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

Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette is taken from Martin Johnson Heade's painting Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth, a dark, earthy set of olives and browns with one pale cream. It suits rooms that want warmth and depth, such as a dining room, study or library.

Quick answer

Use the pale cream #CBC7A3 on most of the walls. Use the deep olive and near-black greens for one accent wall, cabinetry or a door, and the brown for wood tones like floors or furniture.

Artist: Martin Johnson Heade
Date: 1885–95
Movement: 19th-century painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 56

Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth by Martin Johnson Heade — Martin Johnson Heade, *Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth*, 1885–95. 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.

Near-black forest green

#19221F · 38.5% · LRV 1

Dark olive green

#3D421D · 22% · LRV 5

Deep ochre brown

#69562F · 18% · LRV 10

Pale straw cream

#CBC7A3 · 12.8% · LRV 56

Moss olive green

#627113 · 4.6% · LRV 15

Dusty olive gold

#ABAC62 · 4.1% · LRV 39

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.

Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Near-black forest green is strongest — Near-black forest green

Detail of the painting where Dark olive green is strongest — Dark olive green

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

Detail of the painting where Pale straw cream is strongest — Pale straw cream

Detail of the painting where Moss olive green is strongest — Moss olive green

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

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
Near-black forest green `#19221F`	Behr 770F-7 Beluga Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 2809 Rookwood Shutter Green Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Dark olive green `#3D421D`	Behr 750D-7 Hampton Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6181 Secret Garden Similar	5	One bold piece
Deep ochre brown `#69562F`	Behr 300F-7 Centaur Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9125 Oliva Oscuro Close Valspar 6008-2C Prairie Foliage Similar Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	10	Wood and frames
Pale straw cream `#CBC7A3`	Valspar 6006-5B Parlour Sage Near-identical Behr 740C-3 Oat Straw Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6422 Shagreen Very close Farrow & Ball No. 32 Cooking Apple Green Close	56	Main walls
Moss olive green `#627113`	Behr M340-7 Classic Avocado Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6720 Paradise Close	15	One small textile
Dusty olive gold `#ABAC62`	Valspar 6005-6A Jalapeno Jelly Close Behr M330-5 Fresh Brew Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6711 Parakeet Close Farrow & Ball No. 251 Churlish Green Similar	39	Bed, sofa, curtains

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 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#BABCA8

North light is cool and soft, so the cream wall will look a little greyer and more muted. It still reads as a calm, light backdrop, and the dark greens will look richer against it.

South-facing room#D6CEA9

Strong south light warms the cream and brings out its yellow undertone, so it can look closer to straw. The darker shades will look deep and saturated, and the wall will feel bright without looking stark.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#B5A37B

Under warm evening bulbs the cream turns softer and more golden. The olive and brown tones deepen, so the room feels cozy and enclosed.

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 ochre brown and the rug border takes Moss olive green in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale straw cream

Dusty olive gold

Dark olive green

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth

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

Dark Bedroom Colors: Brown, Near-Black and Green Shades Dark · Bedroom

More palettes like this

Icebound John Henry Twachtman, c. 1889

Seventeenth-Century Interior Charles Gifford Dyer, 1877

Dorothea and Francesca Cecilia Beaux, 1898

FAQ

Can I use the darkest shade in a small room?

Use #19221F only as an accent, such as one wall, a built-in or a front door. Its reflectance is very low, so covering a whole small room with it will make the space feel closed in. Keep the cream on the other walls to bounce light back into the room.

Which of these colors should go on the walls?

The pale cream #CBC7A3 is the wall color, with a reflectance of 56. It is the only light shade in the set, so it does the work of lifting the room. The greens and browns sit better on furniture, trim or a single feature wall.

How do I pair the brown with the greens?

The deep ochre brown #69562F works as a wood tone. It sits well beside the olive greens and the cream because they share warm undertones. Keep the wood tone in floors, frames or furniture so it reads as a neutral base.

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.