Calm Turquoise Estuary
Calm Turquoise Estuary: a muted tetradic palette of #CCD2AD, #65C0CC, #8F86A7, #936560, #4B6B5D. Relaxed, mature and easy to live with; best contrast 3.76:1.
A cool palette of 5 colors drawing on green, teal, purple, with a moderate lightness range. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.76:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Nature#CCD2AD
A light, muted green (Nature) that brings balance and health. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Skydive#65C0CC
A light, moderately saturated teal (Skydive) that brings clean, modern calm. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Hatoba Pigeon#8F86A7
A medium, muted purple (Hatoba Pigeon) that brings quiet luxury. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Leather#936560
A medium, muted brown (Leather) that brings earthy, grounded warmth. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ June Ivy#4B6B5D
A medium, muted teal (June Ivy) that brings clean, modern calm. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white5.89:1Good 3/5
- On black13.38:1Excellent 5/5
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Beige | Background | #CCD2AD | 85% |
| ≈ Turquoise | Primary | #65C0CC | 76% |
| ≈ Cornflower | Surface | #8F86A7 | 64% |
| ≈ Slate | Accent | #936560 | 55% |
| ≈ Slate | Text | #4B6B5D | 50% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #042016 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #ccd2ad;
--color-surface: #8f86a7;
--color-primary: #65c0cc;
--color-accent: #936560;
--color-text: #042016;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #ccd2ad;
--color-surface: #8f86a7;
--color-primary: #65c0cc;
--color-accent: #936560;
--color-ink: #042016;
}
About this palette
Calm Turquoise Estuary is palette number 20,482 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a muted palette built on a tetradic scheme, and it is anchored by Turquoise (#65C0CC), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as relaxed, mature and easy to live with. Its colors run from Beige (#CCD2AD) at the light end to Slate (#4B6B5D) at the dark end, covering 50% to 85% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Beige #CCD2AD: suggested role background. It is a yellow color with 85% lightness and a chroma of 0.05.
2. ≈ Turquoise #65C0CC: suggested role primary. It is a cyan color with 76% lightness and a chroma of 0.088.
3. ≈ Cornflower #8F86A7: suggested role surface. It is a violet color with 64% lightness and a chroma of 0.05.
4. ≈ Slate #936560: suggested role accent. It is a red color with 55% lightness and a chroma of 0.061.
5. ≈ Slate #4B6B5D: suggested role text. It is a teal color with 50% lightness and a chroma of 0.043.
Harmony and structure
Four hues are spaced around the wheel in two complementary pairs. It is the richest scheme, and the hardest to balance.
In this palette the hues fall in the yellow, cyan, violet, red and teal families, spread across 271 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 temperature-balanced: 1 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 1 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.058 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 relaxed, mature and easy to live with.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Beige (#CCD2AD) with Slate (#4B6B5D) at a contrast ratio of 3.76:1, 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 (#CCD2AD), so this page suggests #042016 for text, a darkened Slate that reaches 10.94:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under protanopia (reduced red sensitivity), #936560 and #4B6B5D may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #CCD2AD as the background, #8F86A7 for cards and surfaces, #65C0CC as the primary brand color, #936560 as the accent, and #042016 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.
Let one hue take most of the space and use the others sparingly. Control the mood with lightness and saturation rather than hue.
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 Turquoise Estuary accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.76:1 (#CCD2AD on #4B6B5D). 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?
Turquoise (#65C0CC) 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 relaxed, mature and easy to live with feel works well.