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Q&A / Brands / Is there a cheaper alternative to Farrow & Ball Elephant's B…
Brands · answered by Fini

Is there a cheaper alternative to Farrow & Ball Elephant's Breath?

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Quick answer

Yes — Dulux Dusted Cappuccino is the closest match at ΔE 1.2, which is near enough imperceptible. COAT Sunday Soul is also a cracking alternative at ΔE 1.6.

Yes, and there's a properly close one. Dulux Dusted Cappuccino (LRV 54.3) lands at just ΔE 1.2 from Elephant's Breath — that's so close the average eye won't tell them apart on a wall. Anything under ΔE 1 is officially imperceptible, and under 2.5 is very close, so you're well inside the safe zone here.

If you fancy something with a slightly more modern, breathable feel, COAT Sunday Soul (LRV 55.3) sits at ΔE 1.6 — also a very strong match, and COAT's emulsion is low-VOC and self-priming, which is handy if you're after a quick turnaround. Both Dusted Cappuccino and Sunday Soul are marginally lighter than the original (Elephant's Breath itself is a touch deeper), but the colour character is the same warm greige with that signature mauve-grey undertone that makes Elephant's Breath shift through the day.

I'd steer you away from Crown Mid Stone for this particular job. At ΔE 3 and LRV 48.2 it's noticeably darker and not really in the same family — it reads more solidly stony than that soft, pinky-grey thing Elephant's Breath does. It's a decent colour, just not a dupe.

The "but what about" here is finish and depth of pigment. F&B's Estate Emulsion has a famously chalky, flat, light-eating quality that the cheaper paints don't fully replicate — you're partly paying for that. If the matte, dead-flat look matters in your room, test it. But if you want the colour at a fraction of the price for a busy hallway or rental, Dusted Cappuccino will do the business.

Grab tester pots of both Dusted Cappuccino and Sunday Soul, paint a decent A2 patch on the wall it's actually going on, and check it morning and evening. This colour swings warm to cool depending on light, so the room decides.

Colours from the answer

LRV 52
Farrow & Ball
Elephant's Breath
LRV 54.3
Dulux
Dusted Cappuccino
LRV 48.2
Crown
Mid Stone
LRV 55.3
COAT
Sunday Soul

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