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

Young Peasant Having Her Coffee Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette pulls soft blue-grays, a warm cream and a muted khaki from Camille Pissarro's 1881 oil painting at The Art Institute of Chicago. It suits living rooms, bedrooms and entries where you want a calm, cool-leaning space with warm relief.

Quick answer

Put the warm cream (#DED2C4) on the walls and the light blue-gray (#ABB6C0) on the main surfaces, such as a sofa, large rug or built-ins. Save the deeper blue (#687F95) for an accent, and bring in the soft green (#8BAD8E) through cushions or a throw.

Artist: Camille Pissarro
Date: 1881
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 66

Young Peasant Having Her Coffee by Camille Pissarro — Camille Pissarro, *Young Peasant Having Her Coffee*, 1881. 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

#778897 · 28.9% · LRV 24

Soft Mist Blue

#ABB6C0 · 25% · LRV 46

Warm Linen Cream

#DED2C4 · 16.2% · LRV 66

Muted Khaki Sand

#AEA189 · 15% · LRV 36

Deep Dusty Blue

#687F95 · 13.5% · LRV 20

Soft Sage Green

#8BAD8E · 1.4% · LRV 37

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.

Young Peasant Having Her Coffee 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 Soft Mist Blue is strongest — Soft Mist Blue

Detail of the painting where Warm Linen Cream is strongest — Warm Linen Cream

Detail of the painting where Muted Khaki Sand is strongest — Muted Khaki Sand

Detail of the painting where Deep Dusty Blue is strongest — Deep Dusty Blue

Detail of the painting where Soft Sage Green is strongest — Soft Sage Green

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 `#778897`	Valspar 4008-4B Cornflower Blue Very close Behr PPU14-05 Forever Denim Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6242 Bracing Blue Very close Farrow & Ball No. 86 Stone Blue Similar	24	Small accents, art, accessories
Soft Mist Blue `#ABB6C0`	Behr PPU14-12 Hazy Skies Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6240 Windy Blue Very close Valspar 4004-3B Courtyard Shadow Very close Farrow & Ball No. 27 Parma Gray Close	46	Bed, sofa, curtains
Warm Linen Cream `#DED2C4`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9109 Natural Linen Near-identical Behr N240-2 Adobe Sand Very close Valspar 2008-10B Desert Fortress Very close Farrow & Ball No. 241 Skimming Stone Very close	66	Main walls
Muted Khaki Sand `#AEA189`	Behr HDC-NT-12 Curly Willow Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7544 Fenland Very close Valspar 3007-9C Wild Mushroom Very close Farrow & Ball No. 17 Light Gray Close	36	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Dusty Blue `#687F95`	Valspar 4006-4B Retro-Colonial Blue Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6536 Searching Blue Close Behr MQ5-52 Lead Cast Close Farrow & Ball No. 237 Cook's Blue Similar	20	One bold piece
Soft Sage Green `#8BAD8E`	Behr MQ6-46 Flora Green Very close Valspar 5006-6A Blue Grass Mood Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6451 Nurture Green Close Farrow & Ball No. 214 Arsenic Close	37	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 warm linen 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#C7C2BE

The warm cream (LRV 66) keeps its yellow undertone in cool north light, so the room feels gently warmed rather than gray. Expect it to look a touch deeper and softer than it does in a bright room.

South-facing room#E5D6C3

Strong south light will make the cream (LRV 66) read brighter and more yellow. It stays easy on the eyes, but test a sample on the wall that gets the most sun before you commit.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C0AA8D

Warm evening bulbs push the cream toward a golden tone and make the blue-grays look softer and less cool. Choose bulbs around 2700K and the mix will feel cozy, not muddy.

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 Sage Green in every combination.

Mood board

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

Warm Linen Cream

Soft Mist Blue

Deep Dusty Blue

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Young Peasant Having Her Coffee

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

Modern Paint Colors for Interior Rooms Modern style

North Facing Paint Colors: Warm, Light Shades That Work North-facing

Paint Colors for Small Rooms: Light Walls, Deep Accents Small room

More palettes like this

George Moore (1852–1933) Edouard Manet, 1879

Madame Léon Clapisson Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1883

Henri Fantin-Latour (1836–1904) Carolus-Duran (Charles-Auguste-Emile Durant), 1861

FAQ

Can I use the blue-gray on all four walls?

You can, but the lighter blue-gray (LRV 46) suits that job better than the darker ones. The slate (LRV 24) and the deep blue (LRV 20) will make a room feel smaller if they cover every wall, so use them on one wall or on furniture.

What color should the trim and ceiling be?

A white that leans slightly warm will sit well beside the cream wall color. Avoid a stark, cool white, which can make the cream look dingy next to it.

How do I add the green without it taking over?

The sage green covers only 1.4% of the painting, so treat it the same way. Use it in a few small pieces, such as pillows, a plant pot or a throw, rather than on a wall.

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.