My paint is more expensive than your paint

I've never heard that rationale used before, but last week, when I stepped into Peacock Paint's showroom at the San Francisco Design Center, that's exactly what they were saying. At $125 for oil-based paint and $115 for water-based emulsion, the new line is probably the priciest paint available. And that price tag only gets you two-thirds of a gallon!

Developed through Fine Paints of Europe, it is supposedly superior in coverage to just about every other high-end paint brand out there, including Pratt and Lambert, Farrow and Ball, and Benjamin Moore's Aura. They claim it covers in one coat (plus primer for deeper tones) and there are no fillers or chalk; only organic pigments (4-8 per shade) are used. More expensive titanium dioxide, a pure white, comprises 100% of the base.

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The low VOC paint line was designed by Christopher Peacock, a well-known, high-end kitchen and cabinet designer best known for his white kitchens.

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I have to say, the colors were really pretty and rich. The painted walls in the showroom were very smooth and even, and I couldn't help running my hands along them. Now, how much of that was a perfectly-prepared surface, and how much was the leveling properties of the paint, I can't say. I also couldn't tell how much the lighting affected the colors displayed.
To describe the palette, Peacock says their colors are "reminiscent of classic English colors, each shade has been determined by its relationship to others in the collection and its potential application and use for interiors."(source)
For only $900, you too can have all 90 4oz sample pots of Peacock Paint, to test your hearts delight. As a frame of reference, other brands sell sample pots for about $4-$5 each. Yikes!

I'm going to have to do a little testing before I give an opinion on this paint. I've got to see for myself if all the hype is for real. Frankly, I'm a bit skeptical about paint being worth that kind of money. More likely, I think it has to do with name recognition and using a "celebrity" brand.

Have any of you used other Fine Paints of Europe paints?

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