Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Yellow · colors from 2 paintings
A yellow palette for the home works when the yellow is golden, not bright, and paired with deep browns and a dark green. These colors were measured from two 15th-century paintings and show how painters balanced warm gold with strong accents.
Quick answer
Paint the walls golden yellow #DFB96E and use #C49A5A on the main furniture. Keep #7D4E30 for wood, dark green #394745 for a bold piece, and #C94826 for small accents.
A mid-tone yellow at LRV 36, good for furniture, leather or a library wall. It comes from Saint George by Carlo Crivelli, 1472.
From Saint George, Carlo Crivelli
A light yellow at LRV 52, the best wall color in the palette. It was measured from Saint Christopher Meets Satan by Martin de Soria.
From Saint Christopher Meets Satan; Saint Christopher before the King of Lycia, Martin de Soria
A deep red-brown at LRV 10 for wood floors, doors or a mantel. It comes from Saint George by Carlo Crivelli.
From Saint George, Carlo Crivelli
A very dark brown at LRV 3 for built-ins, frames and textiles. It sits next to the gold in Saint George by Carlo Crivelli.
From Saint George, Carlo Crivelli
A very dark green at LRV 6 that calms the yellow. Use it on a door, a chair or kitchen cabinets; it comes from Saint Christopher Meets Satan by Martin de Soria.
From Saint Christopher Meets Satan; Saint Christopher before the King of Lycia, Martin de Soria
A strong orange-red at LRV 17, best in a pillow, a vase or a small accent. It comes from Saint Christopher Meets Satan by Martin de Soria.
From Saint Christopher Meets Satan; Saint Christopher before the King of Lycia, Martin de Soria
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antique Gold | ||||
| Warm Straw Yellow |
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.
Choose #DFB96E for walls. Its LRV of 52 makes it light enough to brighten a room, while the golden, warm yellow undertone keeps it from looking acid or lemony.
The deeper #C49A5A, at LRV 36, is better for furniture or a single wall, since it is more like antique gold than paint for a whole room.
Both yellows have a warm undertone. They look best with wood, brass and natural fabrics, and less good next to cool gray or blue furniture.
If your house has a lot of yellow already, such as honey floors, go slightly paler on the walls so the room does not feel flat and orange.
The paintings show three partners. The first is brown, in the form of #7D4E30 and #4B291D. Use them for wood, a rug or a door.
The second is dark green. #394745 is very dark, so it works as a grounding color in a dining chair, a cabinet or a front door. It makes the yellow look brighter by contrast.
The third is the orange-red #C94826. At LRV 17 it is strong, so keep it to small things: cushions, a bowl, a print. In the painting it takes only a small part of the canvas, and that is a good guide for a room too.
For trim, use a creamy white with a touch of yellow instead of a bright blue-white.
Yellow changes more than most colors. In north light, #DFB96E can look thinner and a bit green, so it helps to use more of the warm brown in the room.
In south light, yellow can look stronger and more saturated. Rooms with large windows can take a deeper yellow like #C49A5A, while smaller rooms may feel better with the lighter one.
Under warm evening bulbs, yellow glows and becomes more orange. This makes the room cozy, but it also means the green #394745 can look nearly black, so check it again at night.
If you plan to use yellow outside the house, remember that sunlight makes colors look lighter, so choose one step deeper than your sample suggests.
Paint samples at least two feet wide on two walls. Yellow is the color people most often find too bright once it covers a whole room.
Check them in the morning, afternoon and evening, and compare against your floor and curtains. If the sample looks stronger than expected, try a lighter version of the same color.
The nearest paint matches in the data are very close for the main colors, for example Sherwin-Williams SW 9026 Tarnished Trumpet for #DFB96E and SW 6389 Butternut for #C49A5A. Use them as a starting point and compare with your own sample.
Add the dark colors last. A green door or brown trim can change how the yellow feels, so test them next to the yellow.
Deep brown, dark green and a creamy trim color. These come from the same paintings as the yellows.
Golden yellow #DFB96E walls with #7D4E30 brown wood and #394745 green accents. Add #C94826 in tiny amounts.
Not if it is golden. #DFB96E has an LRV of 52 and a warm tone, so it looks soft and not harsh.
Yes, as a small accent. #C94826 works in a pillow or a vase, but not on a whole wall.
A warm cream. Bright white can make golden yellow look dingy.
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.
