Agreeable Gray Coordinating Colors: A Gray Palette From Paintings
This gray color palette for the home starts with two greens-leaning grays and adds four colors that appear beside them in the same paintings. The pairings come from the painters, not from a trend. We have not measured Agreeable Gray itself, but you can use the undertones here to judge any gray you are weighing.
Quick answer
Use the pale gray #C3D0C7 on the walls and the mid-tone gray #9F9F93 on main furniture. Add olive #635822 for one bold piece, or blue-gray #819F9F and teal #3C7573 for a cooler room.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Shades of grey
#C3D0C7LRV 61
Pale Frost Gray
A light gray with a green undertone and an LRV of 61, so it bounces light and suits bedroom, hallway or living room walls. It was measured from Icebound by John Henry Twachtman, c. 1889, at The Art Institute of Chicago.
A mid-tone gray with a green undertone and an LRV of 34. It works on a sofa, built-in or lower cabinets, where you want a calm color that does not brighten the room. It comes from Landscape with Dog by Thomas Doughty, 1832, at The Art Institute of Chicago.
A very dark color with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 3. Keep it to small areas such as curtains, a rug border or cushions. It was measured from Landscape with Dog by Thomas Doughty, 1832, and has no close commercial paint match.
A mid-tone with a cool blue undertone and an LRV of 32. Use it on a bedroom accent wall, a door or a cabinet to cool the green grays. It comes from Icebound by John Henry Twachtman, c. 1889.
A deep color with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 10. It suits one bold piece, such as an armchair, a front door or a bookcase. It was measured from Landscape with Dog by Thomas Doughty, 1832.
A deep color with a cool blue undertone and an LRV of 15. It reads dark, so use it on a vanity, a kitchen island or a single wall in a room with good daylight. It comes from Icebound by John Henry Twachtman, c. 1889.
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
Pale Frost Gray
Soft Stone Gray
Misty Blue Gray
Try these colors in a room
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 Icebound.
Which of these grays should I choose for my walls?
Start with light. The pale gray, #C3D0C7, has an LRV of 61, so it reads light and bounces daylight around a room. It suits bedrooms, hallways and small living rooms where you want a calm, open feel. The mid-tone gray, #9F9F93, has an LRV of 34. It will not brighten a room, but it works well on a sofa, a built-in or a lower cabinet run.
Both grays lean green. That is the link to the other colors here. The olive tones, #635822 and #37330D, share the yellow-green side. The blue-gray #819F9F and the deep teal #3C7573 pull the same grays toward cool blue. Pick one direction per room: warm olive for a settled, earthy feel, or blue and teal for a fresher one.
If you want a gray color scheme for the whole house, keep the pale gray on the walls throughout and change the accent from room to room.
What trim, ceiling and flooring go with these gray colors?
Trim: choose a white or off-white that is clearly lighter than the wall. With walls at LRV 61, a bright trim gives a clean edge. Trim in the same pale gray gives a softer, quieter look, which suits a small room.
Ceiling: paint it the wall color or a lighter tint of it. A ceiling darker than the walls will make the room feel lower.
Floors and wood: a mid-brown wood around #8B6B4A sits well with the green grays, because the olive tones share its warmth. Use it for a floor, a table or a door. If your floor is cool or gray, lean on the blue-gray #819F9F and the teal #3C7573 instead.
Bold pieces and textiles: use #635822 for one item, such as an armchair or a shelf unit. Use #37330D, at LRV 3, for textiles like curtains or a rug border. At that depth it reads close to black, so a little goes a long way.
How will these grays look in the light of my room?
A gray is never one color all day. The pale gray, #C3D0C7, has a green undertone, and it shows more in cool, bluish light, such as in a north-facing room. In warm morning or evening light it softens. With an LRV of 61 it still holds enough light to keep a dim room from feeling heavy.
The mid-tone gray, #9F9F93, sits at LRV 34. In a bright room it reads as a calm stone color. In a dim room it can look darker and flatter, so use it on furniture or one wall rather than on all four.
Bulbs matter too. Warm bulbs pull the greens toward yellow and make the olive tones feel richer. Cool bulbs push the blue-gray #819F9F and the teal #3C7573 toward a crisper look. Choose your bulbs first, then judge the color, and look at it again at night.
How do I test these gray colors before I paint?
Paint samples on large boards, at least two feet square, rather than small patches. Use the closest paint matches listed with each color as a starting point, then hold them against the swatch on this page. For the pale gray, Sherwin-Williams SW 6211 Rainwashed is a near-identical match.
Move the boards around. Tape one to the wall that gets the most light and one to the darkest wall. Check them in the morning, at midday and at night with your lamps on.
Hold each board next to your floor, your sofa fabric and your trim. A gray changes more beside other colors than it does alone. Watch the undertone: if the green looks stronger than you want, try the blue-gray beside it and see whether the balance feels better.
The darkest color, #37330D, has no close commercial match, so test it as a fabric swatch or a small custom-mixed sample.
FAQ
What colors coordinate with Agreeable Gray?
We have not measured Agreeable Gray itself. The grays on this page lean green, so check whether your gray does too, then try the same pairings: olive for warmth, blue-gray and deep teal for a cooler look.
What is a good gray color palette for a home interior?
Use the pale gray #C3D0C7 on walls, the mid-tone gray #9F9F93 on furniture, and one accent such as deep olive #635822. Add a mid-brown wood and a lighter trim to finish the scheme.
Can I use this palette with Repose Gray or Dorian Gray?
We have not measured those paints, so we cannot say how close they are. Compare a sample of yours with the swatches here by undertone and LRV, then test the companion colors beside it.
What accent color works best in a gray house interior?
For a warm room, choose deep olive #635822. For a cooler room, choose deep teal #3C7573 or blue-gray #819F9F. Each one appears beside these grays in the paintings.
How many colors should a gray color scheme for a house have?
Three to four is easy to manage: a light gray for walls, a mid-tone gray for furniture, one accent and one dark color in small amounts. Repeat the same few colors from room to room.
Save these colors
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, 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.
From Icebound, John Henry Twachtman
