North-facing room
#CDCCC4North light is cooler and dimmer. The cream wall will look softer and a little greyer, and its yellow undertone will be quieter. Pair it with warm wood tones to keep the room from feeling flat.
18th-century French painting · art-to-room palette
Troops on the March Color Palette & Paint Colors
This palette comes from Jean-Baptiste Joseph Pater's oil painting "Troops on the March" (ca. 1725), held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It runs from deep espresso browns to a soft cream, with warm red-orange and yellow undertones throughout.
Quick answer
Use the soft cream on the walls. Use the muted tan clay on large pieces like a sofa or rug. Use the warm taupe brown for wood, and the deep espresso for a door or built-in. Add the rust red-brown through a pillow or throw.
- Date
- ca. 1725
- Movement
- 18th-century French painting
- Collection
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Image license
- Public domain (CC0)
- Wall color LRV
- 75
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 espresso brown
Warm taupe brown
Dark chestnut brown
Soft cream white
Muted tan clay
Rust red-brown
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.
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 espresso brown#412D21 |
|
3 | One bold piece |
Warm taupe brown#755D48 |
|
12 | Wood and frames |
Dark chestnut brown#563C2A |
|
5 | Small accents, art, accessories |
Soft cream white#E8E1CE |
|
76 | Main walls |
Muted tan clay#BB8D6B |
|
31 | Bed, sofa, curtains |
Rust red-brown#88442D |
|
10 | 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 soft cream white 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.
South-facing room
#EDE2CBStrong south light brings out the warm yellow in the cream wall, so it will look brighter and more golden. Keep the tan and taupe tones nearby to balance the glow.
Evening, warm lamps (2700K)
#C5B293Under warm evening bulbs, the cream wall will look creamy and cozy. The brown and rust tones will deepen, which suits a room used mostly 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.
Wood takes Warm taupe brown and the rug border takes Rust red-brown in every combination.
Mood board
Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.
Soft cream white
Muted tan clay
Deep espresso brown
Save this palette
A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Guides that use colors from this painting
More palettes like this
FAQ
Can I paint a whole room in the dark espresso brown?
It is possible, but the color has a light reflectance value of 3, so it absorbs most of the light. Use it on one wall, a door, or cabinetry in a room with good daylight. Keep the other walls in the soft cream.
Why does the cream look yellow in my room?
The cream has a warm yellow undertone. Under warm bulbs or in south light, that undertone shows more. Test a sample on the wall at different times of day before you commit.
How much rust red-brown should I use?
In the painting, this color covers about 1% of the canvas, so it works best as a small accent. Try it on a pillow, a throw, or a textile rather than on a large surface.
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.