Behr Varnished Ivory MQ3-40
Contentsshow +hide -
- Behr MQ3-40 on kitchen cabinets (1 photo)
- Behr Varnished Ivory reviews (2 photos)
- What are Behr Varnished Ivory undertones?
- Is Varnished Ivory MQ3-40 cool or warm?
- How light temperature affects on Varnished Ivory
- Monochromatic color scheme
- Complementary color scheme
- Color comparison and matching
- LRV of Varnished Ivory MQ3-40
- Color codes
- Color equivalents
| Code: | MQ3-40 |
| Name: | Varnished Ivory |
| Brand: | Behr |
What color is Behr Varnished Ivory?
Behr Varnished Ivory MQ3-40 is a light, muted ivory with a noticeable beige cast that keeps it warmer than a crisp white. Its low-contrast, softly earthy appearance can make walls feel bright without looking stark. In north-facing rooms, this shade may read as a gentle greige-ivory, while warm afternoon light brings forward its creamy tan notes. Use it on main living-area walls, bedrooms, or painted trim where a softer alternative to white is wanted. It pairs naturally with warm oak, linen upholstery, aged brass, clay accents, and deeper mushroom or charcoal tones.
Behr MQ3-40 on kitchen cabinets
Want a stylish kitchen? View real-life photo examples of this fascinating warm beige hue is paired with backsplashes, countertops, and hardware.
@simply.white.vintage
Behr Varnished Ivory reviews (2 photos)
View the photos of real spaces painted with this beige that were not included in specific categories. Close-ups, painted furniture, storages and dressers, hallways, stairs and ceilings.
@butterfliesinthyme
@ooh_byrne
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What are Behr Varnished Ivory undertones?
Varnished Ivory is a light, very muted sandy beige. The HEX sample has a subtle yellow-orange bias, but its low chroma turns that hue into a neutral-looking color rather than a clear yellow-orange. Warm bulbs can make it look creamier or more golden, while cool daylight may mute that warmth and pull it closer to beige or greige.
HEX value:
RGB code:
229, 220, 204
Is Behr Varnished Ivory cool or warm?
warm
cool
With a hue of 38°, this Beige reads warm on the HSL color wheel.
MQ3-40 Varnished Ivory HSL code: 38, 32%, 85%
Hue - degree on a color wheel from 0 to 360. 0 is red, 120 is green, and 240 is blue.
Saturation is expressed as a percentage. At 0%, it appears as a shade of grey, and at 100%, it is in full color.
Lightness is also a percentage value. 0% is black, and 100% is white.
How light temperature affects Varnished Ivory
Natural Lighting. During the day, natural light shifts from about 2000 K at sunrise/sunset to 5500–6500 K at noon.
In addition, natural-light temperature depends on its direction:
| Direction of sunlight | Visible temp. | Hue | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | Cool | Bluish | All day |
| East | Warm | Yellow | Before noon |
| West | Warm | Orange-red | After noon |
| South | Warm | Orange-yellow | All day |
Artificial Lighting. When choosing bulbs, pay attention to their color temperature in Kelvins.
Use the slider to see how this Beige shade looks under different lighting:
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Behr Varnished Ivory:
Monochromatic color scheme
This scheme consists of various shades, tints, and tones of a single color. While it offers a perfect combination of hues, without accent décor it may become monotonous.
Lighter shades
MQ3-40
Varnished Ivory
Darker shades
MQ3-40
Varnished Ivory
Complementary color scheme
This color scheme is a combination of two shades that are opposite each other on the color wheel. The high contrast between these colors creates a vibrant and dynamic visual effect. For the color Varnished Ivory with a orange hue, complementary colors are those with a blue hue close to 218, such as Behr Shaved Ice and Adirondack Blue.
LRV of Varnished Ivory
Varnished Ivory has an LRV of 72.09% and refers to Off‑White colors that reflect a lot of light. Why LRV is important?
Light Reflectance Value measures the amount of visible and usable light that reflects from a painted surface.
Simply put, the higher the LRV of a paint color, the brighter the room you will get.
The scale goes from 0% (absolute black, absorbing all light) to 100% (pure white, reflecting all light).
Act like a pro: When choosing paint with an LRV of 72.09%, pay attention to your bulbs' brightness. Light brightness is measured in lumens. The lower the paint's LRV, the higher lumen level you need. Every square foot of room needs at least 40 lumens. That means for a 200 ft2 living room you'll need about 8000 lumens of light – e.g., eight 1000 lm bulbs.
Color codes
We have collected almost every possible color code you could ever need.
Not sure what the difference between HEX and RGB is? We break down color models in plain language. Understanding color models
| Format | Code |
|---|---|
| HEX | #e5dccc |
| RGB Decimal | 229, 220, 204 |
| RGB Percent | 89.80%, 86.27%, 80.00% |
| HSV | Hue: 38° Saturation: 10.92% Value: 89.8% |
| HSL | hsl(38, 32, 85) |
| CMYK | Cyan: 0.0 Magenta: 3.93 Yellow: 10.92 Key: 10.2 |
| YIQ | Y: 220.867 I: 10.505 Q: -3.075 |
| XYZ | X: 68.803 Y: 72.205 Z: 67.423 |
| CIE Lab | L:88.067 a:0.381 b:8.957 |
| CIE Luv | L:88.067 u:6.18 v:13.23 |
| Decimal | 15064268 |
| Hunter Lab | 84.973, -4.171, 12.437 |
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