When it comes to painting our homes, ultra-matte walls are certainly the mood of the moment. For an on-trend look, it's all about soft, cocooning spaces in flat finishes that completely immerse you with color, as seen with the color-drenching trend. The problem is, traditional matte emulsions aren't as hardy as an eggshell or satin finish, forcing you to choose between the matte aesthetic and a practical, family-friendly finish... until now.
Farrow & Ball has just introduced a brand new paint finish to their range, and it's their most durable and mattified yet. Perfect for intense, rich, color-drenched spaces, Dead Flat is a low-shine paint with just a 2% sheen, offering a hard-wearing finish that not only minimizes imperfections but also emphasizes your color.
From taps to tiles, smooth, flat finishes have been the defining theme of contemporary design in recent years. If you love a chalky matte look on your walls but find that your standard matte emulsion just doesn't go far enough, this new paint finish is the answer. Being multi-surface, it's also suitable for use on woodwork and metal, too. Here's everything you need to know about the new low-shine look.
Gone are the days of using glossy, high-shine finishes to create a luxurious space. Instead, flat, low-sheen paints are favored for their velvety finishes that emanate a more sophisticated, contemporary feel. These days, even eggshell and standard matte emulsions aren't enough. We're craving seriously dulled-down looks, and this new finish offers just that.
The new Dead Flat formulation has been refined by the technical experts at Farrow & Ball over the last five years. It's all thanks to a new ingredient which, when combined with Farrow & Ball's signature blend, makes for their most durable finish yet. Scuff-resistant, washable, and wipeable, it's about as practical as they come, making it ideal for high-traffic areas like entryways and kids' playrooms.
'Dead Flat is a unique combination of truly fantastic features: it’s matte, durable, and multi-surface,' says Charlotte Cosby, Creative Director at Farrow & Ball. 'The super matte quality has the incredible effect of making our colors look even richer, especially the darker shades.'
Compared to their Full Gloss finish which has a sheen of 95%, Dead Flat has a mere 2% sheen which dramatically minimizes light bounce so that you can enjoy your paint ideas from every angle and in any type of lighting. Not only does this increase the richness of the shade, but it also minimizes imperfections caused by uneven surfaces or dirty finger marks.
There's a lot to love from an aesthetic point of view, too. Patrick O’Donnell, color expert and Brand Ambassador at Farrow & Ball, thinks it makes the best choice for color drenching. 'Whether you want color saturation in a space or just to create a seamless matte flow of finish through your home, Dead Flat delivers all,' he explains.
'You can also use it to create the illusion of more space in a bedroom through painted closets to match the walls or hide utilitarian radiators in your chosen Dead Flat color,' he adds. 'It’s a decorator's dream.'
Like all Farrow & Ball finishes, Dead Flat is water-based, low odor, and only contains traces of VOCs, so you can have peace of mind knowing that your paint is the safest choice for your home.
Farrow & Ball's Dead Flat paint finish will be available to buy from March 28th
3 on-trend colors that we love in Dead Flat finish
For a delicate heritage pink, try Templeton Pink. A more intense version of Farrow & Ball's best-seller, Setting Plaster, it creates a warm, welcoming space, particularly in low light, lending itself well to a matte finish.
Particularly good in low-light spaces, this smokey blue hue makes for a super cocooning feel, perfect for color-drenching ideas. It pairs beautifully with accents of darker shades and works beautifully in an ultra-matte finish.
Forest green is the color of the season, and Beverly hits this shade just right. Light enough to not feel overwhelming but dark enough to transport you to a dense forest, this mid green is perfect for convivial spaces, especially in a Dead Flat finish.
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