Dusty Cornflower Inlet
Dusty Cornflower Inlet: a muted monochromatic palette of #BACBED, #97A7D1, #778EBC, #6C718F, #455B82. Composed, thoughtful and serene; best contrast 4.18:1.
A cool palette of 5 colors drawing on blue, purple, with a moderate lightness range. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 4.18:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Frost Fairy#BACBED
A light, muted blue (Frost Fairy) that brings trust and steadiness. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Old World#97A7D1
A light, muted blue (Old World) that brings open, airy calm. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Galactic Gossamer#778EBC
A medium, muted blue (Galactic Gossamer) that brings open, airy calm. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Dark Prince#6C718F
A medium, muted purple (Dark Prince) that brings quiet luxury. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Sailor#455B82
A medium, muted blue (Sailor) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white6.83:1Good 3/5
- On black12.85:1Excellent 5/5
- Color blind friendly100% similarExcellent 5/5
Contrast is the best any color in the palette reaches on a plain white or black background. Color blind friendly shows how much of the difference between the colors is kept under the common kinds of color blindness.
| Color | Role | HEX | Lightness |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Powder Blue | Background | #BACBED | 84% |
| ≈ Dusty Rose | Surface | #97A7D1 | 73% |
| ≈ Cornflower | Primary | #778EBC | 65% |
| ≈ Slate | Accent | #6C718F | 56% |
| ≈ Slate | Text | #455B82 | 47% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #101A2D for text.
:root {
--color-background: #bacbed;
--color-surface: #97a7d1;
--color-primary: #778ebc;
--color-accent: #6c718f;
--color-text: #101a2d;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #bacbed;
--color-surface: #97a7d1;
--color-primary: #778ebc;
--color-accent: #6c718f;
--color-ink: #101a2d;
}
About this palette
Dusty Cornflower Inlet is palette number 10,530 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a muted palette built on a monochromatic scheme, and it is anchored by Cornflower (#778EBC), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as composed, thoughtful and serene. Its colors run from Powder Blue (#BACBED) at the light end to Slate (#455B82) at the dark end, covering 47% to 84% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Powder Blue #BACBED: suggested role background. It is a blue color with 84% lightness and a chroma of 0.051.
2. ≈ Dusty Rose #97A7D1: suggested role surface. It is a blue color with 73% lightness and a chroma of 0.064.
3. ≈ Cornflower #778EBC: suggested role primary. It is a blue color with 65% lightness and a chroma of 0.074.
4. ≈ Slate #6C718F: suggested role accent. It is a violet color with 56% lightness and a chroma of 0.047.
5. ≈ Slate #455B82: suggested role text. It is a blue color with 47% lightness and a chroma of 0.069.
Harmony and structure
All five colors share almost the same hue and differ mainly in lightness and saturation. Monochromatic palettes are the easiest to keep harmonious, because nothing competes for attention.
In this palette the hues fall in the blue and violet families, spread across 16 degrees of the OKLCH hue circle. Muted palettes keep chroma between 0.035 and 0.09, and lightness between 48% and 84%, which is why the set feels consistent.
Temperature and mood
Overall the palette is cool: 0 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 5 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.061 makes the saturation balanced.
That combination suits editorial websites, lifestyle and home brands and portfolios, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel composed, thoughtful and serene.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Powder Blue (#BACBED) with Slate (#455B82) at a contrast ratio of 4.18:1, which is WCAG AA large. Across all 10 possible pairs, 0 reach the 4.5:1 AA level for normal text and 1 more reach 3:1 for large text.
No other palette color reaches 4.5:1 on the background (#BACBED), so this page suggests #101A2D for text, a darkened Slate that reaches 10.64:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
All five colors stay distinguishable under protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia simulations, which is a good sign, although it is no substitute for testing with real users.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #BACBED as the background, #97A7D1 for cards and surfaces, #778EBC as the primary brand color, #6C718F as the accent, and #101A2D for text (a computed darker shade of Slate, because no palette color is readable on that background). A reliable starting split is 60% background and surface, 30% primary and 10% accent.
Use the lightest color for large areas, the mid tones for structure, and the darkest for text. Add contrast through lightness, since hue will not do it for you.
Typical uses for a muted palette include editorial websites, lifestyle and home brands, portfolios and calm dashboards. Open it in the generator to lock the colors you love and reroll the rest, or in the visualizer to see it on real layouts.
More palettes like this
Frequently asked questions
Is Dusty Cornflower Inlet accessible?
Its best pair reaches 4.18:1 (#BACBED on #455B82). 0 of 10 pairs reach WCAG AA for normal text. Always check the exact text and background you use.
Which color should be the main brand color?
Cornflower (#778EBC) is the most saturated color that is neither the lightest nor the darkest, which makes it the natural primary.
What is this palette good for?
It suits editorial websites, lifestyle and home brands, portfolios and calm dashboards, where a composed, thoughtful and serene feel works well.