Paint colors for your home, inside and out
19th-century French painting · art-to-room palette
This palette pairs a pale green-white with dusty rose, denim blue and a deep navy, all measured from Renoir's "Young Woman Sewing" (1879, The Art Institute of Chicago). It suits living rooms, bedrooms and reading corners where you want color but a calm, lived-in feel.
Quick answer
Use the pale green #DAE1CD on the walls, the dusty rose #9D8182 as the main color on a sofa, rug or large furniture piece, and the navy #26427E for an accent such as a door or built-in. Keep the olive #877C4B for wood tones and the brick red #964345 for cushions, throws or curtains.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Denim Blue#4777A1 |
|
17 | Small accents, art, accessories |
Dusty Rose#9D8182 |
|
25 | Bed, sofa, curtains |
Deep Navy#26427E |
|
6 | One bold piece |
Pale Sage White#DAE1CD |
|
73 | Main walls |
Olive Wood Tone#877C4B |
|
20 | Wood and frames |
Brick Red#964345 |
|
11 | 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.
The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.
#C4CCC3The pale green #DAE1CD has an LRV of 73, so it holds up well in cool north light, where it will read as a soft, quiet gray-green rather than a bright color. Add warm wood and the rose or red accents so the room does not feel chilly.
#E2E2CAIn strong south light, #DAE1CD will look brighter and more clearly green, and its high LRV of 73 will bounce a lot of light around the room. It stays easy on the eye here, so you can pair it with the darker navy without the space feeling heavy.
#BDB293Under warm evening bulbs, the green undertone of #DAE1CD softens and the wall drifts toward a creamy, muted tone. Choose bulbs that are not too yellow if you want to keep a hint of the green.
Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.
Wood takes Olive Wood Tone and the rug border takes Brick Red 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.
You can, but its LRV is only 6, so it will absorb most of the light. It works best in a room with good daylight, or on a single wall or built-in, with the pale green on the rest.
At LRV 24 and with a mid-tone, pink-red undertone, #9D8182 is best used in furnishings rather than on every wall. Pair it with the pale green walls and the olive wood tone to keep it grounded.
Use #964345 in small doses, such as cushions, a throw or curtains. At LRV 11 it is deep and warm, and it adds contrast against the cool blues and the pale green.
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.
