(Note to Readers: I had to copy/paste this one year old thread to get it to accept followups. That's one thing I hate about this Home Site, everything is lost so quickly, and it's a shame, since GardenWeb is such a great resource!)

I've got my F&B samples. I've got them on boards. Now, I have a very basic question that maybe does not have a basic answer...
If I get a gallon of F&B paint in the soft sheen of Modern Emulsion, will it have all that charismatic/indescribable/touchable look that those of you F&B Fan-Club members rave about? Or would I do as well to just have the color I want mixed up in.......well, maybe Ben Moore, since they have the formulas in their computer?

Reason I ask? I took my paint chip to Ben Moore dealer and the guy found the recipe for Pigeon in computer. I had it mixed up and painted the study. Today I painted a foam board with F&B Pigeon from the little sample I ordered. While the finish is different, (and being on the wall makes it subtly different too...) the Color itself looks to my eye, the same.

Red

It was over on the paint forum and I was able to respond to it and bring it back to life. Maybe a problem with your computer.

F&B Pigeon must be the IT color for this season. Saw it prominently featured at my local dealer the other day.

I cannot give you a direct answer, but I can tell you some of my experience. I have a strong preference for very flat finishes and so I gravitate to the Estate Emulsion. However, in my laundry room, which has many walls and a weird sort of dog leg shape, one area has Modern Emulsion in Teresa's Green, a much clearer color than Pigeon. ME has 2% sheen level. That's pretty low. Honestly, I do not notice the shine at all, unless I really look for it and the lighting is just so. Unfortunately, I have no Ben Moore, so cannot compare. What I can tell you, though, is that DH has done a lot of painting in his day and the first time he hefted a can of F&B he was amazed at how heavy it was. All that clay and pigment is heavy stuff; I fail to see how that could fail to affect your perception of the color. I have Estate Emulsion in Red Earth and Blue Ground elsewhere. The color seems to come off the walls and envelop me in the rooms. I love this stuff. However, I recently discovered, after two years, that the Red Earth isn't scrubbable, unlike the other colors in Estate Emulsion. Go figure. I'm not fond of the texture of our walls (too heavy and really soaks up the paint). F&B definitely mellows out our texture, a phenomenon that contributes to the depth of the coloration. Frankly, were I in your situation, I would buy a quart of the real deal and do a head to head head comparison with the Ben Moore version on a wall. I don't know what your wall texture and light are like. As an aside, I have EE Radicchio on a wall in a game room "kitchenette" and it appears shinier than usual. I don't know if that's because of how dark it is or because of the light in there, but that's been a disappointment to me. I must say, your photos of Pigeon look like I would expect Pigeon to look, but that a very vague statement.

Thank you Kitchen! Your description of the ME makes sense and answers that particular question.
I think the big problem with shades of red is actually, the red. Red is notoriously different on the wall than other colors. Also, it can appear shinier than other colors, so I always go flatter/matte-er when I try to paint red. Live & learn...
I wish I could buy a quart of the real deal. But it is only available to ship in gallons. I must commit to it if I want it. I heard somewhere that there is a retailer that sells F&B in the Bay area, so if I could wait till end of May when I have to drive to San Francisco to meet a plane, I could pick some up then. But if I wait till end of May, I probably won't do the painting I planned to do. So it wouldn't matter.
I did put some of the French Grey on the kitchen wall, right up next to my Sherwin Wms french Grey knockoff. The real thing looked more matte and chalky, but that's not necessarily a great idea for the kitchen. The color was a pretty near match of the two. Guess I need to just decide to 'go for it' and then, do so. Must make a color decision first however and that is always the sticking point for me.
It's interesting what your DH had to say....

Red

To be honest, if your sample boards look exactly the same to your eyes, then I don't see why you would pay extra for F&B.

I think there is something to be said for seeing a paint on all four walls to really decide if you see the difference or not.

I have not lived with Modern Emulsion, only Estate. My friend has the ME in her foyer and hallway and does not like the sheen at all. I think it is because the hallway light fixtures are so near the walls, the reflection is more obvious. I think in a room where the lighting is more diffuse or further from the walls, it would be less of an issue.

Glad you brought this up, Red, as I am thinking of using ME in my kitchen...EE would just be crazy.

Cox Paint in Santa Monica has Farrow & Ball sample pots available from their online store. The hitch is that I don't see whether they are ME, EE or something else. Might be worth a phone call to the store ...

Here is a link that might be useful: Farrow & Ball Sample Pots

All the samples are in the EE, or so I've read. And it's the four walls theory that keeps me up at night Bella. Because we all know that a chip may not tell the story, even a large 24" painted swatch may not tell the story.......sometimes, it's the four walls all painted and pretty that make you say "Ahhhhhhhh...."
Well, I now have sample boards of Blue Gray, Pigeon, and Light Gray. (I have the old one from the kitchen job in French Gray too.) I just need to decide if I want to do one of these colors and if I want to do it in F&B. I know this. I'm just putting it off.

Red

Red: I swear F&B paint turn every of my rooms into an Andrew Wyeth painting, or a Vermeer even. The color has that dusky, soft, mellow aura like the walls in old painting. I think it's totally worth it but others think I'm nut to spend that kind of money on paint. Maybe I'm just trying to justify my personal indulgence.

I once tried to custom match Middleton pink into SW (cashmere) and it was a total failure. I can spot the impostor right away. I'm sure 99% people don't know & don't care to pay the extra $$ for that tiny difference. Not everyone is as obsessed as I am when it comes to paint ;-) SIL get F&B color matched into Dunn Edwards and I can spot the difference right away. I haven't seen a good fake for F&B yet. Benjamin Moore can't copy Downpipe into their paint because the color is too dark, it came out as purple. I have zero luck in copying F&B.

If you are only using 1 gallon, I would try F&B. Just to see if it's worth the difference in price. It's better than having those sleepless nights :-)

Btw, I have a gallon of Blue Gray (estate emulsion) waiting in my garage. YEA! :-D As for the ME, I tried it before and it didn't look good with my textured walls. I would definitely use it on a smooth walls.

And I thought my Farrow and Ball guest bedroom looked serence because of the color. It also has that dusky, soft, mellow aura about it. Do Farrow and Ball blue's also give off that same feel?

Where are you planning to use the Blue Gray? I am amazing myself that I am even interested, since; and admittedly this sounds ridiculous, the color name "Blue Gray" sounds even less appealing to me than Dead Salmon or Trout or Elephant's Breath! At least those colors have the possibility of being something I might like. Blue Gray sounds well........Blue Gray. But it seems like a blue green to me. And the poster board is super pretty. I just did the Light Gray (much more "me" if you will...) on a board and it's very nice, but maybe too dull for my dark house.
I don't need Farrow & Ball--what I need is a skylight!

Red