Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Hallway · colors from 4 paintings
A hallway has little daylight, so wall color matters more than in most rooms. These four schemes come from paintings, each split into walls, furniture, wood, one bold piece and one textile.
Quick answer
For a narrow or dim hall, choose a light warm wall such as #F2E3C1 or #EAE2CE, and keep deeper colors for the wood, a bench or a runner.
Each scheme is one painting's palette, split into walls, main furniture, wood, one bold piece and one textile.
From Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c., Raphaelle Peale
#EAE2CE#F5B61C#6E5B3A#A0300E#3D2D18Light cream walls (#EAE2CE, LRV 76) with a bright golden yellow piece and a brick-red accent make a lively entry hall.
From Marie Emilie Coignet de Courson (1716–1806) with a Dog, Jean Honoré Fragonard
#E3CBAD#CA9D81#8B8373#825744#5C2F22Soft peach-beige walls (#E3CBAD, LRV 62) with a rose-brown bench and a dark reddish runner feel warm and calm.
From The Third Duke of Dorset's Hunter with a Groom and a Dog, George Stubbs
#F2E3C1#9C8D53#8F663E#5E5F35#574028Pale cream walls (#F2E3C1, LRV 78) with olive tones and a brown runner brighten a long, narrow hall.
From Putti with a Medallion, Charles Dominique Joseph Eisen
#FBC97C#6A8872#6D5233#D0863B#F5AB4AHoney-yellow walls (#FBC97C, LRV 64) with a sage green piece and warm orange textile give a sunny feel to a windowless hall.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Taupe | ||||
| Candlelight Cream |
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 Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c..
Most hallways have one door and few windows, so a light warm wall is the safest choice. The Stubbs cream #F2E3C1 has an LRV of 78 and reflects most of the light it gets. The Peale cream #EAE2CE, at 76, is almost as bright.
If you want more color, the Eisen honey yellow #FBC97C has an LRV of 64 and still lifts a dim space. The Fragonard blush, at LRV 62, is the softest of the warm options.
Choose a deeper color only for details. The dark oak brown and the espresso black are more useful on doors, stair rails and frames than on large walls.
Keep the ceiling light. The same cream as the walls, or one step lighter, helps reflect what light there is. For trim, a warm white or the wall color in a satin finish gives a clean line without a harsh contrast.
For floors, the dark oak brown #6D5233 is a good guide to a stained wood or a runner. A mid-tone like the stone taupe #8B8373 works for a bench, a console or lower wall paneling.
If your hallway connects several rooms, choose a wall color that sits easily beside the colors in them. A warm cream rarely clashes, while a stronger color is best when the doors to the other rooms can stay closed.
Hallway light is often artificial. A ceiling fixture, a wall sconce or a skylight can change how a color reads more than a window does.
Under warm bulbs, creams turn yellower and the honey yellow can look almost orange. Under cool bulbs, the same colors look flatter and grayer. Use bulbs of the same warmth along the whole hall so the color stays even.
A long, narrow hall can also make walls look darker toward the middle. A color with an LRV near 75 or higher keeps the far end from looking dim, and it helps the hall feel wider.
Paint a sample board about two feet square and move it along the hall. Check it near the front door, at the middle and near the stairs. A hallway can look different in each of these spots.
Look at the sample with the lights on, because that is how you will see it most. Then look at it in the middle of the day with the doors open.
Place the board beside the floor and the trim. If the hall opens to other rooms, hold the sample at the doorway to check how it meets their colors. Choose the one you like at both ends of the hall, not just the one that looks best on its own.
A light warm cream with a high LRV, such as #F2E3C1 at LRV 78, reflects the most light.
Yes. The honey yellow #FBC97C still has an LRV of 64, so it can add color without making the hall dim.
A warm white or the same cream in a satin finish gives a soft edge.
Not necessarily. A warm neutral hallway can link rooms with different colors, which is why cream is a common choice.
Test two or three samples at different spots along the hall, with the lights on and off.
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.
