19th-century French painting · art-to-room palette

Sleep Color Palette & Paint Colors

Sleep gives a hushed palette: a near-black charcoal, two olive-khaki mid-darks, a dusty blue-gray and a pale cream with a faint glow. It suits a bedroom or reading room where the mood should be quiet and a little shadowed.

Quick answer

Paint the walls in the pale warm cream, bring in the dusty blue-gray on the main furniture or curtains, and keep the khaki tones for wood and accents. Use the charcoal only in small doses, such as a frame or a lamp base.

Artist: Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Date: ca. 1867–70
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 86

Sleep by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes — Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, *Sleep*, ca. 1867–70. 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 Charcoal

#3A403F · 35.1% · LRV 5

Olive Khaki

#706C5B · 24.9% · LRV 15

Soft Drab

#7B7763 · 19.5% · LRV 18

Dusty Blue-Gray

#7B8B96 · 13.3% · LRV 25

Pale Stone

#CAC8B5 · 6.3% · LRV 57

Candle Cream

#FFEDC0 · 0.9% · LRV 86

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.

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

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

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

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

Detail of the painting where Dusty Blue-Gray is strongest — Dusty Blue-Gray

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

Detail of the painting where Candle Cream is strongest — Candle Cream

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 Charcoal `#3A403F`	Behr 790F-7 Dark Cavern Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6994 Greenblack Close Valspar 5011-1 Nocturnal Green Close Farrow & Ball No. 57 Off-Black Close	5	Small accents, art, accessories
Olive Khaki `#706C5B`	Sherwin-Williams SW 2851 Sage Green Light Very close Valspar 6006-4C City Arboretum Very close Behr BXC-05 Mudslide Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	15	One bold piece
Soft Drab `#7B7763`	Behr N210-5 Caffeine Very close Valspar 5008-2B Ironclad Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7740 Messenger Bag Close Farrow & Ball No. 47 Green Smoke Similar	18	Wood and frames
Dusty Blue-Gray `#7B8B96`	Behr MQ5-20 Cold Steel Near-identical Valspar 4008-4B Cornflower Blue Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6242 Bracing Blue Very close Farrow & Ball No. 86 Stone Blue Similar	25	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Stone `#CAC8B5`	Behr PPU10-10 Ocean Foam Near-identical Valspar 6005-3B Brown Buzz Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6176 Liveable Green Very close Farrow & Ball No. 285 Cromarty Very close	57	One small textile
Candle Cream `#FFEDC0`	Behr P260-2 Yogurt Near-identical Valspar 3004-2C Coconut Cream Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6686 Lemon Chiffon Very close Farrow & Ball No. 67 Farrow's Cream Close	86	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 candle cream 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#DCD4BB

The cream on the wall (LRV 86) stays bright and keeps its warmth, so north light will not turn it gray. The blue-gray (LRV 25) reads a little cooler there.

South-facing room#FFEBC0

Strong south light makes the cream glow and the khaki tones look more yellow. The blue-gray stays calm and balances the warmth.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#D2B98B

Under warm bulbs the cream turns slightly golden and the olive tones deepen. The blue-gray loses some of its cool edge but still contrasts well.

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 Soft Drab and the rug border takes Pale Stone in every combination.

Mood board

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

Candle Cream

Dusty Blue-Gray

Olive Khaki

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

Beach Paint Colors for Living Room Coastal style

More palettes like this

Ballet Dancers Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1885–86

Retreat from the Storm Jean-François Millet, ca. 1846

Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather Claude Monet, 1900

FAQ

Can I use the dark charcoal on a wall?

You can, but it has an LRV of only 5, so the room will feel smaller and darker. Try it on one wall behind the bed, or keep it for a door or built-in shelves.

Which color works for the ceiling?

The cream at LRV 86 is the safest choice. It bounces light and keeps the ceiling soft instead of stark.

How do I use the two khaki tones together?

Let the lighter one (LRV 18) cover wood or a rug and the deeper one (LRV 15) appear on cushions or a throw. Their undertones match, so they look related without being identical.

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.