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

Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c. Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Raphaelle Peale's 1822 still life of strawberries and nuts, painted on wood. Most of the painting sits in very dark browns, with one soft cream and a few small points of rust and mustard, so it suits rooms that want warmth, depth and a cozy, grounded feel.

Quick answer

Use the cream as the main wall color so the room stays light. Bring in the deep walnut and driftwood browns through wood furniture and textiles, then add the rust and golden mustard as small accents in pillows, art or accessories.

Artist: Raphaelle Peale
Date: 1822
Movement: 19th-century painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 76

Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c. by Raphaelle Peale — Raphaelle Peale, *Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c.*, 1822. 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.

Deep Umber Black

#251D15 · 46.2% · LRV 1

Dark Walnut Brown

#3D2D18 · 22.3% · LRV 3

Warm Driftwood Brown

#6E5B3A · 21.8% · LRV 11

Soft Parchment Cream

#EAE2CE · 4.5% · LRV 76

Rust Red Orange

#A0300E · 3.4% · LRV 10

Golden Mustard Yellow

#F5B61C · 1.8% · LRV 53

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.

Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c. reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Deep Umber Black is strongest — Deep Umber Black

Detail of the painting where Dark Walnut Brown is strongest — Dark Walnut Brown

Detail of the painting where Warm Driftwood Brown is strongest — Warm Driftwood Brown

Detail of the painting where Soft Parchment Cream is strongest — Soft Parchment Cream

Detail of the painting where Rust Red Orange is strongest — Rust Red Orange

Detail of the painting where Golden Mustard Yellow is strongest — Golden Mustard 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
Deep Umber Black `#251D15`	Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Dark Walnut Brown `#3D2D18`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Similar Behr 760B-7 Revival Mahogany Similar	3	One small textile
Warm Driftwood Brown `#6E5B3A`	Behr PPU7-02 Tree Swing Close Sherwin-Williams SW 9125 Oliva Oscuro Close Valspar 6008-2C Prairie Foliage Similar Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	11	Wood and frames
Soft Parchment Cream `#EAE2CE`	Valspar 3006-8C Ivory Essence Near-identical Behr 23 Antique White Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7564 Polar Bear Near-identical Farrow & Ball No. 1 Lime White Very close	76	Main walls
Rust Red Orange `#A0300E`	Behr S-H-240 Falling Leaves Close Sherwin-Williams SW 7599 Brick Paver Similar	10	One bold piece
Golden Mustard Yellow `#F5B61C`	Behr HDC-MD-02A Yellow Groove Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6905 Goldfinch Very close Valspar 3003-1A Gold Abundance Very close Farrow & Ball No. 223 Babouche Similar	53	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 soft parchment 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#CECCC4

North light is cool and soft, so the cream wall can look a little grayer than the swatch. Its warm yellow undertone helps keep it from feeling flat.

South-facing room#EFE3CB

Strong south light makes the cream wall look bright and creamy, and it bounces a lot of light across the room. The browns will look richer and the mustard will look more saturated.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C6B393

Warm evening bulbs push the cream toward a golden tone and make the mustard glow. The dark browns will feel soft and enveloping, so keep them to furniture or one wall if you want the room to stay open.

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 Warm Driftwood Brown and the rug border takes Dark Walnut Brown in every combination.

Mood board

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

Soft Parchment Cream

Golden Mustard Yellow

Rust Red Orange

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c.

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

Hallway Paint Colors Hallway

More palettes like this

Cigar Making in Seville Ricard Canals y Llambí, 1899

Dorothea and Francesca Cecilia Beaux, 1898

Woman with a Book Jonas Welch Holman, 1827–30

FAQ

Can I paint a whole room in the dark brown?

The two darkest colors have a light reflectance value of 1 and 3, so they absorb most of the light that hits them. A full room in these shades will feel enclosed. Use them on one accent wall, a cabinet or a large piece of furniture instead.

Which color should I use on the walls?

The soft parchment cream is the only color in the palette that reads as light, with a light reflectance value of 76. It bounces light around the room and keeps the darker browns from feeling heavy.

How much of the mustard and rust should I use?

In the painting, the golden mustard covers under 2% of the canvas and the rust about 3%. Use them sparingly, in items like pillows, a vase, a rug detail or a frame, so they read as highlights rather than the main color.

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.