Farrow & Ball’s New Line Will Charm Natural History Buffs

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The book, Normenclature of Colours and the Farrow & Ball paint it inspired.

The book, Normenclature of Colours and the Farrow & Ball paint it inspired.

Farrow & Ball is shaking things up. For the first time, the U.K. paint company has released a new palette of colors in collaboration with London’s Natural History Museum that will live beyond the 132 shades that make up its core offerings.

The freshly launched Colour by Nature line consists of 16 hues inspired by Patrick Syme’s Werner’s Nomenclature of Colors–the infamous book published in 1814 and notably used by Charles Darwin on his voyage around the world to aid in identifying and filing his own findings–that’s part of the museum’s rare book library.

The tome tediously categorizes colors found on animals, plants, flowers and minerals, ranging from the green found on the neck of a mallard to the yellow found on the petals of a marigold. What was at the time a reference for both scientists and artists is now, some 200 years later, still a reference for modern day makers like F&B.

Each color in the collection is (quite literally) inspired by nature, with a lineup of shades the brand knows all too well: soft neutrals, rich blues, lush greens, and some ruddy shades to boot. With the environment top of mind, each paint is blended with an eco-friendly water base.

Peek at some of the colors from the collection, below:

Lake Red by Farrow & Ball.

Lake Red by Farrow & Ball.


Ultramarine Blue inside the Natural Museum of History.

Ultramarine Blue inside the Natural Museum of History.


The Colour by Nature collection.