Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Emerald · colors from 4 paintings
Emerald green looks best with a warm cream, a muted clay red and a deep plum. This page shows four greens and three partner colors, all measured from paintings. Each one lists its LRV and the closest paint match.
Quick answer
Pair the deep green #336445 with the warm cream #D6D1B9 on the walls. Add the clay red #AC6759 for wood or a rug, and keep the plum #503B4C for a small accent.
A deep green at LRV 10 that works on a feature wall, built-ins or a door. It was measured from Oil Sketch for A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat.
From Oil Sketch for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884", Georges Seurat
A mid-tone green at LRV 25, the most vivid green here, suited to a chair or a rug. It comes from La Berceuse by Vincent van Gogh.
From La Berceuse (Woman Rocking a Cradle; Augustine-Alix Pellicot Roulin, 1851–1930), Vincent van Gogh
A mid-tone green at LRV 39 that gives a lighter wall option or a sofa color. It was measured from Roses by Vincent van Gogh.
From Roses, Vincent van Gogh
A deep olive with a warm yellow undertone at LRV 7, a quiet partner for emerald in wood or cabinets. It comes from Man Weighing Gold by Adriaen Isenbrant.
From Man Weighing Gold, Adriaen Isenbrant
A light cream at LRV 63 with a warm yellow undertone for walls and trim next to dark green. It was measured from Roses by Vincent van Gogh.
From Roses, Vincent van Gogh
A mid-tone red-orange at LRV 19 for wood furniture, a rug or a door. It comes from Oil Sketch for A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat.
From Oil Sketch for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884", Georges Seurat
A very dark pink-red at LRV 5 for curtains, a velvet cushion or a small piece of furniture. It was measured from Oil Sketch for A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat.
From Oil Sketch for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884", Georges Seurat
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bright Jade | ||||
| Soft Leaf Green | ||||
| Warm 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 Oil Sketch for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884".
The easiest partner is a warm cream. #D6D1B9 has an LRV of 63 and a warm yellow undertone, so it keeps a deep green room from feeling cold. Its closest measured matches are Ancient Marble from Sherwin-Williams and Casual Khaki from Behr.
For contrast, use the clay red #AC6759. Red and green sit opposite each other, and this muted version avoids a holiday look. It has an LRV of 19, so it suits wood, a rug or an armchair.
A very dark plum such as #503B4C adds depth in small amounts. Use it for a velvet cushion or lamp shade, not for a large surface.
Gold and brass fixtures look natural with these colors, because the warm yellow undertones in the olive and cream echo the metal.
The page shows four greens, and they work in layers. The deep emerald #336445 (LRV 10) is the strongest and suits one wall or built-in shelves. The bright jade #3F9964 (LRV 25) is more vivid and works for a chair or a rug. The soft leaf green #95B17F (LRV 39) is the lightest and works for a sofa or curtains.
The dark olive #4D4C27 has a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 7. It links green with wood. Use it for cabinets, a door or picture frames.
For trim and ceiling, keep the cream. A white ceiling can look cold next to emerald.
Keep the red and plum to small amounts. One or two items are enough, and they should repeat in at least two places in the room.
Dark green absorbs light. With an LRV of 10, #336445 can look almost black in a north-facing room with little daylight. In bright south light, it shows its green clearly.
Under warm evening bulbs, the emerald deepens and feels rich, and the cream #D6D1B9 turns golden. This is a good time to use warm lamps around the room rather than one overhead light.
If a room is small, use the deep green on one wall and the lighter greens in fabrics. This keeps the colors in the room without making it feel closed in.
If the room has a lot of dark wood, use more of the cream so the emerald does not make the space feel heavy.
Paint a large sample of the emerald on the wall where it will go, and put the cream next to it. Dark colors look different against a light neighbor than they do alone.
Bring in a piece of your wood furniture and a fabric swatch. A clay red wood tone looks great beside emerald, but a yellow-toned wood may change the balance.
Check the samples in the morning, at noon and at night. Dark greens need two coats to look even, so test with two coats on your sample board.
Look at the samples with your actual sofa, rug or curtains nearby. Green changes a lot beside other fabrics.
A warm cream such as #D6D1B9, a muted clay red such as #AC6759 and a deep plum such as #503B4C all work. They come from the same paintings as the greens.
No gold paint was measured here. The warm olive #4D4C27 and cream #D6D1B9 sit well beside emerald, and brass or gold fixtures can supply the metal.
Yes. Use the deep emerald #336445 for the walls and a lighter green such as #95B17F in fabrics, so the greens look related and not random.
The closest matches are Espalier from Sherwin-Williams, Rainforest from Behr and Poker Green from Valspar. Test a sample on your wall.
It can be, on one wall. With an LRV of 10 it absorbs light, so balance it with a cream wall and a lamp in the room.
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.
