Elephant's Breath
Farrow & Ball
No. 229
Elephant's Breath is probably Farrow & Ball's most famous neutral, a warm greige with a faint magenta-lilac undertone that gives it more life than a flat taupe. The name is borrowed from the celebrated decorator John Fowler, who used it for one of his own colors. It reads as enveloping and contemporary on walls in living rooms and bedrooms, and pairs naturally with deeper grays like Mole's Breath and crisp whites like Strong White.
Some brands don't share official hex codes. The digital values shown here are careful approximations. Always confirm with a physical sample.
Close matches
Sherwin-Williams: Twilight Gray SW 0054 (#C8BFB5) · Skyline Steel SW 1015 (#C6BFB3) · Colonnade Gray SW 7641 (#C6C0B6)
Benjamin Moore: Shale 861 (#C3BDB1) · Boulevard CC-394 (#C3B8AE) · Hazelwood 1005 (#C3B8AE)
Similar Farrow & Ball colors: Purbeck Stone No. 275 (#C0BCB3) · Roasted Macadamia No. CB2 (#C6BAAA) · Drop Cloth No. 283 (#C5BDAC)
Common questions
What is the hex code for Elephant's Breath?
The hex code for Farrow & Ball Elephant's Breath No. 229 is #C7BEB3. In RGB that is 199, 190, 179. Use these values to reproduce Elephant's Breath in SketchUp, Canva, Photoshop, Figma, or rendering software for client presentations and mood boards. Farrow & Ball does not publish official hex codes, so this value is a close third-party approximation.
What is the Sherwin-Williams equivalent of Elephant's Breath?
The closest Sherwin-Williams match for Elephant's Breath is Twilight Gray SW 0054 (#C8BFB5). No cross-brand match is exact, because each brand mixes its own pigment formulas. Always confirm with a physical sample before specifying a substitute.
Is Elephant's Breath warm or cool?
Elephant's Breath is warm, a gray-beige with a subtle magenta undertone that becomes more apparent in cooler light. The LRV is approximately 52, a true mid-light value that works in most rooms. In warm southern light it reads as a soft taupe; in north-facing rooms the lilac cast comes forward and it can feel almost mauve. Test it in the actual room before specifying.
Why does Elephant's Breath look different on screen than on the wall?
Screens emit light while paint reflects it, so a hex code cannot capture how lighting, sheen, and surrounding colors shift paint in a real room. Treat #C7BEB3 as accurate for digital design work, and use physical samples for final approval. Farrow & Ball does not publish official hex codes, so this value is a close third-party approximation.
What LRV does Elephant's Breath have?
Elephant's Breath has a Light Reflectance Value of approximately 52, meaning it reflects about 52% of visible light. That mid-range depth reads as a true color on the wall without going dark.
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