Paint Story
Color in context. Paint color says a lot about the people who once lived and worked in these properties. Paint reflects cultural aspirations and regional taste—and the technology and use of paint has evolved over time. Early houses utilized linseed oil-based paint and then later incorporated lead to create vibrant and long-lasting color. Since the late-1970s, the use of lead paint has been banned from use. Read more about NRF’s commitment to lead-paint remediation here.
Paint past. Initial NRF restoration projects included exposing a small section of material that contained early paint examples as a historical record and for future analysis. We expect that our use of paint will continue to evolve— with colors changing to match more period-appropriate palettes— as we learn more about the many layers of paint in each of our houses.
Paint today. NRF interior and exterior paint colors today are informed by what was considered historically appropriate at the time of restoration in the 1960s and 1970s. In many cases, our founder Doris Duke selected paint from the “Colors of Historic Newport,” a palette developed from research conducted by Antoinette Downing for The Architectural Heritage of Newport Rhode Island.
We’ve recently digitized our exterior and interior paint archive through a collaborative effort with Salve Regina University’s internship program so that this important resource can be publicly accessible.
Below is a selection of exterior paint colors from our portfolio
Red Hues
Colony Red #5D2B2E
Mixture:
MCL RD 4Y 44.375, MCL HB 0Y 12.750, MCL HS 2Y 29.375, MCL IS 1Y 20.250, MCL WH 0Y 27.750
Base Color:
CP40295
Manufacturer:
California Pants
Type:
Exterior
Shaker Red #73403C
Mixture: B 1Y2.000/48, V 7Y40.000/48, KX 1Y12.000/48, F 2Y8.000/48
Base Color: CP40295 Neutral
Manufacturer: California Paints
Type: Exterior
Dark Purple #4c3641
Manufacturer: Benjamin Moore
Type: Exterior
Richardson Brick Red #975D73
Mixture: BK 0Y 35.125, RO 6Y 3.750, VT 4Y 8.000, WH 5Y 20.125
Base Color: CP40295
Manufacturer: California Paints
Type: Exterior
Green Hues
Hunter Green #35524E
Mixture: B 16, C 36, D 3Y+38, L 7Y+32, W 22
Base Color: 17-841/17-921
Manufacturer: PPG Products
Type: Exterior
Bottle Green #3F7275
Mixture: HB 1Y 45.875, HK 2Y 37.375 , YO 6Y 27.000, HY 0Y 12.000, WH 1Y 45.750
Base Color: CP40295
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Moss Glen #4C4942
Mixture: B 4Y 18.000, C 1Y 40.000, KX 1Y 20.000, L 4Y 46.000
Base Color: CP40295 Neutral
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Pettingill Sage #887E6B
Mixture: B 3Y 20.000, C 4Y 44.000, F 0Y 10.000
Base Color: CP40293 Deep
Manufacturer: California Paints
Type: Exterior
Wilbour Green #818077
Mixture: B 2Y 12.000, C 2Y 24.000, F 0Y 4.000, KX 0Y 20.000
Base Color: CP40293
Manufacturer: California Paints
Type: Exterior
Sussex Green #817d65
Manufacturer: Benjamin Moore
Type: Exterior
Blue Hues
Newport Indigo #313F62
Mixture: E 3Y16.000/48, V 2Y24.000/48, B 0Y20.000/48, KX 0Y24.000/48
Base Color: CP40295
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Newport Blue #69A4B8
Mixture: B 3Y 36.000, C-80 0Y 6.000, D 0Y 26.000, E 2Y 37.500, KX 5Y 17.000
Base Color: CP40295
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Prussian Blue #839DB6
Mixture: B 2Y 34.000, E 5Y 47.000, KX 2Y 1.000, V 1Y 13.000
Base Color: CP40295 Neutral
Manufacturer: California Paints
Type: Exterior
Pewter Grey #8CA2A6
Mixture: B-7Y10, C-1Y, F-0.5, W-6
Base Color: 82-520
Manufacturer: PPG Products
Type: Exterior
Yellow Hues
Chestnut Brown #453939
Mixture: B 8Y 20.000, C 1Y 0.000, F 3Y 2.000, KX 1Y 6.000
Base Color: CP40295 Neutral
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Brattle Spruce #444442
Mixture: B 8Y24.000/48, C1Y28.000/48, D 0Y18.000/48, KX 1Y44.000/48
Base Color: CP40295 Neutral
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Farm House Ochre #BD7E3B
Mixture: B 0Y6.000/48, C 10Y4.000/48, F 0Y4.000/48, KX 0Y40.000/48
Base Color: CP40295 Neutral
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Danish Pine #BA9568
Mixture: L 3Y16.000/48, T 3Y36.000/48, V 0Y28.000/48, KX 0Y36.000/48
Base Color: CP40293
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Flaxen Field #BA9568
Mixture: B 0Y32.000/48, C 1Y40.000, I 0Y12.000/48, KX 1Y0.000/48
Base Color: CP40293 Deep
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Jamesboro Gold #998165
Mixture: C 5Y 15.00, D 1Y 11.00, I 3Y 16.500
Base Color: CP40293
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Britches #A28E73
Mixture: B 1Y36.000/48, C 3Y22.000/48, F 0Y6.000/48, KX 0Y20.000/48
Base Color: CP40293
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Knightly Straw #EEDFC2
Mixture: B 0Y6.000/48, C 0Y22.000/48, V 0Y2.000/48
Base Color: CP40291 Pastel
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Livery Brown #BEB5AC
Mixture: B 8Y 21.000, C-80 1Y 9.000, F-35 OY 33.500, KX 1Y 33.000
Base Color: CP40295
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Phelps Putty #C4BEAE
Mixture: B 0Y40.000/48, C 1Y6.000/48, I 0Y10.000/48
Base Color: CP40292 Med
Manufacturer: California Paints
Type: Exterior
Jewett White #E4DCCA
Mixture: B 0Y6.000/48, C 0Y22.000/48, V 0Y2.000/48
Base Color: CP40291 Pastel
Manufacturer: California Pants
Type: Exterior
Neutrals Hues
Titanium White #e4e4e4
Type: Exterior
Stock Black #000000
Type: Exterior
How these paints are used
Interested in learning more about NRF’s paint archive? Explore the use of the paint across our portfolio, search the collection above, or fill out a research request form.
