17th-century Flemish painting · art-to-room palette

The Smokers Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from The Smokers, an oil painting on wood by Adriaen Brouwer, ca. 1636. More than half of it is a near-black, followed by warm browns and one very light cream. It suits a den, a library or a dining room with lots of wood.

Quick answer

Put the cream #FFF7C7 on the walls and the tan #CFA972 on a sofa or curtains. Use #937047 for wood, #594932 for an accent and #756040 for a textile.

Artist: Adriaen Brouwer
Date: ca. 1636
Movement: 17th-century Flemish painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 92

The Smokers by Adriaen Brouwer — Adriaen Brouwer, *The Smokers*, ca. 1636. 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.

Smoke Black

#1D1915 · 54.8% · LRV 1

Dark Umber

#594932 · 23.3% · LRV 7

Olive Bronze

#756040 · 12.3% · LRV 13

Honey Brown

#937047 · 6.3% · LRV 18

Soft Tan

#CFA972 · 2.2% · LRV 43

Pale Butter

#FFF7C7 · 1.1% · LRV 92

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

Detail of the painting where Smoke Black is strongest — Smoke Black

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

Detail of the painting where Olive Bronze is strongest — Olive Bronze

Detail of the painting where Honey Brown is strongest — Honey Brown

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

Detail of the painting where Pale Butter is strongest — Pale Butter

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
Smoke Black `#1D1915`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Dark Umber `#594932`	Behr S-H-700 Burley Wood Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7034 Status Bronze Close Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Similar	7	One bold piece
Olive Bronze `#756040`	Behr PPU7-02 Tree Swing Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6139 Mossy Gold Close Valspar 3006-9A Grecian Helmet Similar Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	13	One small textile
Honey Brown `#937047`	Sherwin-Williams SW 2824 Renwick Golden Oak Very close Behr PPU4-17 Olympic Bronze Very close Valspar 3005-9A Magic Lamp Close	18	Wood and frames
Soft Tan `#CFA972`	Behr MQ2-17 Glittering Sun Near-identical Valspar 3005-7C Lewis Gold Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6388 Golden Fleece Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Close	43	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Butter `#FFF7C7`	Behr 370A-1 Moon Mist Very close Valspar 3007-2C Summer Morning Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 1668 Pineapple Cream Close Farrow & Ball No. 71 Pale Hound Similar	92	Main walls

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 pale butter 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#DCDABF

In cool north light, the cream #FFF7C7 stays warm and clean. Its LRV of 92 makes it the brightest color in the palette.

South-facing room#FFF3C5

Strong south light can make #FFF7C7 look almost white. Pair it with the tan #CFA972 (LRV 43) so the room does not feel flat.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#D2BF90

Under warm evening bulbs the brown tones deepen and the cream turns golden. The dark #1D1915 fades into the background.

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 Honey Brown and the rug border takes Olive Bronze in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Butter

Soft Tan

Dark Umber

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

More palettes like this

Two Tritons at the Feast of Acheloüs Anthony van Dyck

Rubens, Helena Fourment (1614–1673), and Their Son Frans (1633–1678) Peter Paul Rubens, ca. 1635

Robert Rich (1587–1658), Second Earl of Warwick Anthony van Dyck, ca. 1632–35

FAQ

Is this palette suitable for a small room?

It is very dark, with the first two colors covering about 78 percent of the canvas. In a small room, keep the dark colors to furniture and use the cream on walls.

What wood goes with this palette?

A mid-tone wood near #937047 (LRV 18) fits, since it comes from the painting.

How bright is the lightest color?

The cream #FFF7C7 has an LRV of 92, so it reflects a lot of light. It is a good wall color for dark furniture.

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.