Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Japandi style · colors from 6 paintings
A zen bedroom works best with a soft off-white wall, a sandy neutral and a few dark, earthy accents. These six colors were measured from paintings and define the Japandi style. Each one comes with its LRV and the closest paint match.
Quick answer
Use the soft off-white #E3DCD7 on the walls, keep the sandy #CABFAE for textiles, and use the dark brown #55453C and green #657867 in small pieces.
A very light, neutral off-white at LRV 72 for all four walls, the ceiling and trim. It was measured from Apples and Grapes by Claude Monet.
From Apples and Grapes, Claude Monet
A light shade with a warm yellow undertone at LRV 53, good for curtains, a bed throw or a feature wall in a bright room. It comes from Charing Cross Bridge, London by Claude Monet.
From Charing Cross Bridge, London, Claude Monet
A deep gray-brown with a warm red-orange undertone at LRV 16, suited to a floor, a bench or a headboard. It was measured from Mother and Child by the Sea by Johan Christian Dahl.
From Mother and Child by the Sea, Johan Christian Dahl
A deep green at LRV 17 for a plant pot, a cushion or one piece of art. It comes from the portrait of the Marquise d'Argence by Jean Marc Nattier.
From Marie Françoise de La Cropte de St. Abre, Marquise d'Argence (born 1714), Jean Marc Nattier
A very dark brown at LRV 7 for a low bed frame or a side table. It was measured from Medea Rejuvenating Aeson by Corrado Giaquinto.
From Medea Rejuvenating Aeson, Corrado Giaquinto
A near-black at LRV 0 with no close paint match, best for thin details such as a lamp base or a frame. It comes from the portrait of Madame Grand by Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun.
From Madame Grand (Noël Catherine Vorlée, 1761–1835), Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
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 Stone White | ||||
| Warm Sand |
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 Apples and Grapes.
The wall color decides how calm the room feels, so start with the lightest shade. The soft off-white #E3DCD7 has an LRV of 72 and no clear undertone, which keeps it quiet. The closest measured matches are Cultured Pearl from Sherwin-Williams, Creme De La Creme from Behr and Strong White from Farrow & Ball.
If you want a little more warmth, the sandy #CABFAE has an LRV of 53 and a warm yellow undertone. It is darker, so it suits a bedroom with good daylight. Its nearest match is Sandbar from Sherwin-Williams.
Use one of these two on all four walls, not both. A single wall color with the other one in textiles is easier to live with and keeps the room restful.
Before you buy, hold a sample of each next to a white sheet of paper. The off-white and the sand look very different side by side, and you will see at once which one fits your bedroom.
Zen rooms rely on few colors and plenty of empty space, so trim and ceiling should stay close to the walls. Painting the ceiling and trim in #E3DCD7 as well makes the edges soft instead of sharp. For the floor, wood near #7A6B61 gives a warm, low-contrast base. At LRV 16 it is deep, but its red-orange undertone keeps it friendly.
The dark brown #55453C, with an LRV of 7, suits a low bed frame or a bench. The green #657867 (LRV 17) works best in small amounts, such as a plant pot or a cushion. The near-black #0E0D0B has an LRV of 0 and no close commercial match, so keep it to thin details like a lamp base or a picture frame.
If you are unsure about the green, repeat it in one more place, such as a leaf print or a bedside plant, so it looks planned and not random.
North-facing bedrooms lose warmth, and a neutral off-white can look gray there. The warm yellow undertone in #CABFAE can help in that case. In strong south or west light, #E3DCD7 reads bright and clean, so you rarely need anything lighter.
Under evening bulbs, the warm red-orange undertone in #7A6B61 and #55453C deepens and feels cozy. Cool daylight bulbs can make the green #657867 look flatter, so choose warm bulbs if you want the palette to stay soft.
Dark colors with an LRV below 20 absorb light. If you use them on large surfaces in a bedroom with one small window, plan for extra lamps.
A paper lantern or a linen shade with a warm bulb is a simple way to keep these colors soft in the evening without changing any paint.
Paint samples on two walls, each at least one foot square, and leave them for three days. Look at them in the morning, at midday and at night. Move a large sample board around the room, because corners and window walls light up differently.
Place the sample next to your real bedding, wood floor and curtains. Off-whites change a lot beside fabric. Compare #E3DCD7 and #CABFAE side by side, since the gap of 19 LRV points is easy to see in the room but hard to judge on a small chip.
If you choose a deep shade such as #55453C for a bed wall, test it with two coats. Dark colors often look different once they are dry.
Keep a small notebook of what you saw at each hour. Zen rooms depend on small differences, and notes make the final choice easier.
This page shows six measured colors: a soft off-white, a sandy beige, a warm gray-brown, a muted green, a dark brown and a near-black. Together they give a calm, low-contrast room.
The off-white #E3DCD7 is quieter, with an LRV of 72. The beige #CABFAE is warmer but darker, at LRV 53, so it works best where daylight is good.
Yes, in small amounts. The dark brown #55453C (LRV 7) suits a bed frame or bench, and the near-black #0E0D0B suits thin details. Keep the walls light.
The muted green #657867 has a green undertone and an LRV of 17. The closest matches are Basil from Sherwin-Williams, Pepper Mill from Behr and Green Smoke from Farrow & Ball.
No. The matches are the closest colors measured, not recommendations. Always brush out a sample of any paint before you buy a full can.
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.
