Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Hallway · colors from 5 paintings
A hall paint color combination needs a wall color that carries light, plus a few deeper colors for the pieces you place in it. Each scheme here comes from one painting by Manet, Matisse, Monet or Renoir.
Quick answer
For a bright hall, use the Monet scheme: pale walls (#E3DCD7), a gray-mauve console (#8A7E7C) and a blue accent (#7F92AF). For a warmer hall, use the Manet scheme.
Each scheme is one painting's palette, split into walls, main furniture, wood, one bold piece and one textile.
From Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers, Édouard Manet
#EBCB9A#B28650#7E5431#614D32#876555Warm sandy walls with brown furniture and a dark accent give a narrow hall a cozy, enclosed feel. Use the dark brown on one piece only.
From Woman before an Aquarium, Henri Matisse
#A2E8C0#BEAFA5#674A3A#B58762#5C6143Pale mint walls with a soft gray-beige main color and deep brown wood make a fresh hall. The brown can be a floor, bench or frame.
From Apples and Grapes, Claude Monet
#E3DCD7#8A7E7C#6B5440#7F92AF#C4B55FVery light walls at LRV 72 reflect the most light of the five schemes. Add a gray-mauve console and a small blue accent.
From Chrysanthemums, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
#D7DACE#76A899#9C6B50#245287#D8C14BPale green-gray walls with a deep blue bold piece, such as a door or cabinet, make a hall that feels crisp. A yellow textile adds warmth.
From Charing Cross Bridge, London, Claude Monet
#FFE68C#CABFAE#6B5440#E7D7B0#C3C0A2Pale yellow walls at LRV 80 brighten a dark hall. Use the putty color for the main furniture and keep the wood warm.
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 Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers.
A hall usually has little daylight, so the wall color matters more than anything else in it. The wall colors in these five schemes run from LRV 55 to 80. The paler ones, such as the Monet walls at LRV 72 and 80, bounce the most light back.
If your hall has no window, choose from the light end. If it has a window or glass door, you can go further toward the mid-tones. Undertones matter too. The yellow and sand walls feel warm; the mint and green-gray walls feel cooler.
Pick the scheme whose wall color sits best with the rooms that open off the hall, since you see them together.
Each scheme names a main color, a wood color, a bold piece and a textile. In the Monet "Apples and Grapes" scheme, the main color is #8A7E7C, a gray with a warm undertone and an LRV of 22, which suits a console or storage unit. The wood is #6B5440.
For a floor or bench, the deep brown #674A3A at LRV 8 works well. It is very dark, so use it on solid, simple shapes.
Keep the number of strong colors small. A hall is seen in passing, so one bold piece and one textile are usually enough. In the Renoir scheme that means the deep blue #245287 on a single cabinet or door and the yellow #D8C14B in a runner or cushion, with everything else left quiet. Leave floor space clear near the front door, and choose pieces with simple shapes so the colors do the work.
A hall works best when its colors repeat in the next room. If the living room has the putty color #CABFAE, you can use the same color or a lighter version in the hall. If a room opens with a dark blue door, a Renoir-style hall with #626373 on a door will echo it.
Doors and trim give you an easy link. The near black #1D1D1C at LRV 1 is strong, so use it on the front door or interior door frames only if the rest of the hall is light.
Small repeated touches, such as a frame, a lamp or a runner, tie the hall to the rooms without painting everything the same.
Hall light changes a lot between the front door and the far end. Paint your sample on the wall nearest the door and again at the darkest point. A color that looks right at the entry can turn dull at the end.
Look at it with the lights you use most, in the morning and in the evening. Warm bulbs deepen yellow walls and soften green-gray ones.
Put the furniture colors next to the sample. If you cannot find the exact wood tone, hold a piece of fabric or wood against the board. The paint matches listed on the page are the closest measured colors, so compare real chips before buying.
Pale walls with one mid-tone furniture color and one deeper accent work well. The Monet "Apples and Grapes" scheme uses #E3DCD7, #8A7E7C and #7F92AF.
Choose a wall color with a high LRV. The pale yellow #FFE68C in the "Charing Cross Bridge" scheme has an LRV of 80.
Yes, on a door, bench or built-in. Colors such as #626373 at LRV 13 add depth without darkening the walls.
It does not need to match, but one shared color, such as a trim or a door color, makes the rooms feel connected.
A scrubbable eggshell or satin finish is practical in a hall, where walls get brushed by coats and bags.
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.
