What colour is ecru? Examples in real houses
Ecru, like mauve, taupe and cyan, is one of those dubious and hard-to-pin-down colours that crops up repeatedly in interior design. Like the others, ecru sits between several other better-known colours, and its exact visual parameters are somewhat up for debate. Here’s what we can say for certain: ecru is a blend of grey, beige, cream and a dash of yellow. It’s not quite greige, though, less creamy than cream, and certainly not eggshell. Perhaps it has a touch of biscuit.
The word itself was originally used to describe unbleached linen – in French écru means “raw”, or crude – and has also typically been equated with silk, and with sand, as a colour rather than a substance. As a neutral tone, ecru is a good colour in which to paint one’s walls, joinery and/or fittings and doors, although it tends to work best when paired with something a little bolder; beware trying to pull off the all-ecru design scheme unless you are literally Rose Uniacke. Paint & Paper Library’s Stone series, including five tones ranging from light to dark numbered I-V, might be a good reference point.
Perhaps the best way to get a handle on ecru is to take inspiration from real-life houses by real-life designers. Luckily, we’ve assembled some of the best examples of ecru from the extensive House & Garden archives below.










