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

Bordighera Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Claude Monet's 1884 painting Bordighera, held at The Art Institute of Chicago. It is built on muted olives, slate blues and deep pine greens, with a pale sky tone and a touch of straw yellow.

Quick answer

Use the pale sky blue #C1DCDF on the walls. Put the muted olive #888C64 on a large piece such as a sofa or an upholstered chair, and use the mossy olive #929845 for a smaller accent like a cushion or lamp. Add the soft wheat yellow #B4B14C through a textile, and keep the deep pine green #375240 for a few grounding details.

Artist: Claude Monet
Date: 1884
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 68

Bordighera by Claude Monet — Claude Monet, *Bordighera*, 1884. 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.

Slate blue-gray

#69798D · 26.9% · LRV 19

Muted olive sage

#888C64 · 26.1% · LRV 25

Deep pine green

#375240 · 23.1% · LRV 7

Pale sky blue

#C1DCDF · 11.6% · LRV 68

Mossy olive green

#929845 · 9.1% · LRV 29

Soft wheat yellow

#B4B14C · 3.3% · LRV 42

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.

Bordighera reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Slate blue-gray is strongest — Slate blue-gray

Detail of the painting where Muted olive sage is strongest — Muted olive sage

Detail of the painting where Deep pine green is strongest — Deep pine green

Detail of the painting where Pale sky blue is strongest — Pale sky blue

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

Detail of the painting where Soft wheat yellow is strongest — Soft wheat yellow

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
Slate blue-gray `#69798D`	Valspar 4005-4B Thundering Clouds Very close Behr N540-5 Infamous Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6536 Searching Blue Close Farrow & Ball No. 220 Pitch Blue Similar	19	Small accents, art, accessories
Muted olive sage `#888C64`	Valspar 6004-4B Bullfrog Very close Behr N310-5 Weathered Fossil Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6431 Leapfrog Close Farrow & Ball No. 34 Calke Green Similar	25	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep pine green `#375240`	Behr 460F-7 Hazel Woods Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6461 Isle of Pines Very close Valspar 6009-6 Palace Green Similar	7	Small accents, art, accessories
Pale sky blue `#C1DCDF`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6771 Bathe Blue Very close Behr N480-2 Flowing Breeze Very close Valspar 5004-7A Tropical Spray Very close Farrow & Ball No. 210 Blue Ground Similar	68	Main walls
Mossy olive green `#929845`	Behr 390F-6 Tate Olive Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6712 Luau Green Very close Valspar 6007-6C Crushed Oregano Close Farrow & Ball No. 287 Yeabridge Green Similar	29	One bold piece
Soft wheat yellow `#B4B14C`	Behr 370F-5 Coriander Seed Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6711 Parakeet Very close Valspar 6008-8C Asparagus Close Farrow & Ball No. 251 Churlish Green Similar	42	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 sky blue 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#B3C9CF

In north light the pale sky blue wall reads cooler and a little grayer. It still stays light at an LRV of 68, so the room will not feel closed in.

South-facing room#CFDED8

In strong south light the pale sky blue wall bounces a lot of light and can look quite bright. Its cool blue tone will hold steady, which keeps the room calm in midday sun.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#AFAF9D

Under warm evening bulbs the pale sky blue wall shifts toward a softer, slightly greener tone. The soft wheat yellow textile will look warmer and glow more.

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 Soft wheat yellow in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale sky blue

Muted olive sage

Mossy olive green

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

Blue Exterior House Paint: Colors, Trim and Front Doors House exterior · Blue

Coastal Paint Colors: A Beach House Color Palette Coastal style

Small Kitchen Paint Colors That Make Walls Recede Small room · Kitchen

More palettes like this

Landscape Théodore Rousseau, c. 1835

Auvers, Panoramic View Paul Cezanne, 1873–75

Standing Bather, Seen from the Back Paul Cezanne, 1879-82

FAQ

Which color should go on the walls?

The pale sky blue #C1DCDF is the wall color in this scheme. Its light value, an LRV of 68, keeps a room open and bright. The olive and slate tones work better on furniture and accents.

Can I use the deep pine green in a small room?

Yes, but use it in small amounts. A door, cabinet, rug or a single chair can carry it without making the room feel closed in. Its LRV of 7 is very dark, so keep it away from the main walls in a small space.

How do I keep the olive tones from looking dull?

Pair the muted olive sage with the soft wheat yellow textile. The warm yellow adds lift against the green-based tones. Keep the pale sky blue on the walls so the room still has light to reflect.

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.