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

Mother and Child by the Sea Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette is taken from Johan Christian Dahl's 1830 oil painting "Mother and Child by the Sea," held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is mostly deep browns with a warm cream and a sand tone, so it suits rooms that want warmth, depth and a calm, earthy feel.

Quick answer

Paint the walls the pale warm cream, #FFF5D7. Use the sand-camel #C2A38A on the largest furniture or a second wall, the mocha #7A6B61 on textiles, the walnut #593E2F on wood, and the deep red-brown #322723 for small accents like a door, frame or shelf.

Artist: Johan Christian Dahl
Date: 1830
Movement: 19th-century Scandinavian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 91

Mother and Child by the Sea by Johan Christian Dahl — Johan Christian Dahl, *Mother and Child by the Sea*, 1830. 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.

Smoky dark taupe

#47403D · 30.6% · LRV 5

Deep espresso red-brown

#322723 · 30.3% · LRV 2

Warm mocha gray

#7A6B61 · 26.8% · LRV 16

Soft camel sand

#C2A38A · 7.1% · LRV 40

Dark walnut brown

#593E2F · 4.2% · LRV 6

Pale warm cream

#FFF5D7 · 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.

Mother and Child by the Sea reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Smoky dark taupe is strongest — Smoky dark taupe

Detail of the painting where Deep espresso red-brown is strongest — Deep espresso red-brown

Detail of the painting where Warm mocha gray is strongest — Warm mocha gray

Detail of the painting where Soft camel sand is strongest — Soft camel sand

Detail of the painting where Dark walnut brown is strongest — Dark walnut brown

Detail of the painting where Pale warm cream is strongest — Pale warm 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
Smoky dark taupe `#47403D`	Behr UL140-1 French Roast Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7675 Sealskin Very close Farrow & Ball No. 255 Tanner's Brown Close Valspar 1011-10 Brown Velvet Close	5	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep espresso red-brown `#322723`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Close Behr 780B-7 Bison Brown Close Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 1011-8 Antique Burgundy Similar	2	One bold piece
Warm mocha gray `#7A6B61`	Behr PPU5-03 Antique Earth Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6075 Garret Gray Very close Farrow & Ball No. 244 London Clay Very close Valspar 3009-10 Treetrunk Close	16	One small textile
Soft camel sand `#C2A38A`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6094 Sensational Sand Very close Behr UL130-8 Riviera Clay Very close Valspar 2008-8A Friendly Tan Very close Farrow & Ball No. 28 Dead Salmon Close	40	Bed, sofa, curtains
Dark walnut brown `#593E2F`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6090 Java Close Behr 770B-7 Chocolate Sparkle Close Valspar 2009-10 Roasted Coffee Similar Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Similar	6	Wood and frames
Pale warm cream `#FFF5D7`	Behr 310A-1 Ivory Invitation Near-identical Valspar 3001-2C Champagne Tickle Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7561 Lemon Meringue Very close Farrow & Ball No. 2012 House White Close	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 warm 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#DCD9CA

North light is cool and dim, so a warm cream wall can look grayer here. Its high reflectance of 91 still keeps the room bright enough.

South-facing room#FFF2D2

Strong south light brings out the warm yellow undertone and can make the cream look pale and slightly washed out. The deep browns hold their depth well in this light.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#D2BD98

Warm evening bulbs deepen the cream and bring out its yellow undertone, so the room feels soft and golden. The camel and walnut tones look richer under this light.

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 Dark walnut brown and the rug border takes Warm mocha gray in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale warm cream

Soft camel sand

Deep espresso red-brown

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Mother and Child by the Sea

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

Craftsman Exterior Color Scheme: 4 Complete Palettes for Walls, Trim and Door House exterior · Craftsman

More palettes like this

Copenhagen Harbor by Moonlight Johan Christian Dahl, 1846

Maria Sheldon Scammon Anders Zorn, 1895

The Net Mender (Garnbinderen) Christian Krohg, 1879

FAQ

Which color should I use for the walls?

Use the pale warm cream, #FFF5D7. Its light reflectance of 91 bounces light around the room, which balances the deep browns in the rest of the scheme.

Can I use these dark colors in a small room?

Use them in small amounts. Keep the deepest tones, #47403D and #322723, to accents such as a door, trim or a single piece of furniture, so the room does not feel closed in.

What should I pair with the sand-camel color?

Pair the sand-camel #C2A38A with the cream walls and the walnut #593E2F wood. Add a mocha #7A6B61 textile to link the warm tones together.

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.