Quiet Terracotta Ember
Quiet Terracotta Ember: a muted split complementary palette of #AED6D6, #89AFB8, #AF8297, #9A664B, #3E6561. Relaxed, mature and easy to live with; best contrast 4.13:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on beige, teal, pink, with a moderate lightness range. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 4.13:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Clear Water#AED6D6
A light, muted teal (Clear Water) that brings a cool, trustworthy tone. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Open Seas#89AFB8
A light, muted blue (Open Seas) that brings quiet confidence. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Old Rose#AF8297
A medium, muted red (Old Rose) that brings a bold, confident accent. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Leather#9A664B
A medium, muted brown (Leather) that brings earthy, grounded warmth. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Mediterranea#3E6561
A medium, muted teal (Mediterranea) that brings a cool, trustworthy tone. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white6.48:1Good 3/5
- On black13.38:1Excellent 5/5
- Color blind friendly96% 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 | #AED6D6 | 85% |
| ≈ Ash | Accent | #89AFB8 | 73% |
| ≈ Taupe | Surface | #AF8297 | 66% |
| ≈ Terracotta | Primary | #9A664B | 56% |
| ≈ Slate | Text | #3E6561 | 48% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #00201E for text.
:root {
--color-background: #aed6d6;
--color-surface: #af8297;
--color-primary: #9a664b;
--color-accent: #89afb8;
--color-text: #00201e;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #aed6d6;
--color-surface: #af8297;
--color-primary: #9a664b;
--color-accent: #89afb8;
--color-ink: #00201e;
}
About this palette
Quiet Terracotta Ember is palette number 20,858 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a muted palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Terracotta (#9A664B), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as relaxed, mature and easy to live with. Its colors run from Powder Blue (#AED6D6) at the light end to Slate (#3E6561) at the dark end, covering 48% to 85% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Powder Blue #AED6D6: suggested role background. It is a teal color with 85% lightness and a chroma of 0.042.
2. ≈ Ash #89AFB8: suggested role accent. It is a cyan color with 73% lightness and a chroma of 0.043.
3. ≈ Taupe #AF8297: suggested role surface. It is a rose color with 66% lightness and a chroma of 0.062.
4. ≈ Terracotta #9A664B: suggested role primary. It is a orange color with 56% lightness and a chroma of 0.078.
5. ≈ Slate #3E6561: suggested role text. It is a teal color with 48% lightness and a chroma of 0.045.
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 teal, cyan, rose and orange families, spread across 301 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: 2 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 2 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.054 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 Powder Blue (#AED6D6) with Slate (#3E6561) at a contrast ratio of 4.13:1, 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 (#AED6D6), so this page suggests #00201E for text, a darkened Slate that reaches 10.92:1. 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: #AED6D6 as the background, #AF8297 for cards and surfaces, #9A664B as the primary brand color, #89AFB8 as the accent, and #00201E 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 lone hue as the dominant brand color and the two flanking hues as secondary and accent colors.
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 Quiet Terracotta Ember accessible?
Its best pair reaches 4.13:1 (#AED6D6 on #3E6561). 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?
Terracotta (#9A664B) 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.