Calm Plum Wharf
Calm Plum Wharf: a muted neutral with an accent palette of #C4C9BE, #AEB3A0, #909685, #7C8075, #655071. Calm, restrained and sophisticated; best contrast 4.23:1.
A warm palette of 5 colors drawing on gray, purple, with a moderate lightness range. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 4.23:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Brume#C4C9BE
A light, neutral gray (Brume) that brings a steady, composed backdrop. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Salvia#AEB3A0
A light, neutral green (Salvia) that brings a fresh, natural feel. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Pebble#909685
A medium, neutral gray (Pebble) that brings a steady, composed backdrop. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Whale#7C8075
A medium, neutral gray (Whale) that brings neutral balance. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Your Majesty#655071
A medium, muted purple (Your Majesty) that brings quiet luxury. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white7.14:1Very good 4/5
- On black12.44:1Excellent 5/5
- Color blind friendly99% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Silver | Background | #C4C9BE | 83% |
| ≈ Ash | Primary | #AEB3A0 | 76% |
| ≈ Taupe | Surface | #909685 | 66% |
| ≈ Teal | Accent | #7C8075 | 59% |
| ≈ Plum | Text | #655071 | 47% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #211528 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #c4c9be;
--color-surface: #909685;
--color-primary: #aeb3a0;
--color-accent: #7c8075;
--color-text: #211528;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #c4c9be;
--color-surface: #909685;
--color-primary: #aeb3a0;
--color-accent: #7c8075;
--color-ink: #211528;
}
About this palette
Calm Plum Wharf is palette number 16,626 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a muted palette built on a neutral with an accent scheme, and it is anchored by Plum (#655071), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as calm, restrained and sophisticated. Its colors run from Silver (#C4C9BE) at the light end to Plum (#655071) at the dark end, covering 47% to 83% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Silver #C4C9BE: suggested role background. It is a near-neutral color with 83% lightness and a chroma of 0.016, so it behaves like a neutral.
2. ≈ Ash #AEB3A0: suggested role primary. It is a near-neutral color with 76% lightness and a chroma of 0.027, so it behaves like a neutral.
3. ≈ Taupe #909685: suggested role surface. It is a near-neutral color with 66% lightness and a chroma of 0.025, so it behaves like a neutral.
4. ≈ Teal #7C8075: suggested role accent. It is a near-neutral color with 59% lightness and a chroma of 0.017, so it behaves like a neutral.
5. ≈ Plum #655071: suggested role text. It is a violet color with 47% lightness and a chroma of 0.058.
Harmony and structure
Four low-chroma colors form a calm foundation and one saturated color from the far side of the wheel acts as the accent.
In this palette the hues fall in the violet family. 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 temperature-neutral: 0 of its 1 chromatic colors lean warm and 0 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.029 makes the saturation soft.
That combination suits editorial websites, lifestyle and home brands and portfolios, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel calm, restrained and sophisticated.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Silver (#C4C9BE) with Plum (#655071) at a contrast ratio of 4.23:1, which is WCAG AA large. Across all 10 possible pairs, 0 reach the 4.5:1 AA level for normal text and 2 more reach 3:1 for large text.
No other palette color reaches 4.5:1 on the background (#C4C9BE), so this page suggests #211528 for text, a darkened Plum that reaches 10.34:1. 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: #C4C9BE as the background, #909685 for cards and surfaces, #AEB3A0 as the primary brand color, #7C8075 as the accent, and #211528 for text (a computed darker shade of Plum, because no palette color is readable on that background). A reliable starting split is 60% background and surface, 30% primary and 10% accent.
Spend the neutrals on backgrounds, text and surfaces, and save the accent for the one thing you want people to notice: a button, a link or a highlight.
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 Calm Plum Wharf accessible?
Its best pair reaches 4.23:1 (#C4C9BE on #655071). 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?
Ash (#AEB3A0) 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 calm, restrained and sophisticated feel works well.