Farrow & Ball has declared these 3 homes as the most stylish and iconic spaces of 2026 – and they all have this quiet colour in common
Can you guess what colour it is?
Earlier this year, Farrow & Ball announced a global design competition, a first of its kind, encouraging anyone from homeowners to interior designers who have used Farrow & Ball colours to enter their space for a chance to win. And this week, the heritage paint brand revealed the five winners of the Farrow & Ball Iconic Spaces 2026. And I couldn’t help but notice that three of them had one colour in common – pink!
Pink is quickly becoming one of the biggest colour trends of this year, yet it’s somehow flying under the radar. But it’s not the loud and bright type of pink – it’s the soft, earthy, plaster-like quiet pinks that are enjoying much popularity, both in people’s homes (including our Digital Editor, Rebecca Knight’s pink living room) and in Farrow & Ball’s Iconic Spaces competition.
‘While pink has been a colour of choice over the last three years, it doesn’t have to resonate of children's bedrooms or overtly pretty spaces – it can be bold and modern too, even when using gentle tones,’ says Patrick O’Donnell, international brand ambassador at Farrow & Ball.
Article continues below‘Even the softest of our gentle pinks, Setting Plaster, can feel thoroughly modern when mixed with moody greens such as Green Smoke or an unexpected partner in Hague Blue. I think we’ve stopped stereotyping recent beliefs about pink and its suitability. Chosen wisely, it can be used as a neutral, but mix it up with bolder accents, and it feels fresh and modern, avoiding those twee overtones often associated with it.’
Since Setting Plaster has been one of the most popular Farrow & Ball colours of recent times, it’s perhaps no surprise that one of the winners of this competition utilised this very shade of pink (as seen in the image above). But the other two opted for different pink tones entirely…
1. Best use of signature palette
Farrow & Ball and the judges had every intention of choosing just one winner for the top prize of Iconic Space 2026. But upon seeing the entries, they decided to give it to two different entrants – one that used the signature, core Farrow & Ball colours, and one that opted for the more unusual archival shades.
As previously mentioned, Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster was the star of this bedroom, colour drenching the space, except for the contrasting bay window painted in Yeabridge Green.
‘The Grieves Farmhouse at Banchory Farm has always had an extraordinary story to tell, and my ambition was to honour its heritage while reimagining it for contemporary living,’ says the owner of the winning space, Jane Manifold. ‘A palette of Farrow & Ball colours brings depth and richness that shifts beautifully with the light, creating warmth and a gentle sense of whimsy throughout. The result is a timeless, layered master bedroom designed to be truly lived in.’
This dusty pink is the most subtle of Farrow & Ball pink shades, often used as an alternative to traditional neutral colours.
Described as an avocado green, this shade is a happy and bright with a yellow undertone.
2. Best use of an archive colour
Looking at the space that’s won best use of an archive colour, you wouldn’t think it’s in the UK – and yet it is. The use of colour and the abundance of light is reminiscent of somewhere like California which is exactly what the creator intended. The star of the show is the shade Faded Terracotta which is described by Farrow & Ball as more of a soft, pale orange inspired by the colour of terracotta pots but in certain light and paired with the yellow and blue shades, it can read as more of an earthy pink.
‘I chose the colour scheme to playfully resolve the different panes of the stair volume broken in triangular shapes,’ says architect and co-founder of Daab Design, Anais Bléhaut. ‘Colours are essential sculpting tools in my work; as soon as I saw the space I thought that was the right place for it as the roof room was to be my client’s little California, her holiday place away from busy life.’
Joa Studholme, colour curator for Farrow & Ball and one of the competition judges, continues, ‘The skillful layering of our Archive colours in this space can’t help but make one feel happy. The playful use of three colours makes for a sunny and uplifting space created by the juxtaposition of three very different tones, but each with the same intensity.’
Inspired and named after the terracotta pots and roof bleached by the sun in places like California, this earthy clay shade sits somewhere between orange and pink.
This coastal blue is a soft shade with light grey undertones, referencing by foggy mornings by the sea.
As you may have guessed, this shade is inspired by Californian lemon trees. But the true colour of the lemons has been softened so it's not as bright.
3. Best outdoor space
If you’re looking for your house exterior colour ideas, then I urge you to consider pink – just like the winner of the best outdoor space did. Located in Florida, this house is covered in Farrow & Ball’s Calamine shade which is a light pink shade with a touch of grey undertone to avoid the colour reading as too sugary and sweet.
The homeowner paired this not-as-well-known soft pink with one of Farrow & Ball’s bestselling shades, Railings. This almost-black colour introduces a bold contrast that really works.
‘Exteriors have been a major focus for us,’ says Gareth Hayfield, head of research and development at Farrow & Ball. ‘Seeing this colour used in such a vast environment, and in such an impactful way, made it an immediate winner for me, evoking a sense of happiness and bringing a smile to my face.’
Calamine is not only a great, cool pink shade to go for - it's also one of the lesser-known Farrow & Ball colours interior experts love.
It's difficult to achieve a black shade that can be described as soft - and yet, that's exactly what Railings is, which is why it enjoys so much popularity. Even our Editor in chief, Heather Young painted her living room with it.
Are you now thinking of painting your home pink?
