Tallow (No.203)
A warm cream named for the rendered animal fat used in traditional candles. Rich and organic, with the warm, natural glow of candlelight.
About Farrow & Ball Tallow
Tallow (No.203) is a cream from Farrow & Ball's collection with an LRV of 72 and warm tallow cream undertones. A warm cream named for the rendered animal fat used in traditional candles. Rich and organic, with the warm, natural glow of candlelight.
With a light-to-medium LRV of 72, Tallow sits in a versatile sweet spot. It has enough depth to read as more than a white or off-white, adding real color and character to a room, while still reflecting enough light to keep spaces feeling open and airy. This is the range where most popular whole-house colors live, because they offer warmth and personality without making rooms feel smaller.
Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
Tallow has an LRV of 72, placing it in the light range on the 0-to-100 scale. LRV measures the percentage of visible light a color reflects. A pure black has an LRV of 0 and a pure white has an LRV of 100. Understanding a color's LRV helps you predict how it will feel in your space: higher LRV means brighter and more spacious, lower LRV means cozier and more intimate.
Undertone Analysis
Tallow has warm tallow cream undertones. Undertones are the subtle background colors that become visible in different lighting conditions. Even colors that look "neutral" in the store will reveal their undertones once they are on your walls and interacting with natural light, artificial light, and the colors around them.
A warm cream named for the rendered animal fat used in traditional candles. Rich and organic, with the warm, natural glow of candlelight. Warm undertones like these pair naturally with other warm elements: honey-toned wood floors, brass and gold hardware, cream-colored textiles, and warm-toned furnishings. They can clash with strongly cool elements like icy blue accents or chrome fixtures, though the effect depends on the strength of the undertone.
Lighting Behavior
Warm and organic. In bright rooms, a warm off-white with visible cream. In dim rooms, cozy and inviting.
Every paint color looks different depending on the light source in your room. South-facing rooms get warm, direct sunlight that brings out yellow and warm undertones. North-facing rooms get cool, indirect light that emphasizes blue and gray undertones. East-facing rooms are bright and warm in the morning, cooler in the afternoon. West-facing rooms are the opposite: cool morning, warm afternoon. Incandescent and warm LED bulbs push colors warmer, while cool-white LEDs and fluorescent tubes push colors cooler. To avoid surprises, always test Tallow with a physical sample on your actual wall, and observe it at different times of day before committing.
Best Rooms for Tallow
Farrow & Ball recommends Tallow for: living room, bedroom, hallway, dining room, kitchen.
Closest Matches in Other Brands
Find the closest equivalent to Farrow & Ball Tallow from other paint brands. Matches are calculated using Delta E (CIE2000), the industry standard for measuring perceptual color difference.
Benjamin Moore Matches
Sherwin Williams Matches
Natural Linen is similar.
View all Sherwin Williams matches →Coordinating Colors
These colors pair beautifully with Tallow for a cohesive palette. Use them for trim, accents, adjacent rooms, or furniture to create a well-designed space.
Frequently Asked Questions
The closest Sherwin Williams match for Farrow & Ball Tallow is Natural Linen (SW 9109) with a Delta E of 3.4, which rates as a "good match" match. Natural Linen is similar. A Delta E under 2 means most people cannot tell the colors apart, while 2 to 4 means the difference is subtle.
Tallow has warm tallow cream undertones. A warm cream named for the rendered animal fat used in traditional candles. Rich and organic, with the warm, natural glow of candlelight. Undertones become most visible when the color is on a large surface like a wall, and they shift depending on the light source in your room. Always test with a physical sample in your specific space to see how the undertones interact with your lighting, flooring, and furnishings.
Tallow (No.203) has a Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of 72, which puts it in the light range. LRV measures the percentage of light a color reflects on a scale from 0 (pure black) to 100 (pure white). At 72, this is a light color that will keep rooms feeling bright and open.
Tallow leans warm. The warm tallow cream undertones give it a cozy, inviting quality. It pairs naturally with other warm elements like wood tones, brass hardware, and cream textiles. In north-facing rooms, the warmth is especially welcoming.
Color data sourced from manufacturer specifications. Match calculations use Delta E (CIE2000) computed from Lab color space conversion. Last reviewed: March 22, 2026.