. The homeowner used Purbeck Stone for the door surround, bay window trim, columns, canopy, and intricate capitals on her classic Victorian terrace, and selected blue-black Railings for the sash windows, front door, and door casing:

And below, Purbeck Stone appears much darker–more of a warm, lavender-tinged greige. Presumably, it was photographed in late afternoon (and perhaps Western) light:

Here’s what interior designer Nicole Fuller says about Purbeck Stone:

It has such delicate undertones that shift and dance when the light comes across it. This is one of the many reasons I adore using this color so much. It feels fresh and modern, although it has a feeling as if it’s from another time.

Is Purbeck Stone Warm or Cool?

Purbeck Stone leans more WARM than cool. This paint color isn’t a warm, creamy neutral, however; Purbeck Stone certainly qualifies as a GRAY. It has balanced warm-cool undertones that shift between stony greige (warmer) to soft lavender-gray (cooler). Complex paint colors can (and will!) shift depending on the amount of natural light your room receives, and the type of exposure (north, south, east, or west).

This bedroom, below, showcases the lavender-violet undertones of Purbeck Stone:

And let it be noted that this image and the ones below are from an entire Instagram account named Purbeck Stone, run by a German-speaking aesthete with a beautiful flat and excellent taste:

How to Use Purbeck Stone

If you’ve read this far (hi!), you might be considering Purbeck Stone for your cabinets, and you’d be in good company. Below, Hendricks Churchill used Purbeck Stone for the millwork in this beautiful mudroom:

Purbeck Stone is also lovely on walls, particularly vertical tongue and groove, as shown in the beautiful, light-filled kitchen of one of my faves, designer Emma Sims-Hilditch. Below, she added pillows with prints from Fermoie:

Look how much darker the color Purbeck Stone appears on the headboard wall of this bedroom, designed by Chris Graves of Clarence & Graves:

Another example of Purbeck Stone is found in this Dublin home. It features Purbeck Stone in several spaces, including here, on the entry hall wainscot:

And here, on the dining room wall paneling:

This photo really shows the beauty and depth of Purbeck Stone well:

What Colors Go with Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone?

Purbeck Stone is highly versatile and will complement a range of hues.

If you’re a ride-or-die neutrals fan, pair Purbeck Stone with Ammonite (lighter) and add contrast with Mole’s Breath, Down Pipe, or Railings. farrow ball purbeck stone dupe

Below, the brick on this home exterior is painted Purbeck Stone, and the darker accents are Mole’s Breath:

Below are two photos of this same home while it was being renovated. The first photo is a nice example of Purbeck Stone (the painted brick) paired with Mole’s Breath (the double-height bay window):

For a timeless look, I love pairing Purbeck Stone with blue paint colors, such as Stiffkey Blue and Railings, and white paint colors, such as Wimborne White, Wevet, and Strong White.

To infuse your space with warmth and depth, consider pairing Purbeck Stone with rich, earthy tones like terracotta and deep blue-greens. If you’re open to more colorful schemes, Purbeck Stone looks lovely with pink hues such as Setting Plaster and even mustards such as India Yellow. The subtle versatility of Purbeck Stone allows you to experiment with different palettes.

How to Use Purbeck Stone in Your Home

Need a jumping-off point? Try one of these color combos with Purbeck Stone:

• In your kitchen: Purbeck Stone on cabinets, Ammonite walls, Stiffkey Blue on your island, and Mole’s Breath on pantry doors
• In your entry: Purbeck Stone trim, Ammonite walls, All White on the ceiling, and Inchyra Blue on the front door
• In your dining room: Purbeck Stone walls, Strong White trim, and Oval Room Blue or Railings on interior doors

Save this image to Pinterest so you can easily remember these combinations:

If you’re using Purbeck Stone with colors from a different paint brand, try one of these combinations:

• Purbeck Stone with Sherwin-Williams Going Grey, Sea Mariner, and Black of Night
• Purbeck Stone with Behr Sawgrass and Behr Brooklyn
• Purbeck Stone with Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White, Light Pewter, and Atmospheric

Here’s an image you can save to Pinterest so you can easily remember these combinations:

How to Sample Purbeck Stone

My favorite way to test any paint color is with peel-and-stick samples.  I’ve been using Samplize for years, and they’ve been a game changer — their large samples are made with real paint, and you can re-position them throughout your home. I also love that Samplize delivers overnight. ‘Cause honey, sometimes the painters are coming in 24 hours and you need to make a DECISION.

The ability to move samples from wall to wall is crucial — it’s essential to study a paint color on different surfaces, at different times of the day. farrow ball purbeck stone dupe

Another reason I love peel-and-stick samples? They’re more cost-effective than ye olde traditional sample pots and are better for the environment, too. No mess; no wasted paint; no half-empty cans languishing in your basement. It’s a win-win.

Materials and Finishes to Use with Purbeck Stone

With its balanced warm-cool undertones, Purbeck Stone pairs well with a range of finishes. I particularly like pairing Purbeck Stone with WARMER finishes and materials, such as wood and rattan, which help emphasize the beautiful warmth in the paint color.

Notice how designer Cliff Fong of Matt Blacke paired warm finishes with Purbeck Stone, below, in this Manhattan townhouse. The beautiful elm Pierre Chapo table and chairs and brass Florian Schultz ceiling fixture add depth and contrast to the scheme:

Walls are painted Purbeck Stone; photo by Stephen Kent Johnson

If you’re using Purbeck Stone on your kitchen cabinets, consider adding warmth to your scheme via your countertop and flooring finishes. Notice how lovely these Purbeck Stone-painted cabinets, below, look with the butcher block countertop and limestone flooring:

Cabinets are painted Purbeck Stone; design by Barn Number Six

You can also mix cool and warm finishes with Purbeck Stone. Below, Holly Oak House paired Purbeck Stone-painted cabinetry with cool-toned hardware, Skimming Stone walls, and a Mole’s Breath island (just visible in the corner). Notice how the designers warmed up the palette with limestone flooring, sourced from Ca’Pietra:

Cabinets are painted Purbeck Stone

Don’t Be Afraid of Contrast

Contrast – the vital combination of light and dark tones, and warm and cool finishes – enlivens any design scheme and adds interest and personality to a space.

When using Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone in a room, try combining it with lighter and darker materials to introduce warmth and depth.

One way to do this is by using Purbeck Stone on trim and woodwork, and using a lighter finish on your walls. Below, I love how Purbeck Stone adds a stony-green accent and pulls out the warm veining in the beautiful marble flooring that designer Phil Thomas specified for this London home. The walls are painted Farrow & Ball Strong White:

Purbeck Stone paired with Strong White

For this stairwell, below, Hannah Clark used Purbeck Stone on the wainscot and Farrow & Ball Railings on the balustrade and stair:

Purbeck Stone paired with Railings

Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone Matches and Dupes

Before we dive into dupes, bear in mind that rarely do we unearth exact matches for Farrow & Ball colors from more accessible brands, such as Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore.

True, Sherwin-Williams makes a near-perfect match to Farrow & Ball French Gray, but several popular Farrow & Ball colors are notoriously tricky to match.

Purbeck Stone walls and millwork; design by De Rosee Sa

So if you love Purbeck Stone and can stomach the $130-per-gallon price tag, I encourage you to purchase the real thing. Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and Behr offer colors similar to Purbeck Stone, but they aren’t perfect equivalents.

But if you’d rather not break the bank, then read on, fellow paint obsessive, for the closest dupes and matches to Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone. And save this image to Pinterest so you remember this post when you’re heading to the paint store!

Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone Matched to Benjamin Moore

The closest Benjamin Moore matches to Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone are Shale 861 and Cumulus Cloud 1550.

Shale’s value (its relative lightness-to-darkness) matches Purbeck Stone, but it’s a bit warmer, with browner-mauver undertones.

Walls are painted Shale; design by Studio Garrison

Cumulus Cloud is close to Purbeck Stone; it’s a touch lighter and slightly cooler.

Benjamin Moore Cumulus Cloud looks lovely on cabinets:

In both images above, cabinets are Cumulus Cloud; design by Joanna Goodman

Benjamin Moore Thunder AF-685 is somewhat similar to Purbeck Stone, but is darker.

Benjamin Moore Thunder and Kendall Charcoal; design by Tracery Interiors

Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone Matched to Sherwin-Williams

The closest Sherwin-Williams matches to Purbeck Stone are Colonnade Gray 7641 and Viaduct 9567.

Colonnade Gray is a touch lighter and has a greener undertone. It reads less lavender-gray than Purbeck Stone.

Vanity is painted Colonnade Gray; design by Brit Jones

Shelves are Colonnade Gray and walls are Egret White; design by Lauren Smyth

Sherwin-Williams Viaduct is slightly darker than Purbeck Stone and has a redder undertone.

Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone Matched to Behr

The closest Behr matches to Purbeck Stone are Tanglewood N320-3 and Pumice MQ6-23.

Tanglewood is slightly warmer than Purbeck Stone, and Pumice is noticeably cooler.

Here’s Tanglewood in a dining space:

Behr Tanglewood; design by Leslie Saeta

Color Matching at the Paint Store

If none of these matches is your cup of tea, order a peel-and-stick sample of Purbeck Stone and bring it to the paint store.

It’s likely that your paint retailer, be it Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Behr, or PPG, already has Purbeck Stone’s color code saved in their computers. But always bring a sample, just in case.

Purchase a quart of your color match, and paint a swatch at home. Then compare it to the peel-and-stick sample of Purbeck Stone.

Some paint companies match Farrow & Ball colors better than others, so I always recommend testing a quart sample before buying gallons of your match and being unpleasantly surprised.

In Conclusion, Dear Reader

The takeaways:

(a) Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone is a beautiful warm stone gray paint color

(b) Purbeck Stone’s undertones range from stony gray to lavender; this color is for folks who aren’t afraid of warm violet undertones in their grays

(c) Purbeck Stone is highly versatile; consider using it on walls, trim, cabinetry, wainscoting, doors, or shutters

(d) it’s very important to sample colors before you commit

(e) while Purbeck Stone has some close matches from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and Behr, no one makes an exact dupe.

Xx,

Sarah