Paint colors for your home, inside and out
19th-century French painting · art-to-room palette
This palette comes from Albert Besnard's oil on cardboard "Woman's Head," c. 1890, at The Art Institute of Chicago. It is a warm range of cream, honey, apricot and brown that suits living rooms, bedrooms and dining rooms where you want a cozy, sunlit feel.
Quick answer
Paint the walls the pale cream (#EDDDB4) and use the deep brown (#836245) on one accent wall, a door or built-ins. Bring in the mid-tone tan as wood, the apricot as textiles, and the honey yellow for a main piece like an armchair.
Measured from the image and ordered by how much of the canvas they cover. LRV is how much light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for white.
Left, every pixel of the canvas snapped to its nearest palette color. Right, the detail where each color is strongest.
The nearest color from each brand. “Near-identical” and “Very close” are hard to tell apart on a wall; with “Similar”, compare a sample with the painting. Brands with nothing close are left out.
| Painting color | Closest paints | LRV | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
Deep Umber Brown#836245 |
|
14 | One bold piece |
Warm Walnut Tan#AC7C53 |
|
24 | Wood and frames |
Pale Buttery Cream#EDDDB4 |
|
73 | Main walls |
Toasted Caramel Tan#C78C5B |
|
32 | Small accents, art, accessories |
Light Apricot Orange#F0AD6C |
|
50 | One small textile |
Honey Straw Yellow#E4BD6E |
|
54 | Bed, sofa, curtains |
Paint names belong to their brands. Matches are measured from screen colors and are approximate; Light & Pigment is not affiliated with any paint brand.
The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.
#D0C9B3The cream (#EDDDB4, LRV 73) bounces plenty of light, and its yellow undertone keeps a north-facing room from turning gray and cold. Expect it to look a little softer and quieter than it does in a sunnier room.
#F1DFB6In strong south light the cream will glow and may read more yellow, especially near a sunny window. At LRV 73 it stays bright without needing extra lamps, so it works well on large walls here.
#C8B085Warm evening bulbs push the cream toward gold and make the whole room feel more enclosed and cozy. If you want it to stay closer to cream, choose bulbs on the softer, less orange end of warm.
Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.
Wood takes Warm Walnut Tan and the rug border takes Light Apricot Orange in every combination.
Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.
A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
You can, but at LRV 14 it reads very dark and absorbs light. It works best in a room with good daylight, or on one wall, a door or shelving, with the cream (#EDDDB4) on the other walls.
Choose wood in a warm mid-tone like the tan (#AC7C53, LRV 24). It sits between the cream walls and the deep brown accent, so floors, tables and frames feel connected to the paint.
Keep them small, as they are in the painting, where apricot covers 4.6% and honey yellow 2%. Pillows, a throw, a lampshade or one upholstered chair bring in the glow against the cream walls.
Image: The Art Institute of Chicago, Public domain (CC0). Palette, posterized image, details and room views generated by Light & Pigment from that image. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
