Sometimes a colour is so good that it just has to be revived from Farrow and Ball’s archive collection, and this brown is indulgently good to be around in an interior.
Broccoli Brown is grounded, earthy and forms the most incredible base for a beautiful interior scheme. Feel like it might be too dark for your space? Think again!
This dark, quiet colour can persuade you to lean into the dark side, and create a stylish, feel good room at the same time. So, pick up the paint brush, and take inspiration from these 11 real homes below!
11 Broccoli Brown Farrow and Ball Colour Scheme Ideas To Copy
1.Moody Bedroom Scheme
If you have a south facing bedroom, leaning into using a colour such as Broccoli Brown will help to temper the intensity of the sun, and make the room feel more balanced. Use on an accent wall for your bed frame, or commit to it on all walls for a more enveloping feel.
The best way to soften the darkness of brown is to pair it with warm, soft neutrals, such as creams, whites, soft greens and wooden accents. The result is a cosy, well balanced and comfortable colour scheme.
2. Drench It For Intensity
Colour drenching is going nowhere anytime soon, and Broccoli Brown was designed for drenching for a high impact look. If you’re not familiar with the term, it involves saturating the room in the same colour – walls, ceiling and woodwork.
It can be equally effective in a sunny space, and north facing rooms if you want to lean into the darkness for a cosy, intimate feel. This would be best for cinema rooms or living rooms that aren’t used all day round.
3. Pair With Earthy, Warm Colours
This is one of my favourite colour schemes using Broccoli Brown. Pair with warm, like earthy colours to build on that earthy inspired look. Warm reds and oranges are a great choice, but even layering with different shades of brown can create a tonal look that’s super effective.
Generally speaking, any earthy colours will work well with this brown, as we see them sat together in nature. So, don’t rule out using greens, greys, creams and even black in small doses.
4. Let It Ground The Room
To nail any colour scheme, you need one dominant colour that is going to essentially ground the room. Take note of it executed perfectly below with Broccoli Brown on the kitchen cabinetry.
Lift the eye with a soft off-white, it will balance the dark tones of the brown and create a softer, more uplifting finished look which is a popular choice in kitchens where good lighting is a necessity.
Try Dimity or Stirabout for a complementary white from Farrow and Ball.
5. Use As An Accent Colour
This brown can be just as effective when used as an accent colour in a scheme. Less daunting if you’re not used to using such a dark colour, and it’s effective in focusing the eye as you step into the room.
It works beautifully in this earthy, rustic interior below. Pairing with natural materials will elevate the finished look, so do think about pairing with materials such as rattan, seagrass, wood and linen.
6. Elevate With Black
It might feel counterintuitive going for an even darker colour, but pulling in some tones of black can help to lift your interior scheme and add further definition.
Using black through photo frames, chair leg accents or small pieces of decor is enough to tie this colour into your scheme without it overpowering the brown.
7. Introduce Panelling For Added Character
One of the most effective ways to add instant character to an interior is to introduce some form of panelling. Tongue and groove is a favourite, loved for its enduring and timeless style.
I love how you can see the metamorphic quality of this paint shade in the below kitchen. Darker corners appear much darker, whilst in lighter areas, it takes on almost a khaki look. That’s why testing it in your room beforehand is so important, as lighting plays such a huge role in how a colour ends up being perceived.
8. Balance It With Wooden Tones
If you don’t want to depend on lighter neutrals to balance the intensity of Broccoli Brown, use a natural element such as wood to do it in a beautiful way.
Wooden furniture and decor accents work so well because they’re derived from nature too, it balances the brown and uplifts the room at the same time.
9. Continue That Earthy Feel With A Good Green
There’s no such thing as a bad green in my eyes, and look how well an earthy, olive green looks positioned against brown on the lower half of the panelling.
Working side by side, they bring a breath of fresh air into this bedroom for a comfortable look. Recreate a similar look with Reduced Green.
10. Go Bold
Whilst an earthy interior scheme is incredibly popular, take the road less travelled and have some fun by introducing some bold colours for a really fun and upbeat interior.
Brown actually pairs well with most colours and acts as a great foundational colour to build on. Those red, yellow, green and pink tones in the artwork below just bring the room to life in the most relaxed way. This type of colour scheme would work beautifully in a mid century modern scheme.
Instagram image credit: @alisondamonte
11. Lean Into Warm Neutrals
Why not make like the below, using the brown on an accent piece of furniture and layering with 1-2 soft neutrals for an elevated scheme.
The kitchen below uses Lime White on the upper walls, with French Gray on the panelling which grounds the room. Despite the dark brown being present, these warm neutrals do a fab balancing act, keeping the room light, airy, but interior led as your eyes are immediately focused by the brown cabinetry.
Any other questions about using Broccoli Brown in your interior? Please leave me a comment below and I’ll come straight back!
Instagram image credit: @valleyroaddesign
