Paint colors for your home, inside and out
17th-century British painting · art-to-room palette
This palette comes from a watercolor portrait on vellum and pairs deep brown shades with a pale warm cream, a soft tan, a mid sky blue and a dark violet-leaning blue. It suits a calm, traditional room such as a study, dining room or bedroom where warm wood and one cool accent can share the space.
Quick answer
Use the cream (#E4DACC, LRV 71) on the walls, the sky blue (#729CC9) as the main color on a feature wall or large upholstery, and the tan (#D39C66) for curtains or throws. Keep the browns for wood furniture and trim, and save the dark blue (#0B3D95) for small accents like pillows or a vase.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Dark Walnut Brown#3A291D |
|
3 | Small accents, art, accessories |
Warm Chestnut Brown#5F3B23 |
|
6 | Wood and frames |
Soft Parchment Cream#E4DACC |
|
71 | Main walls |
Sandy Tan#D39C66 |
|
39 | One small textile |
Soft Sky Blue#729CC9 |
|
32 | Bed, sofa, curtains |
Deep Violet Blue#0B3D95 |
|
6 | One bold piece |
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.
#CAC8C3The cream wall color (LRV 71) will read a little cooler and grayer in north light, so its yellow warmth softens. It still bounces enough light to keep a north-facing room from feeling heavy, especially next to dark wood.
#EADDC9In strong south light the cream looks brighter and more yellow, and it can feel glowing on a large wall. The high LRV of 71 means you may want to keep glossy or very pale trim away from it so the walls do not look washed out.
#C3AE92Under warm evening bulbs the cream turns richer and more golden, and the brown wood tones deepen to near black. The mid blue will look slightly grayer, so test it near your lamps before you commit.
Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.
Wood takes Warm Chestnut Brown and the rug border takes Sandy Tan 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.
The pale cream (#E4DACC, LRV 71) is the best wall choice. It reflects plenty of light and has a warm yellow undertone that sits well with wood and the tan textile color.
You can, but with LRV values of 3 and 6 they read very dark and absorb most light. They suit a small room with good lighting, or a single wall. In most homes they work better as wood furniture, shelving or door color.
Use it sparingly. At LRV 6 and a violet undertone, #0B3D95 makes a strong accent in pillows, a rug border, art or a single piece of furniture. The lighter sky blue (#729CC9, LRV 32) can carry more of the room as the main color.
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.
