Café au Lait

Technical Profile

What color is Café au Lait? It's a medium warm brown with the hex code #A3805E. Café au Lait is a distinctive shade in the Benjamin Moore lineup, and while close cross-brand equivalents exist, its specific blend of warm tone and medium depth gives it a character worth comparing in person. Café au Lait has a warm (golden) undertone, which affects how it pairs with trim, flooring, and adjacent wall colors. Understanding a color's undertone is key to avoiding combinations that clash — it often matters more than the surface color itself. Café au Lait (#A3805E) by Benjamin Moore is a medium brown paint color with a balanced saturation that feels natural and approachable. It delivers a versatile mid-tone depth that anchors a room without overwhelming it. On the temperature spectrum this shade leans toward warmth, adding coziness and inviting energy. In its RGB breakdown, red is the dominant channel, which gives it a subtle rosy warmth even under different lighting conditions. A Light Reflectance Value of 52 gives it moderate light reflection, striking a balance between brightness and depth. A mid-tone neutral at this depth adds sophisticated warmth or coolness to living rooms, bedrooms, and transitional hallways, grounding the space without closing it in. A satin or eggshell finish brings out the richness at this depth, and the slight sheen makes walls easier to maintain. For color coordination, Café au Lait pairs beautifully with blue tones for bold complementary contrast, or with neighboring yellow and red hues for a harmonious, flowing palette. Its warm (golden) undertone means trim and ceiling whites should lean neutral to avoid a jarring clash. In terms of mood and atmosphere, Café au Lait strikes a cozy, amber-toned balance that feels like late-afternoon light filtering through linen curtains. Designers often reach for shades like this when the goal is to shape how a room feels, not just how it looks. This shade is a natural fit for a wide range of interior design styles. As part of the Benjamin Moore palette, Café au Lait benefits from a curated selection of coordinating colors that the brand recommends for trim, accent, and ceiling pairings. As with any paint color, Café au Lait can shift noticeably between natural daylight, warm incandescent, and cool LED lighting — testing a sample swatch on your wall under different conditions is always recommended. Mid-tone shades like this look best when balanced with a mix of textures — think leather seating, brushed brass hardware, woven wool, and raw-edge wood. You can order Café au Lait (CSP-290) directly from Benjamin Moore or through major paint retailers, and we recommend purchasing a peel-and-stick sample to preview it on your wall before buying gallons.