If You Are Struggling to Find a Color for a Narrow Room, These 8 Farrow & Ball Shades Are Tried and Tested
From moody dark blues to sophisticated purples, these are the shades to use to add more interest to narrow rooms than white
Choosing the right paint color for a narrow room can be a tricky task, and playing it safe with white paint can, understandably, be the default. However, interior designers frequently reach for paint colors from Farrow & Ball that bring design intrigue and excitement to these compact rooms.
Whether you're decorating a laundry room, narrow bathroom, mudroom, or pantry, the right paint colors can actually have a much more flattering effect on the often-tricky proportions than white – softening harsh edges and creating a cohesive, immersive look – especially when color-drenching is used.
Article continues below1. Hague Blue No. 30
The use of color-drenching in this Hague Blue scullery creates a modern and cohesive look.
A dark blue paint with subtle green undertones, Hague Blue is a popular shade that adds coziness and a classic feel to rooms. In this scullery, color-drenching was used to take the color to the walls as well as the cabinets.
'I’m drawn to this particular blue for its depth and warmth; it feels enveloping and inviting rather than stark,' says Kathryn Hunt, principal designer at Kathryn Hunt Studio, based in Connecticut. 'Extending the same color and finish throughout the space gives the room a cohesive, almost lacquered quality that elevates what is traditionally considered a purely utilitarian area.'
'By leaning into such a rich, saturated color, the scullery takes on an immediate sense of character and presence, transforming it from a back-of-house workspace into a thoughtfully designed extension of the home,' she adds.
2. Card Room Green No. 79
A satin finish was used on the Card Room Green cabinets, 'which adds a subtle sheen and durability for a hardworking laundry room,' says Trish Lynn.
Decorating with green can add warmth to narrow rooms, and slightly muted green paints, such as Card Room Green, feel livable and timeless, as seen in this laundry room.
'Card Room Green has a timeless, heritage quality that brings warmth and depth to a hardworking room like a laundry room,' says Trish Lynn, principal and founder of New Jersey-based Colette Interiors. 'In narrower rooms, using a deeper tone on cabinetry and trim helps create a cohesive envelope, which can actually make the space feel calmer and more expansive.'
'Rather than paint, the walls are wrapped in a soft tonal wallpaper, which adds quiet texture and subtlety while balancing the richness of the cabinetry,' she adds.
3. Peignoir No. 286
Peignoir adds warmth and coziness to this bathroom while maintaining a timeless look.
In small bathrooms, lighter colors can be a great way to add interest and depth, without overpowering the space with richness. Here, Peignoir brings a soft and feminine feel – a stylish alternative to neutrals.
'We love this mauvy dusty pink color because it is a lighter tone that reads similarly to a neutral, but it still has personality,' explains Melissa Oholendt, founder and design principal at Minnesota and Colorado-based Oho Interiors. 'It’s a great way to add some character to a space while keeping it light and airy.'
4. Brinjal No. 222
Dark shades such as Brinjal feel effortlessly sophisticated, and can also be a more practical choice than light tones in high-traffic rooms.
Brinjal is a rich shade of wine-tinted purple paint that adds plenty of drama to a room. In this mudroom, it sets a classic feel alongside the brass hardware, and proves that narrow rooms don't have to play it safe.
'This rich purple-red hue works beautifully in a small space because it creates a sense of warmth and depth the moment you step inside,' says NYC-based interior designer Jennifer Hunter. 'Rather than trying to make the room feel larger with a pale palette, the saturated color wraps the millwork and walls in a cocooning tone, turning a highly functional space into a focal point. The hue was chosen to subtly pick up on the tones in the brick flooring. In a hardworking entry like this, the deeper color also helps disguise everyday wear from boots, bags, and coats.'
5. Duck Green No. W55
The dark hue of Duck Green feels timeless and moody in equal measure in this pantry room.
Duck Green is a dark green that has a sophisticated and classic quality, making it a perfect choice for this narrow butler's pantry. 'This rich green works beautifully in small spaces because it envelops the room, creating a sense of depth rather than making it feel confined,' says Jennifer Hunter.
'In a butler’s pantry like this one, the color turns what could have been a purely utilitarian pass-through into a moment of drama between larger spaces,' she adds. 'The cabinetry, painted in the saturated hue, blurs the boundaries of the room and allows the millwork, hardware, and stone to really stand out.'
6. Pigeon No. 25
The blue tones of Pigeon make it a fitting choice for this bathroom, along with colorful artwork for a contemporary look.
Pigeon is a calming, blue-gray paint shade that adds more depth than traditional neutrals while maintaining a feeling of calm. Here, it was used in a cloakroom of a country house.
'It has a great quality to it – calm and muted, but still elegant, and it sets the mood straight away,' says Tom Cox of HÁM Interiors. 'We painted the walls, ceiling, and trim in the same color to avoid awkward visual breaks and let the architecture come through subtly. Because it’s neither too dark nor too light, it gives the room an enveloping feel, and we added artwork to lift it with a brighter pop of color.'
7. Down Pipe No. 26
Although dark, Down Pipe feels balanced and livable in this narrow scullery.
Down Pipe is a dark, blue-toned charcoal paint color that adds moodiness and lots of depth to narrow rooms. In this scullery, where it was used on the cabinets, it wraps the space to create a cocooning, unexpected feel.
'Down Pipe offered a rich, moody color for this space that is used primarily for evening entertaining,' says the designer Lindsay Anyon Brier of Anyon Design. 'We leaned into the principle that a rich color highlights a small space and gives it character, particularly in low lighting. Down Pipe's blue undertones complement the millwork's walnut cavities as well as the copper countertop and fittings.'
8. Stony Ground No. 211
Stony Ground works as a richer and more earthy alternative to white paint in this laundry room.
While dark, bold paint shades work well to add drama to narrow rooms, neutral paints are an equally stylish option if you want to keep the space feeling pared-back.
Rachel Morrison of Orange County-based design studio Morrison Interiors chose Stony Ground for the cabinets in this laundry room. She describes it as 'a warm, earthy neutral that works beautifully in tighter spaces.'
'In this long, narrow room, the color adds softness and depth while keeping the space feeling light and inviting,' she continues. 'Paired with warm brass lighting and textured tile, it helps create a layered look that elevates what could otherwise feel like a purely utilitarian space.'
Before you reach for Farrow & Ball's white paints when decorating a narrow room, consider these colorful shades that add more depth, interest, and warmth. Instead of working against a room's small proportions, they lean into the limited square footage with a more confident look. And, since many of these narrow rooms are closed-off rooms, you can afford to be more adventurous with your colors than you would in the main living spaces.
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