Paintings for Light Gray Walls

Cool and even; lets blues and greens breathe, so the coolest palettes come first.

Light Gray #D6D8D9

Cool palettes echo; a warm sunset or terracotta still life contrasts well.

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

Mary Crowninshield Endicott Chamberlain (Mrs. Joseph Chamberlain), John Singer Sargent 22¼ × 40 in portrait print (57 × 102 cm), centered 63¼ 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 coolest come first, then the lightest, to suit a cool gray. The strongest 24 of 1,211.

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

A six-story, narrow building stands alone in an otherwise unoccupied lot under the deck of a high bridge, with a river and cityscape in the background in this horizontal painting.

George Bellows The Lone Tenement, 1909 National Gallery of Art

We look slightly down onto a wooden table or buffet with a basket of fruit, a vase of pink and white flowers, a book, and a small tray holding a teacup, saucer, and two oranges in this horizontal still life painting.

Henri Fantin-Latour Still Life, 1866 National Gallery of Art

A three-part panel featuring a variety of scenes, vertically stacked and richly painted. The central panel features the Virgin Mary and and Child flanked by archangels Gabriel and Michael, twelve disciples below them in grid formation.

Central Ethiopia Triptych, Late 17th century Art Institute of Chicago

The image shows a wide expanse of land with a horizon featuring rolling hills or small mountains and sparse trees. In the foreground, a person in traditional indigenous attire is pulling on a rope tethered to a resisting horse.

George Catlin Catching Wild Horses - Pawnee, 1861/1869 National Gallery of Art

A young, smiling boy in a ruffled collar, hat, and cumberbun rides outdoors on a brown ram, a small whip held aloft in his hand.

Francisco de Goya Boy on a Ram, 1786–87 Art Institute of Chicago

Painted portrait of a seated young light-skinned girl with brown hair in a gauzy white dress and hat, eyes downcast, holding a basket.

Berthe Morisot Young Girl with Hat, 1892 Art Institute of Chicago

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

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

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

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

Three women, one man, and a winged child gather near a cave opening within a vast, distant landscape in this horizontal painting. The people are small in scale, taking up the lower left quadrant of the composition, and all have pale skin.

Claude Lorrain The Judgment of Paris, 1645/1646 National Gallery of Art

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

Winslow Homer The Herring Net, 1885 Art Institute of Chicago

A long haired, bearded man holds a whip and stands in the middle of a crowd of about two dozen people who stand or twist, all in a building with columns and arches in this horizontal painting.

El Greco Christ Cleansing the Temple, probably before 1570 National Gallery of Art

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

A row of about a dozen men and women sit, stand, or stroll along a sandy beach beneath a pale blue sky in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is loosely painted so many of the facial features and other details are indistinct.

Eugène Boudin The Beach, 1877 National Gallery of Art

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

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

Frederic Edwin Church Newport Mountain, Mount Desert, 1851 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

The Ford, Claude Lorrain, possibly 1636, oil on canvas

Claude Lorrain The Ford, possibly 1636 The Met

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

Camille Corot Reverie, 1857 or later The Met

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

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

Frederic Leighton Lucia, possibly late 1870s The Met

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

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

Jan Steen The Lovesick Maiden, ca. 1660 The Met

Cool palettes

Blues, greens and grays. The coolest come first, then the lightest, to suit a cool gray. 12 paintings.

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

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

George Bellows Boy in a Blue Coat, 1915 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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

Soft and muted

Gentle, low-color paintings that keep a pale room calm. The coolest come first, then the lightest, to suit a cool gray. Showing 1 to 48 of 1,315.

Claude Monet Water Lilies, 1906 Art Institute of Chicago

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Seascape, 1879 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting of a light-skinned woman dressed in a gauzy white gown with black trim playing an upright paino.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Woman at the Piano, 1875–76 Art Institute of Chicago

Edward R. Bacon (1846–1915), Anders Zorn, 1897, oil on canvas

Anders Zorn Edward R. Bacon (1846–1915), 1897 The Met

This painting shows a riverside with a cream-colored bridge cutting horizontally across the scene in front of a bustling city. The bridge is decorated with flags that have stripes of red, white, and blue.

Armand Guillaumin The Bridge of Louis Philippe, 1875 National Gallery of Art

A woman stands on a sun-dappled path, which runs past a bank of blooming flowers and back to a cottage in this vertical painting.

Gustave Caillebotte Dahlias, Garden at Petit Gennevilliers, 1893 National Gallery of Art

Houses of Parliament, London, Claude Monet, 1900–1, oil on canvas

Claude Monet Houses of Parliament, London, 1900–1 Art Institute of Chicago

Low Tide at Pourville, near Dieppe, 1882, Claude Monet, 1882, oil on fabric

Claude Monet Low Tide at Pourville, near Dieppe, 1882, 1882 Cleveland Museum of Art

Violet and Silver—The Deep Sea, James McNeill Whistler, 1893, oil on canvas

James McNeill Whistler Violet and Silver—The Deep Sea, 1893 Art Institute of Chicago

Horizontal oil painting in shades of pale purple, pink, and light blue of a bridge composed of multiple linked archways over water, engulfed in hazy fog.

Claude Monet Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight Effect, 1903 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting of a cabin set below a dark blue sky and fluffy white clouds. Behind it is a field of many small white dots. In front, a dark-skinned woman sits and a dark-skinned child plays among roaming chickens and dogs in a fenced-in yard.

Horace Pippin Cabin in the Cotton, c. 1931–37 Art Institute of Chicago

We look down on a few dozen people walking along the sidewalks of a wide, sunlit bridge in this almost square painting. The scene is loosely painted, which gives it a hazy, sun-dappled look and makes some details indistinct.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pont Neuf, Paris, 1872 National Gallery of Art

The Repast of the Lion, Henri Rousseau, ca. 1907, oil on canvas

Henri Rousseau The Repast of the Lion, ca. 1907 The Met

A wide river cuts through a loosely painted, sunlit landscape in this almost square painting.

Alfred Sisley The Banks of the Oise, 1877/1878 National Gallery of Art

An arched bridge faintly materializes in a haze of soft turquoise blue and mint green in this horizontal landscape painting. The bridge has four arches under a flat deck, and it extends off each side of the canvas.

Claude Monet Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk, 1904 National Gallery of Art

A nude man holding a book in one hand and a rock down by his other side kneels at the opening of a rocky cave in this vertical painting. The man’s body and the shadowy cave opening nearly fill the composition.

El Greco Saint Jerome, c. 1610/1614 National Gallery of Art

Northeaster, Winslow Homer, 1895; reworked by 1901, oil on canvas

Winslow Homer Northeaster, 1895; reworked by 1901 The Met

Beaulieu: The Bay of Fourmis, Eugène Boudin, 1892, oil on canvas

Eugène Boudin Beaulieu: The Bay of Fourmis, 1892 The Met

We look slightly down onto the surface of a river in which three narrow canoes, each paddled by a single person, are being rowed toward us in this horizontal landscape painting.

Gustave Caillebotte Skiffs, 1877 National Gallery of Art

Alfred Sisley, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1876, oil on canvas

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Alfred Sisley, 1876 Art Institute of Chicago

Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses, Paul Cézanne, ca. 1890, oil on canvas

Paul Cézanne Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses, ca. 1890 The Met

We look across a shaded field of snow, through a screen of loosely spaced trees at a cobalt-blue mountain that dominates this square landscape painting. The scene is painted with visible brushstrokes throughout.

Abbott Handerson Thayer Mount Monadnock, probably 1911/1914 National Gallery of Art

A tree with emerald-green leaves and laden with white blossoms grows in a dirt field, and is silhouetted against a vibrant blue sky in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is loosely painted with visible dabs and strokes.

Camille Pissarro Orchard in Bloom, Louveciennes, 1872 National Gallery of Art

Jewel-toned blue, red, yellow, green, and pearl white brushstrokes swirl and stretch in this loosely painted horizontal landscape painting.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir The Blue River, c. 1890/1900 National Gallery of Art

At the Seaside, William Merritt Chase, ca. 1892, oil on canvas

William Merritt Chase At the Seaside, ca. 1892 The Met

Lunch at the Restaurant Fournaise (The Rowers' Lunch), Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1875, oil on canvas

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Lunch at the Restaurant Fournaise (The Rowers' Lunch), 1875 Art Institute of Chicago

Shown from the lap up a pale-skinned young girl sits in a grassy landscape in this vertical painting. The girl and surroundings are painted with visible strokes and dashes of mostly vivid greens and blues, which give the scene a soft look.

Camille Pissarro Peasant Girl with a Straw Hat, 1881 National Gallery of Art

Washerwoman, Study, Camille Pissarro, 1880, oil on canvas

Camille Pissarro Washerwoman, Study, 1880 The Met

Berthe Morisot Young Woman with a Straw Hat, 1884 National Gallery of Art

We look across the water at two sailing ships with cream-white sails and dark rigging floating in a shimmering, ice-blue river against a distant shore lined with trees, hills, and buildings in this nearly square landscape painting.

Claude Monet Ships Riding on the Seine at Rouen, 1872/1873 National Gallery of Art

The Petite Creuse River, Claude Monet, 1889, oil on canvas

Claude Monet The Petite Creuse River, 1889 Art Institute of Chicago

Light-colored snowscape with visible brushstrokes featuring a bridge in front of red and white barns and farmhouses, surrounded by trees.

Claude Monet Sandvika, Norway, 1895 Art Institute of Chicago

Figures on the Beach, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1890, oil on canvas

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Figures on the Beach, 1890 The Met

A glass bottle, a glass carafe, a stemmed glass, several pieces of fruit, and white and blue cloths are arranged on a wooden table in this horizontal still life. The bottle and carafe are at the center of this composition.

Paul Cézanne The Peppermint Bottle, 1893/1895 National Gallery of Art

Elie Williams, Charles Willson Peale, 1789, oil on canvas

Charles Willson Peale Elie Williams, 1789 The Met

Painting of softly rendered shapes in pale blue, green, and white. A textured green mass at left resembles foliage. Blue and white cloud-like forms fill the rest of the frame.

Claude Monet Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist), 1897 Art Institute of Chicago

From low on a hillside, we look up at a light-skinned woman and boy standing in tall grass against a sunny blue sky in this vertical painting.

Claude Monet Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son, 1875 National Gallery of Art

The Island of San Michele, Venice, Francesco Guardi, 1770s, oil on canvas

Francesco Guardi The Island of San Michele, Venice, 1770s The Met

Lion on the Watch, Jean-Léon Gérôme, c. 1885, oil on wood panel

Jean-Léon Gérôme Lion on the Watch, c. 1885 Cleveland Museum of Art

From under an elevated train track, we look at a cluster of people hammering and working on the far side of a wooden fence, all against a silvery-blue building that fills most of the background in this horizontal painting.

George Bellows Blue Morning, 1909 National Gallery of Art

The "Kearsarge" at Boulogne, Édouard Manet, 1864, oil on canvas

Édouard Manet The "Kearsarge" at Boulogne, 1864 The Met

We look up at the exterior of a church that soars the height of this vertical painting.

Claude Monet Rouen Cathedral, West Façade, 1894 National Gallery of Art

Loosely painted image of an open-air train station. On the right, a parked train gives off an enormous plumb of white smoke, making the scene look as though it were full of clouds.

Claude Monet Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare, 1877 Art Institute of Chicago

The Factory Village, Julian Alden Weir, 1897, oil on canvas

Julian Alden Weir The Factory Village, 1897 The Met

The Pool at Jas de Bouffan, Paul Cézanne, ca. 1885–86, oil on canvas

Paul Cézanne The Pool at Jas de Bouffan, ca. 1885–86 The Met

Still Life with a Ginger Jar and Eggplants, Paul Cézanne, 1893–94, oil on canvas

Paul Cézanne Still Life with a Ginger Jar and Eggplants, 1893–94 The Met

From atop a high hill, we look across a broad valley leading to a winding river in this loosely painted horizontal landscape. The scene is created entirely with visible brushstrokes in fresh and vibrant green and shimmering and smoky blues.

Theodore Robinson The Valley of the Seine, from the Hills of Giverny, 1892 National Gallery of Art

Terrace and Observation Deck at the Moulin de Blute-Fin, Montmartre, Vincent van Gogh, Early 1887, oil on canvas, mounted on pressboard

Vincent van Gogh Terrace and Observation Deck at the Moulin de Blute-Fin, Montmartre, Early 1887 Art Institute of Chicago

Other wall colors