Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Dark · colors from 7 paintings
The six dark colors here are deep browns and near-blacks, each measured from a public-domain painting and all between LRV 1 and 3. They suit walls in rooms with lamps and a few light accents. Three lighter colors from the same paintings show what to pair with them.
Quick answer
Use #492D1B or #332118 for a warm brown bedroom or den, #2B2925 for a neutral near-black wall, and #EAE5C7 on trim and ceiling.
A very dark brown with a warm red-orange undertone and LRV 3, good for a bedroom or den wall that should feel snug. It comes from Landscape (The Lock) by John Constable, and Sherwin-Williams SW 6069 French Roast is a very close match.
From Landscape (The Lock), John Constable
A very dark neutral with no clear undertone and LRV 2, suited to an entry, media room or an accent wall. It comes from Charity by Cesare Dandini, and Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black is a very close match.
From Charity, Cesare Dandini
A very dark color with a warm yellow undertone and LRV 2, which leans toward olive in cool light. It comes from Portrait of Philip IV by the Workshop of Diego Rodriguez de Velázquez, and it has no close commercial match.
From Portrait of Philip IV, Workshop of Diego Rodriguez de Velázquez
A very dark brown with a warm yellow undertone and LRV 2, a good backdrop for wood furniture in a library or dining room. It comes from Nuns at Work by Alessandro Magnasco, and it has no close commercial match.
From Nuns at Work, Alessandro Magnasco
A very dark brown with a red-orange undertone and LRV 2, warm enough for a bedroom or a dark door. It comes from Afterglow by George Inness, and Sherwin-Williams SW 2838 Polished Mahogany is a close match.
From Afterglow, George Inness
The darkest color here at LRV 1, neutral with no clear undertone. Use it where you want a true near-black, such as a door or a small powder room. It comes from Portrait of a Woman by Quinten Massys, and it has no close commercial match.
From Portrait of a Woman, Quinten Massys
A very light warm cream with LRV 78, which bounces light back. Use it for trim, ceilings or light walls next to a dark color. It comes from Landscape with Tournament and Hunters by Jan van Scorel, and Behr S320-2 Pale Parsnip is a near-identical match.
From Landscape with Tournament and Hunters, Jan van Scorel
A deep warm brown with LRV 12, a good choice for a sofa or main furniture against dark walls. It comes from Charity by Cesare Dandini, and Sherwin-Williams SW 9107 Über Umber is a very close match.
From Charity, Cesare Dandini
A mid-tone with a warm red-orange undertone and LRV 32, useful for one bold piece such as a chair or a lamp base. It comes from Portrait of a Woman by Quinten Massys, and Sherwin-Williams SW 6116 Tatami Tan is a near-identical match.
From Portrait of a Woman, Quinten Massys
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 Parchment Cream | ||||
| Sandy Caramel Tan |
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 Landscape (The Lock).
Start with undertone, not depth. All six dark shades here sit between LRV 1 and 3, so they all read very dark. What separates them is the hint of color. #492D1B and #332118 lean red-orange and read as deep brown. #2F2817 and #36250F lean warm yellow and read as olive or bronze brown. #2B2925 and #1C1818 are neutral and read as near-black.
Pick by the mood you want. A brown with a red-orange undertone feels snug in a bedroom or den. A warm yellow undertone suits a library or dining room with wood furniture. A neutral near-black gives a crisp, graphic look in an entry or a media room.
Keep in mind that a very dark wall takes in almost all the light that reaches it. Plan your lamps before you pick the color. A dark room with one overhead fixture will feel flat. Two or three lamps at different heights make the walls look deeper rather than dull.
For a dark room, the three companion colors from the same paintings do the pairing work. #EAE5C7 (LRV 78) is a pale warm cream for trim and ceiling. Against a wall at LRV 2, it gives a clear edge and bounces back whatever light the room has. #795C3E (LRV 12) suits a sofa or an armchair. #BE8F69 (LRV 32) is a mid-tone tan for a bold piece, such as a chair or a lamp base.
You can also flip the plan. For dark trim on light walls, use #EAE5C7 on the walls and one of the dark browns on doors, window frames and baseboards. A deep brown like #492D1B (LRV 3) frames the view and keeps the room warm. Dark trim shows every flaw, so it works best where the lines are straight.
Underfoot, wood in a medium tone such as #8B6B4A sits between the dark walls and the cream. For a ceiling, match the cream, or paint it the wall color in a small room for a wrapped feel. Add #492D1B in a textile, like curtains or a throw.
LRV tells you how much light a color sends back. At 1 to 3, these walls send back almost none, so the room's light sets the mood. In a north-facing room, expect the walls to look cooler and deeper. In a south-facing room, the same color looks warmer and a little softer.
Undertones show up most in daylight. The red-orange browns glow near a window. The warm yellow browns lean toward olive in cool light. The neutral near-blacks stay steady, though next to a cream trim they can look slightly cooler.
Sheen matters too. Matte hides wall flaws and keeps a dark color soft. Satin or semi-gloss on trim adds a little shine and is easier to wipe. In a room with little daylight, a dark wall suits evening use: a bedroom, a den, a dining room. Keep the light companion #EAE5C7 nearby so the room does not feel closed in.
Paint a large sample, at least two feet square, on poster board or directly on the wall. Dark colors need two coats to look true, so do both before you judge. Move the board around the room: next to the window, in a corner, and beside the floor and trim.
Look at it three times: morning, afternoon and with lamps on at night. Hold your cream and wood samples next to it. Three of these colors have no close commercial match: #2F2817, #36250F and #1C1818. For those, ask a paint store to color-match from the hex, then test the result. For the others, the closest measured matches are Sherwin-Williams SW 6069 French Roast for #492D1B (very close), SW 6258 Tricorn Black for #2B2925 (very close), and SW 2838 Polished Mahogany for #332118 (close).
Check any match on a real sample, since screens and print differ. Live with the sample for a few days before you buy gallons.
It depends on the mood. #492D1B is a warm brown for bedrooms and dens, and #2B2925 is a neutral near-black for entries and media rooms. Both sit at LRV 3 or below, so add lamps.
No. The dark colors here are browns and near-blacks measured from the paintings, and none reads clearly blue, teal or purple. The neutral near-blacks, #2B2925 and #1C1818, are the closest to a color-free dark.
Sherwin-Williams SW 6069 French Roast is a very close match to #492D1B. Sherwin-Williams SW 2838 Polished Mahogany is a close match to #332118. #2F2817 and #36250F have no close commercial match.
Yes. Try #EAE5C7 (LRV 78) on the walls and a deep brown such as #492D1B on doors and frames. The contrast is strong, so make sure the trim is smooth and the lines are straight.
They can make the walls feel closer, because an LRV of 1 to 3 sends back almost no light. Good lamps and a light ceiling or trim in #EAE5C7 help the room feel open.
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.
