20th-century German painting · art-to-room palette

Painting with Green Center Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Vasily Kandinsky's 1913 oil painting "Painting with Green Center," held at the Art Institute of Chicago. It pairs soft sage and ochre with deep olive, brick red, burnt orange and navy, so it suits rooms that want warmth with some depth.

Quick answer

Use the pale sage #BFC2AE on the walls and the soft ochre #C5B37A as the main companion color on larger surfaces. Bring in the brick red #813128 through textiles, and use the burnt orange #AE6A2A as a small accent.

Artist: Vasily Kandinsky
Date: 1913
Movement: 20th-century German painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 53

Painting with Green Center by Vasily Kandinsky — Vasily Kandinsky, *Painting with Green Center*, 1913. 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.

pale sage gray

#BFC2AE · 28% · LRV 53

soft ochre yellow

#C5B37A · 23.6% · LRV 46

deep olive green

#646754 · 23.2% · LRV 13

deep brick red

#813128 · 10.9% · LRV 7

burnt orange amber

#AE6A2A · 10.2% · LRV 20

midnight navy blue

#1D3C6F · 4.1% · LRV 5

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.

Painting with Green Center reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where pale sage gray is strongest — pale sage gray

Detail of the painting where soft ochre yellow is strongest — soft ochre yellow

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

Detail of the painting where deep brick red is strongest — deep brick red

Detail of the painting where burnt orange amber is strongest — burnt orange amber

Detail of the painting where midnight navy blue is strongest — midnight navy blue

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
pale sage gray `#BFC2AE`	Behr 730C-3 Castle Path Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6177 Softened Green Very close Farrow & Ball No. 266 Mizzle Very close Valspar 6001-3B Mint Frost Very close	53	Main walls
soft ochre yellow `#C5B37A`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9029 Cool Avocado Near-identical Behr S310-4 Perennial Gold Near-identical Valspar 3008-7C Desert Grass Close Farrow & Ball No. 251 Churlish Green Close	46	Bed, sofa, curtains
deep olive green `#646754`	Behr 720D-6 Toasted Walnut Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6187 Rosemary Close Valspar 6001-4C Tarragon Close Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar	13	Small accents, art, accessories
deep brick red `#813128`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6335 Fired Brick Very close Behr S-H-200 New Brick Close Valspar 1010-3 Heirloom Red Similar Farrow & Ball No. 248 Incarnadine Similar	7	One small textile
burnt orange amber `#AE6A2A`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7709 Copper Pot Close Behr 290D-7 Crispy Gingersnap Close Valspar 3011-4 Wet Riverbanks Similar	20	One bold piece
midnight navy blue `#1D3C6F`	Behr 580F-7 December Eve Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6811 Honorable Blue Close Valspar 4009-9 Homecoming Blue Similar	5	Small accents, art, accessories

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 sage gray 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#B2B8B0

In north light, the pale sage #BFC2AE (LRV 53) will look cooler and more gray-green. It still reads light, so it keeps the room from feeling closed in.

South-facing room#CDCAB2

In strong south light, the pale sage #BFC2AE (LRV 53) will look brighter and a little softer. Its green undertone will show less, so it works well in rooms that get a lot of sun.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#AEA081

Under warm evening bulbs, the pale sage #BFC2AE (LRV 53) will tend to look more muted and slightly gray. Pair it with the ochre and burnt orange to keep the room feeling warm after dark.

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 a warm mid-brown and the rug border takes deep brick red in every combination.

Mood board

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

pale sage gray

soft ochre yellow

burnt orange amber

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Painting with Green Center

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 Blue House Exterior: Navy Walls With Trim and Door Colors House exterior · Navy

Boho Bedroom Colors Boho style

Gray Green Color: Shades for Interior Walls, Light to Dark Green-grey

Cottage Color Scheme: Six Colors Measured From Paintings Cottage style

More palettes like this

Landscape with Two Poplars Vasily Kandinsky, 1912

FAQ

Which color should I use on the walls?

Use the pale sage #BFC2AE, which measures LRV 53 and has a light green undertone. It is the lightest color in the palette and gives the most even base for a room.

How do I keep a room with these colors from feeling too dark?

Keep the walls in the pale sage #BFC2AE and use the deep colors only in small amounts. The deep olive #646754, brick red #813128 and navy #1D3C6F have low LRV values, so limit them to textiles, trim or one feature area.

Can I use the deep navy and olive on a whole wall?

You can, but it will make the room feel much darker. The navy #1D3C6F measures LRV 5 and the deep olive #646754 measures LRV 13, so test a large sample in your own light before painting an entire room.

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.