Liquorice

What Liquorice Actually Looks Like

Liquorice is not a true black. It reads as a deep, soft charcoal with a grey core, the kind of near-black that keeps a little warmth in it rather than going flat and inky. On the paint chip it can look like a generic dark grey. On four walls it becomes something with more weight and more nuance.

Light changes it constantly. In morning light, especially in a north-facing room, Liquorice cools down and the grey comes forward, reading almost slate. By afternoon, with stronger or warmer light, it deepens and softens, closer to a true charcoal-black. Under artificial light it depends entirely on your bulbs. Warm incandescent or 2700K LEDs pull out its softer side and keep it from feeling harsh. Cooler bulbs push it toward grey and can make it look thinner than it is.

The chalky Estate Emulsion finish is doing real work here. It absorbs light instead of bouncing it back, so the color looks dense and matte with no sheen to distract from the depth. That same finish is why a swatch never tells the full story. You need to see it across a wall, at different times of day, before you commit.

Liquorice Undertones

The undertone is grey, leaning slightly cool but not blue. This matters more than you would think for a color this dark. Put Liquorice next to a stark, blue-white trim and the grey reads cooler and the wall can feel a touch flat. Put it next to a softer, warmer white and the depth holds while the cool edge relaxes.

The undertone gets pulled out by what surrounds it. Cool greys and silvers next to it emphasize the grey core. Warm woods, brass, and creamy whites do the opposite and let the near-black read as soft and grounded rather than stark. Choose your trim and furnishings with that lever in mind, because Liquorice will follow the company it keeps.

Where Liquorice Works Best

This is a color for rooms you want to feel enclosed and deliberate. Dining rooms, studies, libraries, and bedrooms all suit it. It works on a feature wall, but it is better used whole, wrapping a room so the depth becomes the point rather than a single dark patch. South-facing rooms with strong natural light can carry Liquorice across all four walls without feeling oppressive. North-facing rooms will read cooler and darker, so lean into that mood rather than fighting it, and plan your lighting accordingly.

High ceilings give you the most freedom, since the darkness has room to breathe. In smaller spaces it can be effective too, especially a powder room or snug, where a dark color makes the space feel intentional rather than cramped. Just commit fully. A dark color used timidly in a small room tends to look like a mistake.

What to Pair With Liquorice

For trim, Farrow & Ball recommends Au Lait, a soft warm white that keeps the contrast clean without going stark. It softens the cool edge of the grey and stops the pairing from feeling clinical. If you want more contrast, a brighter white will work, but expect it to push Liquorice cooler. For a quieter look, a deeper off-white or a muted stone keeps everything in the same low-key register.

Warm materials are your friends here. Oak, walnut, and aged brass all sit well against Liquorice and pull its softer side forward. Natural linen and undyed wool keep things grounded. For flooring, mid-to-warm wood tones balance the darkness, while a pale rug gives the eye somewhere to rest. For adjacent F&B colors, consider a soft muted green like Pigeon, a warm off-white like School House White on woodwork in another room, or a deep red such as Preference Red for a richer scheme.

Colors That Clash With Liquorice

Avoid pairing Liquorice with cold, bright primary blues and pure stark whites at the same time, which flatten the color and drain the warmth out of it. Glossy black accents fight it rather than complement it, since they read harder and shinier and make Liquorice look muddy by comparison. Steer clear of orange-heavy or yellow-heavy wood tones too, like raw pine or honey oak, which clash against the grey core and turn the wall slightly green. The common mistake is treating Liquorice like a true black. It is not, and pairing it as though it were is where schemes go wrong.