Pigeon
No. 25 · Farrow & Ball
Pigeon No. 25 as a flat swatch, not a painted room
Farrow & Ball
Pigeon
No. 25
Subtle green, a green color
- Color family
- Green
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
Farrow & Ball Pigeon No. 25 is a dark, muted green-gray, the kind that changes with the light: green in the sun, closer to a blue-gray on a cloudy day. Its LRV of 15 puts it in the dark band, a color that reads as a statement on four walls and settles happily onto cabinets, a door or a whole facade. Our method reads it as a subtle green, with the gray doing most of the work.
Updated
Is Pigeon warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
leans green
Undertone
Subtle green
A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.
Measured, Pigeon has a clear lean to green, a little blue and no red at all, on a base that is mostly gray. Farrow & Ball describes it as a blue gray, and in a cool north room that is what you see; our numbers put the lean on the green side, which is what shows in warm daylight and under warm bulbs. Next to a true gray such as Iron Ore SW 7069 the green is obvious; next to a real green such as Pewter Green SW 6208 it looks gray and a little bluer. The color is quiet enough that the room around it decides which of the two you notice.
Pigeon in north, south, east and west light
Pigeon is a color that moves. In a north-facing room, where the light is cool and steady, it goes gray-blue and a little flat, and this is where the blue gray name comes from; a warm white trim and warm bulbs keep it from feeling cold. South and west rooms bring out the green through the afternoon, and a sunny wall can look almost sage against the shaded ones. East rooms get the green in the morning and the gray later. Because it is dark, the swing between a lit wall and a shaded wall is bigger than the swing between exposures.
Watch for
- Reads blue-gray and flat in a dim north room under cool bulbs
- Goes clearly green on a sunlit south or west wall while the shaded walls stay gray
- Can look almost black in a windowless hallway or a small bathroom
Best rooms and surfaces for Pigeon
Pigeon is best known as a kitchen cabinet color: dark enough to ground the room, muted enough not to fight the counter or the tile, and green enough to warm up a room full of white and steel. On all four walls it suits a room you want enclosing, a study, a dining room or a bedroom with good daylight; in a dim bedroom it can feel heavy, so keep the ceiling light. As an accent wall behind a bed or a sofa it reads calmer than a navy. It pairs with brass, oak, marble and off-white trim; against bright white trim the contrast is sharp, against a warm white it is softer.
Pigeon on an exterior
Farrow & Ball sells Pigeon for exterior use, and it is a common choice for a front door, window frames and garden joinery, where it reads greener than indoors because daylight is warmer than most bulbs. On a whole facade it is a muted, settled color rather than a dark one: full sun lifts it toward a mid green-gray, and shade brings the gray back. White or off-white trim gives it definition; a black door beside it looks harsh.
Try Pigeon on your own walls
Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Pigeon onto the walls so you can judge it in your light, with your floors and furniture. Your first five renders are free.
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Pigeon vs Pewter Green, Rosemary and Dried Thyme
Pigeon vs Pewter Green SW 6208
Pigeon is noticeably lighter; undertone subtle green vs subtle yellow-leaning green.
Pewter Green SW 6208 is the Sherwin-Williams color people reach for when they want Pigeon's look, and it is a touch darker with a yellow-leaning green undertone where Pigeon leans toward blue. On cabinets Pewter Green reads warmer and more olive; Pigeon reads cooler and grayer. Choose Pewter Green with warm wood and brass; choose Pigeon with marble, white tile and cooler metals.
Pigeon vs Rosemary SW 6187
Pigeon is a touch lighter; undertone subtle green vs noticeable yellow-leaning green.
Rosemary SW 6187 is the closest page color by measurement, a touch darker and a noticeable yellow-leaning green, so it is greener and warmer than Pigeon on the wall. It suits a room that wants a real green; Pigeon suits one that wants the green to stay in the background. Side by side, Rosemary is the color and Pigeon is the gray.
Pigeon vs Dried Thyme SW 6186
Pigeon is noticeably darker; undertone subtle green vs noticeable yellow-leaning green.
Dried Thyme SW 6186 is noticeably lighter than Pigeon and a warmer, yellower green, the color for walls in a room that would feel closed in by Pigeon. Pigeon holds the deeper, cooler end: cabinets, doors and accent walls where a lighter green would read pale. The two work together as walls and cabinets in one kitchen.
Questions about Pigeon
Does Pigeon look blue or green?
It depends on the light. Its measurement leans green, with a little blue and no red, on a mostly gray base. In warm daylight and under warm bulbs the green shows; in a cool north room the blue takes over and it reads as the blue gray Farrow & Ball calls it. Sample it on the wall that gets the least light.
Is there a Sherwin-Williams dupe for Farrow & Ball Pigeon?
By measurement, Succulent SW 9650 is the closest, near enough to be hard to tell apart, with Rocky River SW 6215 and Homburg Gray SW 7622 next. Among colors with their own page here, Rosemary SW 6187 is nearest and Pewter Green SW 6208 is the one people usually choose, a touch darker and warmer.
Is Pigeon a good kitchen cabinet color?
Yes, and it is the room it is best known for. Dark enough to anchor the kitchen and muted enough to sit with stone, tile and wood, it reads green in a sunny kitchen and gray in a shaded one. Keep the walls and ceiling light, and pick a trim white before the cabinets are painted so the contrast is chosen, not accidental.
What colors go with Pigeon?
Off-whites on trim and walls, such as Pure White SW 7005 or White Dove OC-17, keep it soft; brass, oak and marble warm it up. For a second color, a lighter green such as Dried Thyme SW 6186 on the walls with Pigeon cabinets works, and a warm neutral like Accessible Beige SW 7036 keeps a room from going cold.
Can Pigeon go on a front door?
Yes, and it is one of its most common uses. Outdoors it reads greener than inside because daylight is warmer than bulbs, and on a door it sits well with brick, stone and pale render. Farrow & Ball sells it in exterior finishes, so the color on the door matches the color inside.
Get a sample before you paint
Use the visualizer to narrow your shortlist, then confirm the finalist on your actual wall. A peel-and-stick sample of Pigeon, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.
- Made with real paint
- Delivered next day
- Peels off clean
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