Paint colors for your home, inside and out
19th-century French painting · art-to-room palette
This palette comes from Degas's double portrait of Henri Degas and his niece Lucie, painted in 1875-76 and held at the Art Institute of Chicago. It pairs near-black and chocolate brown with warm tan and soft butter yellows, and it suits a study, dining room or living room that you want to feel snug and grounded.
Quick answer
Use the pale yellow (#EDDF97) on the walls, the mid-tone tan (#B59668) for the main furniture or large soft surfaces, and the deep brown (#82552D) for wood. Keep the darkest brown (#442B1A) for an accent such as a door or built-ins, the golden yellow (#EBCE76) for textiles, and the near-black (#1B1A14) for small touches like frames or lamp bases.
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.
Left, every pixel of the canvas snapped to its nearest palette color. Right, the detail where each color is strongest.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Warm Soot Black#1B1A14 |
|
1 | Small accents, art, accessories |
Dark Walnut Brown#442B1A |
|
3 | One bold piece |
Soft Camel Tan#B59668 |
|
33 | Bed, sofa, curtains |
Saddle Wood Brown#82552D |
|
11 | Wood and frames |
Pale Butter Yellow#EDDF97 |
|
73 | Main walls |
Golden Straw Yellow#EBCE76 |
|
63 | 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.
The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.
#D0CAA1The pale yellow wall (#EDDF97, LRV 73) reflects plenty of light, so it keeps a north-facing room from feeling gloomy. Cool daylight may mute the yellow and make it look a little greener and flatter, so test a large sample before you commit.
#F1E1A0In strong south light, this yellow will glow and read warmer and brighter. With an LRV of 73 it bounces a lot of light, so it works best in a room where you don't mind a sunny feel, and it may look more saturated than the swatch.
#C8B174Under warm evening bulbs, the pale yellow turns creamier and softer, and the tan and brown pieces deepen alongside it. The room will feel cozy, but the yellow may lean toward gold, so choose bulbs with a soft white tone if you want it to stay light.
Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.
Wood takes Saddle Wood Brown and the rug border takes Golden Straw Yellow in every combination.
Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.
A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
You can, but with an LRV of 1 it absorbs nearly all light and will make a room feel much smaller. It is safer in small doses, such as a front door, a fireplace surround or picture frames. If you want a dark wall, the brown (#442B1A, LRV 3) is the same idea with a warmer feel.
Let the pale yellow (#EDDF97, LRV 73) carry the walls and ceiling area so the room stays bright. Then add the darks in measured amounts through wood, built-ins and trim. In the painting the two darkest colors take up about 60 percent of the canvas, but a room needs far more light than that.
The warm tan (#B59668, LRV 33) is the best fit. It sits in the middle of the range, so it stands out against both the pale wall and the dark wood. The golden yellow (#EBCE76) then works well for pillows, throws or curtains.
Image: The Art Institute of Chicago, 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.
