18th-century Flemish painting · art-to-room palette

Cloud Study (Early Evening) Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette is built from soft grays, sand, and pale blue-gray, with a warm cream at the light end and a deep olive brown at the dark end. It suits calm rooms that get mixed daylight, such as a living room, bedroom, or study.

Quick answer

Use the pale blue-gray on the main walls and the warm cream on the wall that needs the most light. Keep the warm gray for accents, the peach linen for textiles, and the deep olive brown for wood pieces.

Artist: Simon Denis
Date: ca. 1786–1806
Movement: 18th-century Flemish painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 79

Cloud Study (Early Evening) by Simon Denis — Simon Denis, *Cloud Study (Early Evening)*, ca. 1786–1806. 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.

Soft Warm Gray

#9B968E · 43.8% · LRV 31

Light Sand Beige

#D1C3AD · 25.7% · LRV 56

Cool Pale Blue-Gray

#B6C5C5 · 25.4% · LRV 54

Pale Warm Cream

#FCE2BE · 2.7% · LRV 79

Blush Peach Linen

#EAC5A8 · 1.3% · LRV 60

Deep Olive Brown

#655D44 · 1.1% · LRV 11

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.

Cloud Study (Early Evening) reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Soft Warm Gray is strongest — Soft Warm Gray

Detail of the painting where Light Sand Beige is strongest — Light Sand Beige

Detail of the painting where Cool Pale Blue-Gray is strongest — Cool Pale Blue-Gray

Detail of the painting where Pale Warm Cream is strongest — Pale Warm Cream

Detail of the painting where Blush Peach Linen is strongest — Blush Peach Linen

Detail of the painting where Deep Olive Brown is strongest — Deep Olive Brown

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
Soft Warm Gray `#9B968E`	Behr MQ2-60 Iron Gate Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 9170 Acier Near-identical Valspar 6005-2A Coastal Villa Very close Farrow & Ball No. 243 Charleston Gray Close	31	One bold piece
Light Sand Beige `#D1C3AD`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7529 Sand Beach Near-identical Farrow & Ball No. 211 Stony Ground Near-identical Behr 290E-3 Classic Taupe Very close Valspar 3003-10B Hopsack Very close	56	Small accents, art, accessories
Cool Pale Blue-Gray `#B6C5C5`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9137 Niebla Azul Very close Behr 770E-3 Pewter Mug Very close Valspar 5002-3B Sparkling Lake Close Farrow & Ball No. 27 Parma Gray Close	54	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Warm Cream `#FCE2BE`	Valspar 2006-2C Sisal Near-identical Behr P240-1 Cheese Powder Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7686 Hinoki Very close Farrow & Ball No. 67 Farrow's Cream Close	79	Main walls
Blush Peach Linen `#EAC5A8`	Valspar 2006-6B Southern Peach Near-identical Behr HDC-CT-04 Chic Peach Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6351 Sweet Orange Very close Farrow & Ball No. 231 Setting Plaster Close	60	One small textile
Deep Olive Brown `#655D44`	Behr HDC-FL13-9 Squirrels Nest Very close Valspar 6010-4 Amazon Silt Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7735 Palm Leaf Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	11	Wood and frames

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#DACCBA

North light is cooler and softer, so the cream wall can look a little grayer than it does in the afternoon. Pair it with warm wood or linen to keep it from feeling flat.

South-facing room#FDE3BE

Strong south light makes the cream wall bright and warm, and it can wash out the pale blue-gray. Use the blue-gray in rooms with less direct sun, or balance it with the deeper warm gray nearby.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#D0B38A

Under warm evening bulbs, the cream and peach shift toward gold and feel cozy. The blue-gray becomes softer and grayer, so check it under your own lamps before painting a full wall.

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 Olive Brown and the rug border takes Blush Peach Linen in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Warm Cream

Cool Pale Blue-Gray

Soft Warm Gray

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Cloud Study (Early Evening)

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

Cool Kitchen Color Schemes Cool · Kitchen

East Facing Bedroom Colors That Work in Morning and Afternoon Light East-facing · Bedroom

Greige Color Palette and the Colors That Go With It Greige

More palettes like this

Mountainous Landscape at Tivoli Simon Denis, ca. 1786–97

The Triumph of Bacchus Piat Joseph Sauvage, early 1780s

Putti Harvesting Wheat Piat Joseph Sauvage

FAQ

Which color should I use on the ceiling?

The pale warm cream is the lightest color in this palette, with an LRV of 79, so it works well as a lighter ceiling tone. It will reflect more light than the walls, which can help a small room feel more open.

Can I use the deep olive brown on walls?

This color has an LRV of 11, which is very dark. It is best used on wood, such as a door, trim, or a piece of furniture, rather than covering a full room. A large dark wall can make a small space feel closed in.

Are the paint matches exact?

The paint matches listed on each color are the closest commercial paints measured from the source image. Screens and photos change color, so test a sample on your wall and look at it in morning and evening light before you buy a full can.

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.