Paintings for Greige Walls

The modern neutral that hides behind almost any painting, with soft, muted works first.

Greige #D9D2C5

Muted palettes echo; one saturated accent in the painting carries the room.

Warm palettes 1,211
Cool palettes 12
Soft and muted 1,315

Marie Emilie Coignet de Courson (1716–1806) with a Dog, Jean-Honoré Fragonard 16 × 20 in portrait print (41 × 51 cm), centered 53¼ in from the floor, 8 in above the sofa. Drawn to scale on a 12 × 8 ft wall.

Wall color

Default greige

Warm palettes

Golds, reds and browns. The softest come first, then the lightest, so nothing shouts against greige. The strongest 24 of 1,211.

Marie Emilie Coignet de Courson (1716–1806) with a Dog, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, ca. 1769, oil on canvas

Jean-Honoré Fragonard Marie Emilie Coignet de Courson (1716–1806) with a Dog, ca. 1769 The Met

The Lovesick Maiden, Jan Steen, ca. 1660, oil on canvas

Jan Steen The Lovesick Maiden, ca. 1660 The Met

Mary Campbell Stuart, Gilbert Stuart, c. 1815, oil on wood

Gilbert Stuart Mary Campbell Stuart, c. 1815 Cleveland Museum of Art

Arched Doorway, John Singer Sargent, 1895–1908 (?), watercolor and gouache on white wove paper

John Singer Sargent Arched Doorway, 1895–1908 (?) The Met

Lucia, Frederic Leighton, possibly late 1870s, oil on canvas

Frederic Leighton Lucia, possibly late 1870s The Met

Painting of two fishermen in small wooden boat on rocky seas.

Winslow Homer The Herring Net, 1885 Art Institute of Chicago

Joseph-Antoine Moltedo (born 1775), Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, ca. 1810, oil on canvas

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Joseph-Antoine Moltedo (born 1775), ca. 1810 The Met

The Collector of Prints, Edgar Degas, 1866, oil on canvas

Edgar Degas The Collector of Prints, 1866 The Met

Boy with a Lute, Frans Hals, ca. 1625, oil on canvas

Frans Hals Boy with a Lute, ca. 1625 The Met

Variations in Violet and Grey—Market Place, Dieppe, James McNeill Whistler, 1885, gouache and watercolor on off-white wove paper, mounted on academy board

James McNeill Whistler Variations in Violet and Grey—Market Place, Dieppe, 1885 The Met

Shown from the knees up, a young woman with pale skin and flushed cheeks looks at us, wearing a long, shimmering white dress partially draped with powder-blue fabric in this vertical portrait painting.

John Singer Sargent Mary Crowninshield Endicott Chamberlain (Mrs. Joseph Chamberlain), 1902 National Gallery of Art

Don Andrés de Andrade y la Cal, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, ca. 1665–72, oil on canvas

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Don Andrés de Andrade y la Cal, ca. 1665–72 The Met

Edgar Degas Woman Ironing, begun c. 1876, completed c. 1887 National Gallery of Art

Newport Mountain, Mount Desert, Frederic Edwin Church, 1851, oil on canvas

Frederic Edwin Church Newport Mountain, Mount Desert, 1851 National Gallery of Art

This painting depicts a seated woman looking off to the left, resting her head on her right hand, our left, with her elbow on an abstract green surface.

Joshua Reynolds Annetta Coke, 1758 National Gallery of Art

A Cottage in the Woods, Meindert Hobbema, c. 1662, oil on canvas

Meindert Hobbema A Cottage in the Woods, c. 1662 Cleveland Museum of Art

Reverie, Camille Corot, 1857 or later, oil on wood

Camille Corot Reverie, 1857 or later The Met

Cottage Children (The Wood Gatherers), Thomas Gainsborough, 1787, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Cottage Children (The Wood Gatherers), 1787 The Met

A barefoot man wearing tattered clothing, with his hands clasped at his chest, kneels at the feet of an old, bearded man in this almost square painting. The pair is flanked by five people on our right and a man, boy, and calf on our left.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo The Return of the Prodigal Son, 1667/1670 National Gallery of Art

The Garden of the Tuileries on a Winter Afternoon, Camille Pissarro, 1899, oil on canvas

Camille Pissarro The Garden of the Tuileries on a Winter Afternoon, 1899 The Met

A light-skinned man in red and woman in blue sit with an infant between them, angels beside and above them, a small town in the background.

Fra Bartolommeo The Nativity, 1504–7 Art Institute of Chicago

Men and women line up to either side of a man seated on a throne in this long, horizontal painting.

Giovanni Bellini An Episode from the Life of Publius Cornelius Scipio, after 1506 National Gallery of Art

Shown from the waist up, a woman with pale skin and brown hair, wearing a dark corset and white fabric over her shoulders, looks down at needlework in her hands in this vertical painting.

Diego Velázquez The Needlewoman, c. 1640/1650 National Gallery of Art

The Young Virgin, Francisco de Zurbarán, ca. 1632–33, oil on canvas

Francisco de Zurbarán The Young Virgin, ca. 1632–33 The Met

Cool palettes

Blues, greens and grays. The softest come first, then the lightest, so nothing shouts against greige. 12 paintings.

Vivid, lush view of rolling waves in purple, white, blue, and green against a bright blue sky with a watercolor-like blending of blues and purples. Sea and sky nearly become one.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Seascape, 1879 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting of a pond seen up close spotted with thickly painted pink and white water lilies and a shadow across the top third of the picture.

Claude Monet Water Lilies, 1906 Art Institute of Chicago

Painted almost entirely in tones of topaz, lapis, and sky blue, the façade of a building abutting a waterway fills this horizontal painting. Brushstrokes are visible throughout and they blend to make the scene appear hazy.

Claude Monet Palazzo da Mula, Venice, 1908 National Gallery of Art

A small brown dog and a pale-skinned little girl wearing a white dress sit in matching celestial-blue armchairs in this horizontal painting. To our right, the girl sits with her legs angled to our left.

Mary Cassatt Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, 1878 National Gallery of Art

Rear Admiral George W. Melville, Thomas Eakins, 1905, oil on canvas

Thomas Eakins Rear Admiral George W. Melville, 1905 National Gallery of Art

Lucie Berard (Child in White), Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1883, oil on canvas

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Lucie Berard (Child in White), 1883 Art Institute of Chicago

Boy in a Blue Coat, George Bellows, 1915, oil on canvas

George Bellows Boy in a Blue Coat, 1915 Cleveland Museum of Art

Edward VI (1537–1553), When Duke of Cornwall, Hans Holbein the Younger, ca. 1545; reworked 1547 or later, oil and gold on oak

Hans Holbein the Younger Edward VI (1537–1553), When Duke of Cornwall, ca. 1545; reworked 1547 or later The Met

Painting of a crowd of well-dressed light-skinned people in an open, snowy field surrounded by large rolling hills.

George Bellows Love of Winter, 1914 Art Institute of Chicago

Shown from the chest up, a man with short, orange hair and green-tinted, pale skin looks at us, wearing a vivid blue painter's smock in this vertical portrait painting.

Vincent van Gogh Self-Portrait, 1889 National Gallery of Art

Portrait of a Woman, Corneille de Lyon, c. 1540, oil on wood

Corneille de Lyon Portrait of a Woman, c. 1540 Cleveland Museum of Art

Ship in Full Sail, T. Davies, 1827, oil on canvas

T. Davies Ship in Full Sail, 1827 National Gallery of Art

Soft and muted

Gentle, low-color paintings that keep a pale room calm. The softest come first, then the lightest, so nothing shouts against greige. Showing 1 to 48 of 1,315.

Castel San Elmo (from Cropsey Album), Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1848, graphite, white gouache, and watercolor on dark buff-colored wove paper

Jasper Francis Cropsey Castel San Elmo (from Cropsey Album), 1848 The Met

A Fisherman, Eastman Johnson, 1865, brown inks on tan-color sized canvas

Eastman Johnson A Fisherman, 1865 The Met

Evening, New Bedford Harbor, Dwight William Tryon, 1890, oil on wood

Dwight William Tryon Evening, New Bedford Harbor, 1890 The Met

Saddle Horse in Farm Yard, Winslow Homer, ca. 1870–75, oil on wood

Winslow Homer Saddle Horse in Farm Yard, ca. 1870–75 The Met

The Circumcision, Giovanni Bellini, 1511, oil on wood

Giovanni Bellini The Circumcision, 1511 The Met

View near Sherburne, Chenango County, New York, Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1853, oil on canvas

Jasper Francis Cropsey View near Sherburne, Chenango County, New York, 1853 The Met

Moonrise at Sunset, Dwight William Tryon, 1890, oil on wood

Dwight William Tryon Moonrise at Sunset, 1890 The Met

Lake George, New York, John Frederick Kensett, 1872, oil on canvas

John Frederick Kensett Lake George, New York, 1872 The Met

Study of a Tree, Albert Bierstadt, ca. 1864, oil on paper mounted on board

Albert Bierstadt Study of a Tree, ca. 1864 The Met

Moonlight, Dwight William Tryon, 1887, oil on wood

Dwight William Tryon Moonlight, 1887 The Met

Lake George, A Reminiscence, John Frederick Kensett, 1872, oil on canvas

John Frederick Kensett Lake George, A Reminiscence, 1872 The Met

Village in Brittany, Charles-François Daubigny, 1844, oil on paper, mounted on canvas

Charles-François Daubigny Village in Brittany, 1844 Art Institute of Chicago

Environs of Fontainebleau: Woodland and Cattle, Rosa Bonheur, 1864, oil on canvas

Rosa Bonheur Environs of Fontainebleau: Woodland and Cattle, 1864 The Met

Capriccio: The Lagoon, Francesco Guardi, After 1770, oil on canvas

Francesco Guardi Capriccio: The Lagoon, After 1770 Art Institute of Chicago

Allegorical Figure Representing Temperance, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1760, fresco, transferred to canvas

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Allegorical Figure Representing Temperance, 1760 The Met

Nocturnal landscape painting with lush trees and a large patch of sky with visible brushstrokes. Multiple small, seated figures line the foreground.

Narcisse Virgilio Díaz de la Peña Landscape with Figures, c. 1870 Art Institute of Chicago

Fish, William Merritt Chase, by 1910, oil on canvas

William Merritt Chase Fish, by 1910 The Met

Virgin and Child, Peter Paul Rubens, 1619, oil on wood

Peter Paul Rubens Virgin and Child, 1619 The Met

Sanford Robinson Gifford, Eastman Johnson, 1880, oil on academy board

Eastman Johnson Sanford Robinson Gifford, 1880 The Met

Jonathan Sturges, Asher Brown Durand, ca. 1840, oil on canvas

Asher Brown Durand Jonathan Sturges, ca. 1840 The Met

Portrait of a Man with Gray Hair, Henry Raeburn, 1810–20, oil on canvas

Henry Raeburn Portrait of a Man with Gray Hair, 1810–20 Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of a Gentleman, Charles Willson Peale, ca. 1775, oil on canvas

Charles Willson Peale Portrait of a Gentleman, ca. 1775 The Met

Portrait of a Woman, Charles Willson Peale, ca. 1775, oil on canvas

Charles Willson Peale Portrait of a Woman, ca. 1775 The Met

Martin Euclid Thompson, William Sidney Mount, 1830, oil on canvas

William Sidney Mount Martin Euclid Thompson, 1830 The Met

The Red Kerchief, Claude Monet, c. 1868–73, oil on fabric

Claude Monet The Red Kerchief, c. 1868–73 Cleveland Museum of Art

This painting is a portrait of a man shown from the chest up, with his body partially turned to the right and his head facing us, the right side of his face in shadow.

Robert Henri George Cotton Smith, 1908 National Gallery of Art

Early Morning After a Storm at Sea, Winslow Homer, 1900–1903, oil on canvas

Winslow Homer Early Morning After a Storm at Sea, 1900–1903 Cleveland Museum of Art

Edward Guthrie Kennedy, James McNeill Whistler, 1893–95, oil on wood

James McNeill Whistler Edward Guthrie Kennedy, 1893–95 The Met

Rue Eugène Moussoir at Moret: Winter, Alfred Sisley, 1891, oil on canvas

Alfred Sisley Rue Eugène Moussoir at Moret: Winter, 1891 The Met

We look onto two black-headed ducks twisting and flailing midair against a slate-gray landscape in this horizontal painting. The silvery white body of the bird to our left faces us as its neck twists to our left, its black wings extended.

Winslow Homer Right and Left, 1909 National Gallery of Art

Tiburcio Pérez y Cuervo (1785/86–1841), the Architect, Francisco de Goya, 1820, oil on canvas

Francisco de Goya Tiburcio Pérez y Cuervo (1785/86–1841), the Architect, 1820 The Met

Painting of a beach on a cloudy day with several sailboats on the water, a few rowboats on the shore, and two groupings of people on the sand.

Claude Monet The Beach at Sainte-Adresse, 1867 Art Institute of Chicago

A stream meanders back through snowbanks in this wooded landscape, which is created entirely with cool, pale tones of white, gray, blue, lilac, and golden beige in this nearly square painting.

John Henry Twachtman Winter Harmony, c. 1890/1900 National Gallery of Art

Snow at Louveciennes, Camille Pissarro, c. 1870, oil on panel

Camille Pissarro Snow at Louveciennes, c. 1870 Art Institute of Chicago

Moonlight, Wood Island Light, Winslow Homer, 1894, oil on canvas

Winslow Homer Moonlight, Wood Island Light, 1894 The Met

The Place du Havre, Paris, Camille Pissarro, 1893, oil on canvas

Camille Pissarro The Place du Havre, Paris, 1893 Art Institute of Chicago

Young Peasant Having Her Coffee, Camille Pissarro, 1881, oil on canvas

Camille Pissarro Young Peasant Having Her Coffee, 1881 Art Institute of Chicago

Near the center of the painting, a masted wooden ship floats against a vibrant sunset that fades from lilac purple to carnation pink along the horizon line, which comes about a quarter of the way up this horizontal landscape.

Fitz Henry Lane Lumber Schooners at Evening on Penobscot Bay, 1863 National Gallery of Art

Apples and grapes rest in a shallow wicker basket on a table covered with a light-colored cloth. Additional fruit is scattered on the table.

Claude Monet Apples and Grapes, 1880 Art Institute of Chicago

Self-Portrait at Spurveskjul, Vilhelm Hammershøi, 1911, oil on canvas

Vilhelm Hammershøi Self-Portrait at Spurveskjul, 1911 The Met

This painting shows a waterfront with boats and buildings in the distance. The shadowy horizon line divides the composition between the gray sky and gray water. The distant shore features faint outlines of buildings.

James McNeill Whistler Grey and Silver: Chelsea Wharf, c. 1864/1868 National Gallery of Art

Idle Hours, Julian Alden Weir, 1888, oil on canvas

Julian Alden Weir Idle Hours, 1888 The Met

Mountain Scene, Albert Bierstadt, 1880–90, oil on paper

Albert Bierstadt Mountain Scene, 1880–90 The Met

Abstract line composition of black lines at right angles forming quadrants including a gray square at upper left and a gray rectangle and red rectangle at lower right, against a white background.

Piet Mondrian Composition (No. 1) Gray-Red, 1935 Art Institute of Chicago

Saint-Mammès, Loing Canal, Alfred Sisley, 1885, oil on fabric

Alfred Sisley Saint-Mammès, Loing Canal, 1885 Cleveland Museum of Art

A two-masted ship with sails furled has been pulled onto a beach as dozens of people bustle on and around it in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is loosely painted and many details are indistinct throughout.

Eugène Boudin Return of the Terre-Neuvier, 1875 National Gallery of Art

Firemen's Washing Day, William P. Chappel, 1870s, oil on slate paper

William P. Chappel Firemen's Washing Day, 1870s The Met

Stream and Rocks, John Singer Sargent, ca. 1901–8, watercolor, gouache, and graphite on white wove paper

John Singer Sargent Stream and Rocks, ca. 1901–8 The Met

Other wall colors