Elephant's Breath (No.229)
A complex, medium warm gray with purple-mauve undertones. One of Farrow & Ball's most popular and distinctive colors.
About Farrow & Ball Elephant's Breath
Elephant's Breath (No.229) is a greige from Farrow & Ball's collection with an LRV of 36 and warm purple-gray undertones. A complex, medium warm gray with purple-mauve undertones. One of Farrow & Ball's most popular and distinctive colors.
Elephant's Breath is a deeper color with an LRV of 36, meaning it absorbs more light than it reflects. This gives it real drama and sophistication. It works well on accent walls, exterior siding, front doors, cabinets, and architectural features where you want a bold statement. In a full room application, make sure you have adequate lighting and use bright white trim to prevent the space from feeling too dark.
Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
Elephant's Breath has an LRV of 36, placing it in the medium-dark range on the 0-to-100 scale. LRV measures the percentage of visible light a color reflects. A pure black has an LRV of 0 and a pure white has an LRV of 100. Understanding a color's LRV helps you predict how it will feel in your space: higher LRV means brighter and more spacious, lower LRV means cozier and more intimate.
Undertone Analysis
Elephant's Breath has warm purple-gray undertones. Undertones are the subtle background colors that become visible in different lighting conditions. Even colors that look "neutral" in the store will reveal their undertones once they are on your walls and interacting with natural light, artificial light, and the colors around them.
A complex, medium warm gray with purple-mauve undertones. One of Farrow & Ball's most popular and distinctive colors. Warm undertones like these pair naturally with other warm elements: honey-toned wood floors, brass and gold hardware, cream-colored textiles, and warm-toned furnishings. They can clash with strongly cool elements like icy blue accents or chrome fixtures, though the effect depends on the strength of the undertone.
Lighting Behavior
The purple undertone is most apparent in natural daylight. In warm artificial light, it reads as a sophisticated warm gray. Under cool light, the mauve comes forward beautifully.
Every paint color looks different depending on the light source in your room. South-facing rooms get warm, direct sunlight that brings out yellow and warm undertones. North-facing rooms get cool, indirect light that emphasizes blue and gray undertones. East-facing rooms are bright and warm in the morning, cooler in the afternoon. West-facing rooms are the opposite: cool morning, warm afternoon. Incandescent and warm LED bulbs push colors warmer, while cool-white LEDs and fluorescent tubes push colors cooler. To avoid surprises, always test Elephant's Breath with a physical sample on your actual wall, and observe it at different times of day before committing.
Best Rooms for Elephant's Breath
Farrow & Ball recommends Elephant's Breath for: living room, bedroom, hallway, dining room, office.
Closest Matches in Other Brands
Find the closest equivalent to Farrow & Ball Elephant's Breath from other paint brands. Matches are calculated using Delta E (CIE2000), the industry standard for measuring perceptual color difference.
Benjamin Moore Matches
Revere Pewter is warmer and more beige. Elephant's Breath has that distinctive purple-gray character that's hard to replicate outside F&B.
View all Benjamin Moore matches →Sherwin Williams Matches
Mindful Gray is similar in depth but lacks the purple undertone. Close in lightness, different in character.
View all Sherwin Williams matches →Coordinating Colors
These colors pair beautifully with Elephant's Breath for a cohesive palette. Use them for trim, accents, adjacent rooms, or furniture to create a well-designed space.
Frequently Asked Questions
The closest Sherwin Williams match for Farrow & Ball Elephant's Breath is Mindful Gray (SW 7016) with a Delta E of 5.3, which rates as a "good match" match. Mindful Gray is similar in depth but lacks the purple undertone. Close in lightness, different in character. A Delta E under 2 means most people cannot tell the colors apart, while 2 to 4 means the difference is subtle.
Elephant's Breath has warm purple-gray undertones. A complex, medium warm gray with purple-mauve undertones. One of Farrow & Ball's most popular and distinctive colors. Undertones become most visible when the color is on a large surface like a wall, and they shift depending on the light source in your room. Always test with a physical sample in your specific space to see how the undertones interact with your lighting, flooring, and furnishings.
Elephant's Breath (No.229) has a Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of 36, which puts it in the medium-dark range. LRV measures the percentage of light a color reflects on a scale from 0 (pure black) to 100 (pure white). At 36, this is a darker color that creates a cozy, intimate atmosphere. Pair it with bright white trim for the best contrast.
Elephant's Breath leans warm. The warm purple-gray undertones give it a cozy, inviting quality. It pairs naturally with other warm elements like wood tones, brass hardware, and cream textiles. In north-facing rooms, the warmth is especially welcoming.
Color data sourced from manufacturer specifications. Match calculations use Delta E (CIE2000) computed from Lab color space conversion. Last reviewed: March 22, 2026.