Paint colors for your home, inside and out
19th-century British painting · art-to-room palette
This palette comes from a painting with a cool, pale blue-gray as its largest share, set against warm olives, ochres and tans. It suits a room that needs a calm, grounded base with warm wood and textiles.
Quick answer
Use the soft warm off-white on the walls and the pale slate blue on a large sofa, rug or cabinet as the main color. Put the deep olive brown on wood trim or furniture, and add the mid-tone ochre and light golden tan through pillows, curtains or a throw.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Pale cool slate blue#B4BFCE |
|
51 | Bed, sofa, curtains |
Deep warm olive brown#635A2F |
|
10 | Wood and frames |
Mid-tone warm ochre#8E7B35 |
|
20 | One bold piece |
Soft warm off-white#E5E0D4 |
|
75 | Main walls |
Light golden tan#CCA85A |
|
42 | One small textile |
Pale straw beige#D6BC80 |
|
52 | 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.
The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.
#CBCBC8North light is cool and even, so the off-white will look a little grayer than its warm undertone suggests. The pale slate blue will read cooler still, so pair it with the golden tan to keep the room from feeling flat.
#EBE1CFStrong south light brings out the warmth in the off-white and makes the golden tan glow. The pale blue stays soft and clean, and the deep olive brown holds its depth without looking muddy.
#C4B196Under warm evening bulbs the yellow undertones deepen, and the ochre and olive become richer. The pale blue can look grayer or slightly green, so keep it in larger areas where its cool tone still reads clearly.
Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.
Wood takes Deep warm olive brown and the rug border takes Light golden 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.
Use the soft warm off-white on the walls. It has a light reflectance value of 75, so it bounces light and helps a small room feel open. Save the pale slate blue for furniture or textiles.
Yes, but it is very dark, with a light reflectance value of 10, so it will absorb a lot of light. Use it on one wall in a room with good daylight, or on a cabinet or door instead.
In the painting, the pale slate blue covers about a third of the canvas and the deep olive brown about a quarter. Follow a similar balance at home, with the lighter colors covering most of the room and the darker ochre and olive used in smaller amounts.
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.
