18th-century French painting · art-to-room palette

The Interrupted Sleep Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from The Interrupted Sleep by François Boucher, with their share of the canvas, light reflectance, a room scheme and how the wall color shifts in north, south and evening light.

Quick answer

Put Light Linen on most walls, use Soft Teal for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Green to one bold piece. A warm mid-brown suits floors, wood and frames, and Deep Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: François Boucher
Date: 1750
Movement: 18th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 55

The Interrupted Sleep by François Boucher — François Boucher, *The Interrupted Sleep*, 1750. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, open access. The bar shows each color's measured share of the canvas.

The 6 colors in this painting

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.

Deep Green

#44472E · 33.5% · LRV 6

Soft Green

#65694E · 28.1% · LRV 13

Ink Umber

#262010 · 18.3% · LRV 2

Soft Teal

#8EAAA7 · 9.8% · LRV 37

Light Linen

#D0C3A5 · 7.9% · LRV 55

Deep Red

#905E4B · 2.4% · LRV 14

Where each color lives in the painting

Left, every pixel of the canvas snapped to its nearest palette color. Right, the detail where each color is strongest.

The Interrupted Sleep reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Deep Green is strongest — Deep Green

Detail of the painting where Soft Green is strongest — Soft Green

Detail of the painting where Ink Umber is strongest — Ink Umber

Detail of the painting where Soft Teal is strongest — Soft Teal

Detail of the painting where Light Linen is strongest — Light Linen

Detail of the painting where Deep Red is strongest — Deep Red

Closest paint colors

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 Green `#44472E`	Behr S-H-730 Eagle Rock Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6181 Secret Garden Close Valspar 6011-5 Aged Pine Similar	6	One bold piece
Soft Green `#65694E`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6180 Oakmoss Near-identical Behr 730D-6 Coconut Husk Very close Valspar 6001-4C Tarragon Very close Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Close	13	Small accents, art, accessories
Ink Umber `#262010`	Behr S-H-710 Dried Leaf Similar	2	Small accents, art, accessories
Soft Teal `#8EAAA7`	Behr HDC-CL-25 Oceanus Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6479 Drizzle Very close Farrow & Ball No. 82 Dix Blue Close Valspar 5003-4A Green Water Close	37	Bed, sofa, curtains
Light Linen `#D0C3A5`	Valspar 3007-10B Country Charm Very close Behr PPU9-12 Prairie House Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6156 Ramie Very close Farrow & Ball No. 15 Bone Close	55	Main walls
Deep Red `#905E4B`	Behr PPU3-18 Artisan Very close Valspar 2002-7A Rusted Earth Close Sherwin-Williams SW 2803 Rookwood Terra Cotta Close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Similar	14	One small textile

Paint names belong to their brands. Matches are measured from screen colors and are approximate; Light & Pigment is not affiliated with any paint brand.

How light linen looks in your light

The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.

North-facing room#BEB9A9

Cool, even daylight pulls colors toward grey. Warm wall tones keep a north-facing room from feeling cold.

South-facing room#DACBAB

Strong warm sun pushes light colors toward cream by midday. If it reads too yellow, step down to a cooler version.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#B7A07B

Under warm 2700K bulbs colors turn honey-toned and dark colors read almost black. Matte finishes keep the look soft.

Try the palette in a room

Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.

Walls

Bed, sofa, island

Bold piece

Wood takes a warm mid-brown and the rug border takes Deep Red in every combination.

Mood board

Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.

Light Linen

Soft Teal

Deep Green

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Save this palette

A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.

Save to Pinterest Download card

Guides that use colors from this painting

Blue and Green Bedroom Walls Blue · Bedroom

More palettes like this

The Two Sisters Jean Honoré Fragonard, ca. 1769–70

The Mass of Saint Basil Pierre Hubert Subleyras, 1746

The Silver Tureen Jean Siméon Chardin, ca. 1728–30

FAQ

What colors are in The Interrupted Sleep?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Deep Green (#44472E, 33.5% of the canvas), Soft Green (#65694E, 28.1% of the canvas), Ink Umber (#262010, 18.3% of the canvas), Soft Teal (#8EAAA7, 9.8% of the canvas), Light Linen (#D0C3A5, 7.9% of the canvas), Deep Red (#905E4B, 2.4% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Use it with care. The lightest wall color in this painting has an LRV of about 55, so in a small room pair it with plenty of daylight or a lighter white on the ceiling.

Can I use this image on my own mood board?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art releases this image as public domain (cc0), so it can be reused freely.

Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 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.