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

On the Road Color Palette & Paint Colors

On the Road by Jules Dupré is a palette of dark browns, soft olive green and straw yellow. It suits a warm, low-contrast room such as a study or a bedroom.

Quick answer

Put the light straw #CFC9A0 on the walls and the sage #A2A88A on the main furniture. Use #453112 for wood and #87641D as an accent, with #B18829 for textiles.

Artist: Jules Dupré
Date: 1856
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 58

On the Road by Jules Dupré — Jules Dupré, *On the Road*, 1856. The Art Institute of Chicago, 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 Roadside Brown

#453112 · 50.2% · LRV 4

Sage Olive Green

#A2A88A · 29.9% · LRV 38

Pale Straw

#CFC9A0 · 8.7% · LRV 58

Dark Honey Brown

#87641D · 7.9% · LRV 14

Soft Wheat Gold

#D1B155 · 1.7% · LRV 46

Aged Brass

#B18829 · 1.6% · LRV 27

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.

On the Road reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

Detail of the painting where Sage Olive Green is strongest — Sage Olive Green

Detail of the painting where Pale Straw is strongest — Pale Straw

Detail of the painting where Dark Honey Brown is strongest — Dark Honey Brown

Detail of the painting where Soft Wheat Gold is strongest — Soft Wheat Gold

Detail of the painting where Aged Brass is strongest — Aged Brass

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 Roadside Brown `#453112`	Behr 280F-7 Breakfast Blend Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Similar	4	Wood and frames
Sage Olive Green `#A2A88A`	Behr PPU11-07 Clary Sage Near-identical Valspar 5008-4A Jungle Chameleon Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 13 Majolica Green Close Farrow & Ball No. 19 Lichen Close	38	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Straw `#CFC9A0`	Behr MQ4-41 Anjou Pear Near-identical Valspar 6006-5B Parlour Sage Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6422 Shagreen Very close Farrow & Ball No. 32 Cooking Apple Green Close	58	Main walls
Dark Honey Brown `#87641D`	Behr 310F-7 Carmel Woods Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6132 Relic Bronze Similar Valspar 3011-5 Autumn Surprise Similar	14	One bold piece
Soft Wheat Gold `#D1B155`	Behr 350D-5 French Pale Gold Very close Valspar 3008-5B Dylan Velvet Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6697 Nugget Close Farrow & Ball No. 51 Sudbury Yellow Close	46	Small accents, art, accessories
Aged Brass `#B18829`	Behr S-H-350 Burmese Gold Very close Valspar 3007-5A Corduroy Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6397 Nankeen Close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	27	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 straw 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#BDBDA7

In north light the straw #CFC9A0, at LRV 58, can look a little gray-green. Test it next to the sage to see how much warmth you want.

South-facing room#DACFA7

In strong south light the straw wall reads as a clean warm cream, and the sage furniture looks lighter and fresher.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#B7A579

Under warm evening bulbs the yellow undertones grow stronger, and the very dark brown #453112 turns almost black.

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 Roadside Brown and the rug border takes Aged Brass in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Straw

Sage Olive Green

Dark Honey 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

Exterior Cottage Color Schemes: Four Palettes for Walls, Trim and Door House exterior · Cottage

More palettes like this

On a Balcony Mary Cassatt, 1878–79

At the Milliner's Edgar Degas, 1881

No te aha oe riri (Why Are You Angry?) Paul Gauguin, 1896

FAQ

Is the straw color too yellow for walls?

Its undertone is warm yellow and its LRV is 58, so it reads soft rather than bright. Sample it on two walls before you commit.

What can I do with the very dark brown?

It has an LRV of 4. Use it for wood, a door or a bookcase interior instead of a whole room.

Which colors from this palette work together on trim?

The lightest color here is #CFC9A0, so trim in the same color gives a soft look. For crisper edges, a lighter off-white will stand out more.

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.