Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Beige · colors from 2 paintings
Beige looks best with deep browns, antique gold, brick red and soft black. This page shows two beiges and four companions, each measured from a public-domain painting where the colors share a canvas. Every color has its LRV, undertone and closest paint matches.
Quick answer
Put the warm beige #DFC4AE on the walls and the greige #BAAEA2 on the main furniture. Add olive brown wood, one gold piece and brick red textiles.
A wall color for living rooms and hallways. Its LRV of 58 keeps a room bright, and its red-orange undertone adds warmth. Measured from Thomas Cole's "New England Scenery" (1839).
From New England Scenery, Thomas Cole
Use it on a sofa, cabinets or built-ins where you want a calmer, slightly heavier neutral. Its LRV of 43 and warm yellow undertone sit comfortably beside the warmer beige. Measured from Catena's "Portrait of a Venetian Senator" (ca. 1525).
From Portrait of a Venetian Senator, Catena (Vincenzo di Biagio)
A very dark neutral at LRV 2, best in small amounts like lamp bases, frames and hardware. It has no clear undertone, so it sits quietly next to either beige. Measured from Catena's "Portrait of a Venetian Senator" (ca. 1525).
From Portrait of a Venetian Senator, Catena (Vincenzo di Biagio)
A good choice for curtains, a rug or pillows. At LRV 6 it is very dark, and its warm red-orange undertone echoes the warm beige. Measured from Catena's "Portrait of a Venetian Senator" (ca. 1525).
From Portrait of a Venetian Senator, Catena (Vincenzo di Biagio)
Suits wood tones such as floors, a mantel, window casings or a dining table. At LRV 8 it grounds light walls, and its warm yellow undertone matches the greige. Measured from Thomas Cole's "New England Scenery" (1839).
From New England Scenery, Thomas Cole
Use it for one bold piece, such as an armchair or a front door. At LRV 31 it is a true mid-tone, and its warm yellow undertone stands out against beige without clashing. Measured from Thomas Cole's "New England Scenery" (1839).
From New England Scenery, Thomas Cole
The same paint reads differently in cool north light, warm south sun and under evening lamps. Find the column closest to your room.
| Color | Neutral daylight | North light | South light | Evening lamps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm Sand Beige | ||||
| Soft Yellow Greige | ||||
| Antique Gold |
Pick which color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and trim follow your choice.
The framed picture on the wall is New England Scenery.
Start with how much light you want the room to hold. The warm beige, #DFC4AE, has an LRV of 58. That is just under the point where a color reads clearly light, so it keeps a room bright without looking pale. Its red-orange undertone adds warmth to a hallway or a room with little daylight.
The greige, #BAAEA2, has an LRV of 43. It is a mid-light color with a warm yellow undertone. It is calmer and a little heavier, which suits a sofa, cabinets or a wall in a sunny room that needs less glare.
If you are matching a beige you already know by name, compare its LRV and undertone with these two. A beige near LRV 58 with a warm red-orange cast will behave like the first. A grayer one near LRV 43 will behave like the second.
Both beiges come from paintings, and the companions share those canvases. Thomas Cole's "New England Scenery" gives the warm beige an olive brown, #5E4B20 (LRV 8), and an antique gold, #B69250 (LRV 31). Catena's "Portrait of a Venetian Senator" gives the greige a soft black, #252020 (LRV 2), and a brick red, #713232 (LRV 6).
For a bungalow-style palette, put the warm beige on the walls and the greige on built-ins or the main sofa. Use the olive brown for wood: floors, a mantel, casings or a table. Add the gold in one bold piece. Bring in the brick red through curtains, a rug or pillows. Keep the soft black small.
Trim and ceiling should be lighter than the walls. With walls at LRV 58, choose a white that is clearly higher so the step reads as intentional.
Light changes beige more than most colors. North light is cool and gray, so the red-orange undertone of the warm beige helps it stay inviting. In south or west light, the same beige can lean peachy in the late afternoon. If that bothers you, the greige, with its yellow undertone and lower LRV of 43, will look calmer.
Bulbs matter too. Warm bulbs push both beiges toward yellow and orange. Cooler bulbs make the greige look grayer. Choose one bulb temperature for the room before you judge a sample.
The dark companions change less. At LRV 2 and 6, the soft black and brick red absorb most light. The olive brown at LRV 8 can look almost black in a dim corner. The gold, at LRV 31, shifts the most: brighter in sun, duller in shade.
Paint a large sample, at least two feet square, or use a board you can move from wall to wall. Put samples on walls that get different light. Leave them up for two days so you see morning, afternoon and evening.
Set the samples next to the things that will stay: the floor, the sofa fabric, the wood. A beige looks different beside a gray rug than beside oak. Place the beige and greige side by side to see whether the gap between LRV 58 and 43 is enough for your room.
For the dark companions, hold a fabric or painted sample next to the wall in the room itself. Dark colors are hard to judge on a small chip. The paint matches listed here are the closest measured, and screens vary, so trust the sample on your wall over the swatch on your screen.
Deep brown, antique gold, brick red and soft black all share canvases with beige in these paintings. Use brown for wood, gold and red for accents, and black in small details.
Try #DFC4AE on the walls, #BAAEA2 on the main furniture, #5E4B20 for wood, #B69250 for one bold piece and #713232 for textiles. Keep soft black #252020 for small details.
It is a light-leaning mid-tone. At LRV 58 it reflects a good amount of light but is not as bright as a white. It keeps rooms warm and fairly bright.
Choose a trim that is lighter than the wall. With the warm beige at LRV 58, a white with a clearly higher LRV gives a visible but soft contrast. Sample it next to the wall in your own light.
Yes. The brick red #713232 has a warm red-orange undertone that matches the warm beige. At LRV 6 it is very dark, so it works best in curtains, rugs and pillows rather than on large surfaces.
A card with every color on this page, its LRV and the paintings it comes from. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain (CC0). Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
