Settled, side by side

Le Cygne — the swan — is a warm, matte ivory from the French house Ressource. It has the chalky, light-absorbing quality of old lime plaster, which is why it looks so at home on Haussmann panelling and ceiling roses: it softens the light rather than bouncing it around. Cream is present, yellow is not.

A warm pink with just enough grey to keep it adult, Groundhog Day turns afternoon light the color of the inside of a shell. Drenched across walls and ceiling it reads like aged plaster; used on a single wall it warms a room without ever announcing itself as pink.