Ref. #A3805E · CSP-290
Café au Lait
24%LRV Value
Warm (Golden)Undertone
Café au Lait Technical Profile
What color is Café au Lait? It's a deep warm brown with the hex code #A3805E. Café au Lait has a warm (golden) undertone, which affects how it pairs with trim, flooring, and adjacent wall colors. With an LRV of 24, Café au Lait creates a dramatic, enveloping mood — best on accent walls, dining rooms, and intimate spaces where atmosphere matters more than reflected light. As a warm neutral, Café au Lait pairs with off-whites for trim, white oak or walnut floors, and brass or warm brushed nickel hardware. Deep green, navy, or terra-cotta all read well as accent colors. Warm neutrals come alive under 2700K bulbs, where their underlying yellow or peach undertones add visible warmth. Under 4000K daylight they read cleaner and slightly cooler.
Recommended Pairings
Colors That Work With Café au Lait
Timeless pairing with clean white trim and a tonal accent wall
Side Walls
Café au Lait
#A3805E
Accent Wall
Tonal Shift
A warm shift that adds depth without clashing.
#ADAD85
Trim & Molding
Pure White
Crisp white trim for a clean, traditional look.
#FFFFFF
Color Palettes for Café au Lait
Color harmonies based on color theory — each swatch links to the closest matching paint.
Opposite on the color wheel — creates vibrant contrast
Café au Lait Room Palettes
Color schemes built around this color — each swatch links to the closest matching paint.
Warm & Inviting
Warm tones with cozy appeal — welcoming and comfortable
Cool & Calm
Cool hues with soft contrast — serene and restful
Bold Contrast
Complementary hues with punch — dynamic and striking
Similar Benjamin Moore Colors
Other Benjamin Moore colors close to Café au Lait.
More brown colors from other brands
Cross-brand colors in the brown family — useful when you want a similar look from a different brand.
Café au Lait — Frequently Asked Questions
What undertone does Café au Lait have?
Café au Lait by Benjamin Moore has a warm (golden) undertone and belongs to the brown color family.
What is the LRV of Café au Lait?
Café au Lait has an LRV of 24.0, where 0 is pure black and 100 is pure white.
Explore More with Café au Lait
Related Reading
How to Match Paint Colors Across Brands
The science behind Delta E and CIEDE2000 — find a Behr equivalent of any Sherwin-Williams shade, or a Benjamin Moore alternative when your store is out of stock.
Understanding Paint Color Undertones
Why Café au Lait's warm (golden) undertone matters more than its surface color — and how to read undertones in any paint chip.