Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Warm · Living room · colors from 4 paintings
The warmest wall colors on this page are a pale cream, #E0CEAF, and a wheat gold, #CCB581. Deep browns and a dark red-orange work best on furniture, wood and textiles. Each color was measured from a painting and comes with its LRV and closest paints.
Quick answer
Use #E0CEAF on the walls, #CCB581 for a bold piece, #8D6F4E on main furniture, #753021 for wood and #604526 for textiles.
Use it on living room walls. An LRV of 63 and a warm yellow undertone make a light, welcoming backdrop. It was measured from "Saint George" by Russian Painter, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
From Saint George, Russian Painter
Use it for a bold piece, such as an armchair, or for one wall behind the sofa. At LRV 48 it has real color without turning dark. It comes from "Graziella" by Jules-Joseph Lefebvre, 1878.
From Graziella, Jules-Joseph Lefebvre
Use it on main furniture like a sofa or built-in cabinet. At LRV 18 it reads deep, so it adds weight in small doses. It was measured from "Roses and Lilies" by Henri Fantin-Latour, 1888.
From Roses and Lilies, Henri Fantin-Latour
Use it as a calm companion on a back panel or in an adjoining hall. Its green undertone and LRV of 57 balance the yellow shades. It comes from "Seated Peasant Woman with Goats" by Camille Pissarro, 1885.
From Seated Peasant Woman with Goats, Camille Pissarro
Use it for curtains, rugs or pillows. At LRV 7 it is very dark, so it grounds a room in small amounts. It was measured from "Graziella" by Jules-Joseph Lefebvre, 1878.
From Graziella, Jules-Joseph Lefebvre
Use it for wood, such as a table, mantel or floor. Its red-orange undertone and LRV of 6 add warmth without a large area of paint. It comes from "Roses and Lilies" by Henri Fantin-Latour, 1888.
From Roses and Lilies, Henri Fantin-Latour
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 Warm Cream | ||||
| Dried Wheat Gold | ||||
| Soft Sage Green |
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 Saint George.
Start with the walls. The pale shade #E0CEAF has an LRV of 63, so it reads light and bounces daylight around the room. Its warm yellow undertone gives a soft, creamy look that suits most living rooms. The closest matches measured are Sherwin-Williams SW 6134 Netsuke, Behr UL160-15 Bone and Farrow & Ball No. 8 String, all near-identical.
Choose #CCB581 when you want more color. At LRV 48 it sits in the middle: richer than the pale shade, but not dark. It suits a living room with large windows, or one wall behind the sofa. In a small room with little daylight, it can feel heavy on all four walls.
Keep the deep shades for furniture and details. #8D6F4E has an LRV of 18, which reads very dark on a wall and can close a room in. On a sofa or a built-in cabinet it adds weight without taking over.
Let the walls lead and keep the rest quieter. With #E0CEAF walls, the ceiling can stay a clean light shade, and trim can be the same color or a touch lighter for a soft look. Because the wall already has a yellow undertone, a stark cool white beside it may look harsh, so hold up a sample first.
For flooring and wood, #753021 is a very dark red-orange with an LRV of 6. It suits a coffee table, a mantel or a wood floor, where its warmth shows in small amounts. #604526, LRV 7, is a deep brown that works in curtains, rugs and throw pillows.
Add #C9C9AD as a calm break. Its green undertone and LRV of 57 make it a good partner for the warm yellows, for example on a bookcase back or in a hallway that opens onto the living room.
Light changes every color on this page. North-facing rooms get cooler, grayer daylight, so a warm yellow like #E0CEAF can look quieter there. In south-facing rooms, strong light makes the same color look warmer and brighter.
Evening lamps shift things again. Warm bulbs push yellow undertones further toward gold, which suits #CCB581 and the deep browns. If the room feels too yellow at night, try a less orange bulb, or use the green-leaning #C9C9AD on one wall to calm it.
LRV helps you plan. The lighter the color, the more daylight it returns. #E0CEAF at 63 and #C9C9AD at 57 keep a room bright. #CCB581 at 48 holds a middle position. The deep shades at 18, 7 and 6 absorb most of the light, so use them in small amounts if the room is dim.
Test on the wall, not on a small card alone. Paint a large patch, about two feet square, or paint a sheet of board and move it around the room. Do this on at least two walls, because each wall gets different light.
Look at the patch in the morning, at midday and at night with your lamps on. Put it next to your sofa, floor and curtains. Warm colors depend on what sits beside them, and a yellow that looks soft on its own can look strong next to a cool gray rug.
Remember that the paint matches are the closest measured to each color, and a match marked close is not identical. Order a sample of the exact paint, compare it with the swatch on this page, and choose the one you still like after a few days.
Start with #E0CEAF, LRV 63, for light, creamy walls. Choose #CCB581, LRV 48, if you want more color. Both have a warm yellow undertone.
None of the colors on this page is blue. They work as warm partners for a blue you choose elsewhere: cream walls with wheat, brown and wood tones balance a blue sofa or rug. Test the blue sample beside them before you buy.
#E0CEAF has an LRV of 63, so it reflects more light and keeps a small room open. Use the deep browns, with LRV 18 and below, on furniture or textiles rather than on all the walls.
A light wall like #E0CEAF balances dark wood and keeps the room bright. #C9C9AD, a green-leaning light shade, also works if you want a calmer look.
Each color lists the closest commercial paints measured. For #E0CEAF they are Sherwin-Williams SW 6134 Netsuke, Behr UL160-15 Bone and Farrow & Ball No. 8 String, all near-identical. Always test a sample on your own wall.
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.
Warm Kitchen Color Schemes: Cream, Sand and Gold Walls
Warm Home Color Palette: Sand, Cream and Gold With Brown Depth
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Calming Colors for Living Room Walls: Soft Yellow, Blue and Green
Paint Colors for a Small Living Room with Brown Furniture
Beach Paint Colors for Living Room
Painting images: 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.
