CP

Butterscotch & Charcoal Color Scheme

A warm golden butterscotch paired with deep charcoal and a soft linen for a moody, modern look that feels rich but never heavy. Every shade is matched to real paint you can buy.

By Emily Roberts · DIY Editor & First-Timer's Guide

Start with Golden Butterscotch, a warm honey-toned gold that fills a space with the kind of glow you get late in the afternoon. It is rich and a little nostalgic, but it stays grown-up and modern rather than sweet. On the walls it sets a relaxed, welcoming mood, and it gives the rest of the scheme a warm foundation to build on.

Then Soft Charcoal steps in on the trim and grounds all that warmth with a deep, smoky anchor that makes the gold look intentional and crisp. A wash of Pale Linen keeps the whole thing from feeling too dark, bringing in light and breathing room on ceilings, built-ins, or a quiet wall. Together they are flexible enough to carry a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, or an entire home, holding their warmth in big open spaces and small cozy ones alike.

View palette in
Golden Butterscotch
walls
Sherwin-Williams Golden Rule · SW 6383
#CC9249
LRV 34
Soft Charcoal
trim
Behr Limousine Leather · MQ5-05
#3B3C3B
LRV 4
Pale Linen
accent
Behr Dover Cliffs · ECC-28-2
#F0E9D8
LRV 82

Buy These Colors

Each color matched to the closest real paint in every brand, by ΔE2000. Tap a swatch for its full guide or + to save it — take any SKU to the store, they mix on demand.

Golden Butterscotch
#CE9447 · LRV 35 · walls
Sherwin-Williams · SW 6383 · ΔE 0.97
Behr · M270-6 · ΔE 2.54
Benjamin Moore · 2160-30 · ΔE 2.08
Valspar · 3004-5A · ΔE 1.68
PPG / Glidden · PPG16-12 · ΔE 1.27
Glidden · PPG16-12 · ΔE 1.13
Dutch Boy · 215-5DB · ΔE 0.97
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 2142 · ΔE 0.97
Dunn-Edwards · DE5334 · ΔE 2.61
Magnolia Home · JG-152 · ΔE 10.39
Farrow & Ball · NO. 66 · ΔE 4.05
Diamond Vogel · 0914 · ΔE 1.72
Hirshfield's · H0024 · ΔE 0.98
Rodda · R053 · ΔE 6
C2 Paint · C2-603 · ΔE 3.16
Clare · PNT100-DP-59 · ΔE 6.81
Portola Paints · BANDELIER · ΔE 8.56
Annie Sloan · BARCELONA ORANGE · ΔE 8.73
Backdrop · BD-AN · ΔE 16.09
Rust-Oleum · 398640 · ΔE 8.79
Kompozit · 0989 · ΔE 2.98
Soft Charcoal
#3C3B38 · LRV 4 · trim
Sherwin-Williams · SW 6994 · ΔE 2.84
Behr · MQ5-05 · ΔE 1.62
Benjamin Moore · 2135-10 · ΔE 3.06
Valspar · V120-3 · ΔE 2.89
PPG / Glidden · PPG0995-7 · ΔE 2.17
Glidden · 00NN 05/000 · ΔE 2.75
Dutch Boy · 438-6DB · ΔE 2.65
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 3291 · ΔE 5.14
Dunn-Edwards · DEA002 · ΔE 2.06
Magnolia Home · JG-150 · ΔE 5.03
Farrow & Ball · NO. 256 · ΔE 1.74
Diamond Vogel · H101 · ΔE 2.72
Hirshfield's · 0529 · ΔE 2.09
Rodda · CA213 · ΔE 3.59
C2 Paint · C2-981 · ΔE 1.95
Clare · PNT100-DP-54 · ΔE 4.06
Portola Paints · NOMAD · ΔE 7.54
Annie Sloan · AUBUSSON BLUE · ΔE 11.33
Backdrop · BD-AH · ΔE 4.2
Rust-Oleum · 285144 · ΔE 4.66
Kompozit · 0529 · ΔE 2.09
Pale Linen
#EFE8D8 · LRV 81 · accent
Sherwin-Williams · SW 7563 · ΔE 0.73
Behr · ECC-28-2 · ΔE 0.45
Benjamin Moore · 947 · ΔE 0.85
Valspar · 8003-25A · ΔE 0.91
PPG / Glidden · PPG1098-1 · ΔE 0.49
Glidden · PPG14-23 · ΔE 0.52
Dutch Boy · 008W · ΔE 0.48
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 4033 · ΔE 1.27
Dunn-Edwards · DE6190 · ΔE 0.75
Magnolia Home · JG-23 · ΔE 1.18
Farrow & Ball · NO. 2002 · ΔE 0.75
Diamond Vogel · 0285 · ΔE 1.4
Hirshfield's · 0362 · ΔE 1.03
Rodda · R127 · ΔE 0.45
C2 Paint · C2-596 · ΔE 1.07
Clare · PNT100-LT-62 · ΔE 1.81
Portola Paints · CASA FORMA · ΔE 1.03
Annie Sloan · OLD OCHRE · ΔE 9.71
Backdrop · BD-DS · ΔE 2.93
Rust-Oleum · 329598 · ΔE 3.87
Kompozit · 0362 · ΔE 1.03

Questions

What colors go with golden butterscotch?

Deep charcoal and a soft warm white are the easiest partners. The charcoal gives the golden tone something solid to lean on, and the linen keeps everything bright and open.

Is butterscotch and charcoal too bold for a small space?

Not at all. Keep butterscotch on the walls and use charcoal only on trim or one detail, then let the pale linen open the room back up. That balance keeps a small space cozy instead of closed-in.

What undertones should I watch with this combo?

Golden butterscotch leans warm and a little orange, so pair it with a charcoal that has a touch of warmth too. A cold blue-gray charcoal can fight the gold, while a soft warm charcoal blends right in.

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