Pro Classic Paint Colors for a Traditional Interior
This page is about classic colors, not a paint product line. It shows six colors that define the Traditional interior style, each measured from a painting, with LRV, undertone and the closest paint match.
Quick answer
Use the ivory #E8E1CE on walls, slate blue #4D6974 for furniture or cabinets, and oxblood #522729 as a bold accent, with tan #C0AD8C in textiles.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
The palette
#E8E1CELRV 76
Soft Ivory
A very light warm yellow with an LRV of 76, suited to walls and ceilings. It comes from Pater's Troops on the March, and its closest match is Sherwin-Williams SW 7564 Polar Bear.
A very dark cool blue with an LRV of 2. Use it on a front door, library shelves or a small room. It was measured from Renoir's portrait of Alfred Sisley.
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
Soft Ivory
Sandstone Tan
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 Troops on the March.
How do you choose between these classic colors?
Traditional rooms usually combine one light color, a couple of deep ones and a warm neutral. Here the light color is the ivory #E8E1CE, the deep ones are the navy, the near-black green, the oxblood and the slate blue, and the neutral is the sandstone tan.
Choose the ivory if you want the room to feel open, then add one deep color as the lead. Slate blue is the gentlest of the dark options, with an LRV of 13. The navy, green and oxblood, all under LRV 4, are better for doors, libraries and small rooms.
Do not use more than two of the dark colors in the same room. Let the others stay in fabric and art.
What goes with them: trim, ceiling and floor?
Classic rooms often use trim that is lighter than the walls. If your walls are slate blue or tan, the ivory works well on trim, crown molding and the ceiling.
If your walls are ivory, flip the logic. Painting the trim, doors or built-ins in the near-black green or the navy gives a crisp frame around a light room.
For flooring, mid-tone and dark woods suit this palette. A tan rug like #C0AD8C ties wood and walls together. Avoid pure, cool white trim with the warm ivory, because the two will separate and the ivory may look dirty beside it. If you want white trim, compare it on a board first.
How do they behave in the light?
The ivory has a warm yellow undertone, so it looks cream in south light and slightly gray in north light. With an LRV of 76 it reflects most of the light it receives.
The dark colors absorb light. In a room with small windows, a navy or oxblood wall can look almost black away from the window and show its color only near it. Slate blue, at LRV 13, holds its color better and is a safer wall choice.
Under warm lamps in the evening, the oxblood and tan turn richer, and the blues turn a little grayer. Check your samples under the bulbs you use most.
How do you test samples?
Paint two coats on a board about two feet square, and move it around the room. Dark colors need two coats to show their true depth, and a single thin coat can look lighter than the finished wall.
Set the sample beside your trim color and your largest piece of furniture. A traditional room depends on how the colors sit next to each other more than on any one of them.
Look at the board in morning light, afternoon light and at night. Wait until the sample is fully dry before judging, because most paints look darker while wet. Pick the color you still like on the third day.
FAQ
Is Pro Classic a color or a paint product?
This page covers classic colors for a traditional interior, not a paint product line. All six colors were measured from paintings and matched to the closest commercial paints.
What are classic color combinations for interior design?
Ivory walls with slate blue or navy, and oxblood or deep green as an accent, are the combinations shown on this page.
What is a good traditional home color palette?
An ivory for walls, a tan neutral for fabrics and two or three deep colors for doors, built-ins and one feature wall.
Can I use dark colors in a traditional home?
Yes. Slate blue at LRV 13 works on walls, while the navy, green and oxblood at LRV 2 to 3 are better on doors, shelves and small rooms.
What trim color goes with traditional paint colors?
The ivory #E8E1CE is a soft option for trim, or a very dark green or navy can frame light walls.
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 Metropolitan Museum of Art, 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 Troops on the March, Jean-Baptiste Joseph Pater
