Lush Terracotta Harbor
Lush Terracotta Harbor: a jewel tone split complementary palette of #3F1E00, #5A3503, #0E575E, #47619E, #BF5E1A. Rich, layered and celebratory; best contrast 3.45:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on brown, teal, purple, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.45:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Medium Roast#3F1E00
A very dark, muted brown (Medium Roast) that brings earthy, grounded warmth. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Chocolate Fantasies#5A3503
A dark, muted brown (Chocolate Fantasies) that brings earthy, grounded warmth. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Abyssal Waters#0E575E
A dark, muted teal (Abyssal Waters) that brings a cool, trustworthy tone. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Queen Blue#47619E
A medium, moderately saturated blue (Queen Blue) that brings open, airy calm. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Ginger#BF5E1A
A medium, moderately saturated brown (Ginger) that brings natural comfort. Best for large type, icons and decoration.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white15.03:1Excellent 5/5
- On black4.83:1Good 3/5
- Color blind friendly95% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Espresso | Background | #3F1E00 | 28% |
| ≈ Brown | Accent | #5A3503 | 37% |
| ≈ Pine | Surface | #0E575E | 42% |
| ≈ Slate | Primary | #47619E | 50% |
| ≈ Terracotta | Text | #BF5E1A | 59% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #FEEEE5 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #3f1e00;
--color-surface: #0e575e;
--color-primary: #47619e;
--color-accent: #5a3503;
--color-text: #feeee5;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #3f1e00;
--color-surface: #0e575e;
--color-primary: #47619e;
--color-accent: #5a3503;
--color-ink: #feeee5;
}
About this palette
Lush Terracotta Harbor is palette number 11,287 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a jewel tone palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Terracotta (#BF5E1A), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as rich, layered and celebratory. Its colors run from Terracotta (#BF5E1A) at the light end to Espresso (#3F1E00) at the dark end, covering 28% to 59% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Espresso #3F1E00: suggested role background. It is a orange color with 28% lightness and a chroma of 0.066.
2. ≈ Brown #5A3503: suggested role accent. It is a orange color with 37% lightness and a chroma of 0.079.
3. ≈ Pine #0E575E: suggested role surface. It is a cyan color with 42% lightness and a chroma of 0.067.
4. ≈ Slate #47619E: suggested role primary. It is a blue color with 50% lightness and a chroma of 0.103.
5. ≈ Terracotta #BF5E1A: suggested role text. It is a orange color with 59% lightness and a chroma of 0.145.
Harmony and structure
One hue is paired with the two hues flanking its opposite. You keep most of the energy of a complementary scheme with less tension and more variety.
In this palette the hues fall in the orange, cyan and blue families, spread across 216 degrees of the OKLCH hue circle. Jewel tone palettes keep chroma between 0.1 and 0.2, and lightness between 28% and 58%, which is why the set feels consistent.
Temperature and mood
Overall the palette is temperature-balanced: 3 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 2 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.092 makes the saturation balanced.
That combination suits luxury and hospitality, premium packaging and financial and legal brands, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel rich, layered and celebratory.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Espresso (#3F1E00) with Terracotta (#BF5E1A) at a contrast ratio of 3.45:1, 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 (#3F1E00), so this page suggests #FEEEE5 for text, a lightened Terracotta that reaches 13.29:1. 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: #3F1E00 as the background, #0E575E for cards and surfaces, #47619E as the primary brand color, #5A3503 as the accent, and #FEEEE5 for text (a computed lighter shade of Terracotta, 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 lone hue as the dominant brand color and the two flanking hues as secondary and accent colors.
Typical uses for a jewel tone palette include luxury and hospitality, premium packaging, financial and legal brands and fine-dining menus. 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 Lush Terracotta Harbor accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.45:1 (#3F1E00 on #BF5E1A). 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?
Slate (#47619E) 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 luxury and hospitality, premium packaging, financial and legal brands and fine-dining menus, where a rich, layered and celebratory feel works well.