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

At the Milliner's Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Edgar Degas's pastel At the Milliner's from 1881, held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It runs from deep browns and ochres to a pale, green-tinged cream, so it suits rooms that want warmth with a calm, lighter wall.

Quick answer

Use the pale cream #DEDECF on the walls, the deep brown #68512F for wood trim and furniture, and the olive gold #A38F37 as the main color on a chair, cabinet or large accent area. Use the ochre #8F6D29 for smaller accents and the rust #8A491A for textiles such as cushions or a rug.

Artist: Edgar Degas
Date: 1881
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 72

At the Milliner's by Edgar Degas — Edgar Degas, *At the Milliner's*, 1881. 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 warm brown

#68512F · 30.3% · LRV 9

very dark brown

#4B3A1D · 26.9% · LRV 5

pale green-tinged cream

#DEDECF · 20.6% · LRV 72

mid olive gold

#A38F37 · 10.4% · LRV 28

deep ochre brown

#8F6D29 · 10.4% · LRV 17

deep rust orange

#8A491A · 1.4% · LRV 10

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.

At the Milliner's reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where deep warm brown is strongest — deep warm brown

Detail of the painting where very dark brown is strongest — very dark brown

Detail of the painting where pale green-tinged cream is strongest — pale green-tinged cream

Detail of the painting where mid olive gold is strongest — mid olive gold

Detail of the painting where deep ochre brown is strongest — deep ochre brown

Detail of the painting where deep rust orange is strongest — deep rust orange

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 warm brown `#68512F`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9125 Oliva Oscuro Close Behr 290F-7 Wooden Cabin Close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Similar Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	9	Wood and frames
very dark brown `#4B3A1D`	Behr S-H-700 Burley Wood Close Sherwin-Williams SW 7041 Van Dyke Brown Similar	5	Small accents, art, accessories
pale green-tinged cream `#DEDECF`	Behr 730C-2 Sandstone Cove Near-identical Valspar 6006-3A White Scallion Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6175 Sagey Very close Farrow & Ball No. 204 Pale Powder Very close	72	Main walls
mid olive gold `#A38F37`	Behr HDC-MD-20 Banana Leaf Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6706 Offbeat Green Close Valspar 6007-6C Crushed Oregano Similar	28	Bed, sofa, curtains
deep ochre brown `#8F6D29`	Behr S300-7 Rococo Gold Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6398 Sconce Gold Close Valspar 3005-9A Magic Lamp Similar	17	One bold piece
deep rust orange `#8A491A`	Behr 240D-7 Chestnut Stallion Close Sherwin-Williams SW 9100 Umber Rust Similar Valspar 2009-6 Autumn Russet Similar	10	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 pale green-tinged 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#C7CAC5

North light is cool and even, so the pale cream wall will look softer and may lean a little greener. Pair it with the warm browns on wood to keep the room from feeling flat.

South-facing room#E5E0CB

Strong south light makes the cream wall reflect a lot of brightness, so it can feel airy and clear. The green undertone will show less here, and the warm browns and rust will look richer.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C0B094

Warm evening bulbs push the cream toward yellow and make the olive gold and ochre glow. The deep browns will look darker and cozier, which suits a room used mostly at night.

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 deep warm brown and the rug border takes deep rust orange in every combination.

Mood board

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

pale green-tinged cream

mid olive gold

deep ochre brown

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

Cream Color Paint for Bedroom Off-white · Bedroom

Farmhouse Bedroom Colors Farmhouse style

Dark Green Bathroom Paint: Forest Shades from Museum Paintings Dark green · Bathroom

More palettes like this

Halt of Caravans at the Wells of Saba (Beersheba) in the Desert South of Hebron Charles de Coubertin, 1850

Yellow Dancers (In the Wings) Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas, 1874–76

Beggar with a Duffle Coat (Philosopher) Édouard Manet, 1865–67

FAQ

Which color should go on the walls?

Use the pale green-tinged cream #DEDECF on the walls. Its light reflectance value is 72, so it bounces light and keeps the room from feeling heavy against the darker colors.

Can I use the dark browns in a small room?

Use them in limited areas, such as trim, a door, or a single piece of furniture. The very dark brown #4B3A1D has a light reflectance value of 5, so large areas can make a small room feel closed in.

How much of each color should I use?

Follow the painting's balance: the pale cream is the largest share, followed by the deep browns, with the olive gold and ochre as smaller accents. The rust #8A491A works best in small amounts, such as textiles, because it covers only a small part of the painting.

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.