Paper Ivory Estuary
Paper Ivory Estuary: a soft neutral tetradic palette of #D6F7DD, #D2E1F0, #D8BCD2, #C9B3A0, #8BAEB1. Light, balanced and effortless; best contrast 2.07:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on green, gray, beige, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 2.07:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Minty Fresh#D6F7DD
A very light, muted teal (Minty Fresh) that brings a coastal freshness. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Cotton Clouds#D2E1F0
A very light, neutral blue (Cotton Clouds) that brings trust and steadiness. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Girl Crush#D8BCD2
A light, muted purple (Girl Crush) that brings imagination and polish. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Soba#C9B3A0
A light, muted orange (Soba) that brings playful warmth. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Harbour Mist#8BAEB1
A light, muted teal (Harbour Mist) that brings clean, modern calm. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white2.38:1Poor 1/5
- On black18.20:1Excellent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Ivory | Background | #D6F7DD | 95% |
| ≈ Fog | Surface | #D2E1F0 | 90% |
| ≈ Silver | Primary | #D8BCD2 | 83% |
| ≈ Ash | Accent | #C9B3A0 | 78% |
| ≈ Ash | Text | #8BAEB1 | 73% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #002022 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #d6f7dd;
--color-surface: #d2e1f0;
--color-primary: #d8bcd2;
--color-accent: #c9b3a0;
--color-text: #002022;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #d6f7dd;
--color-surface: #d2e1f0;
--color-primary: #d8bcd2;
--color-accent: #c9b3a0;
--color-ink: #002022;
}
About this palette
Paper Ivory Estuary is palette number 21,998 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a soft neutral palette built on a tetradic scheme, and it is anchored by Ivory (#D6F7DD), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as light, balanced and effortless. Its colors run from Ivory (#D6F7DD) at the light end to Ash (#8BAEB1) at the dark end, covering 73% to 95% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Ivory #D6F7DD: suggested role background. It is a green color with 95% lightness and a chroma of 0.049.
2. ≈ Fog #D2E1F0: suggested role surface. It is a near-neutral color with 90% lightness and a chroma of 0.026, so it behaves like a neutral.
3. ≈ Silver #D8BCD2: suggested role primary. It is a magenta color with 83% lightness and a chroma of 0.043.
4. ≈ Ash #C9B3A0: suggested role accent. It is a orange color with 78% lightness and a chroma of 0.037.
5. ≈ Ash #8BAEB1: suggested role text. It is a cyan color with 73% lightness and a chroma of 0.038.
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 green, magenta, orange and cyan families, spread across 270 degrees of the OKLCH hue circle. Soft neutral palettes keep chroma between 0.01 and 0.05, and lightness between 72% and 96%, which is why the set feels consistent.
Temperature and mood
Overall the palette is temperature-balanced: 1 of its 4 chromatic colors lean warm and 1 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.039 makes the saturation soft.
That combination suits minimal websites, fashion lookbooks and stationery, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel light, balanced and effortless.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Ivory (#D6F7DD) with Ash (#8BAEB1) at a contrast ratio of 2.07:1, which is below the WCAG AA minimum of 4.5:1. Across all 10 possible pairs, 0 reach the 4.5:1 AA level for normal text and 0 more reach 3:1 for large text.
No other palette color reaches 4.5:1 on the background (#D6F7DD), so this page suggests #002022 for text, a darkened Ash that reaches 14.80:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under protanopia (reduced red sensitivity), #C9B3A0 and #8BAEB1 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning. Under tritanopia (reduced blue sensitivity), #D6F7DD and #D2E1F0 and #D8BCD2 and #C9B3A0 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #D6F7DD as the background, #D2E1F0 for cards and surfaces, #D8BCD2 as the primary brand color, #C9B3A0 as the accent, and #002022 for text (a computed darker shade of Ash, 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 soft neutral palette include minimal websites, fashion lookbooks, stationery and note-taking and documentation apps. 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 Paper Ivory Estuary accessible?
Its best pair reaches 2.07:1 (#D6F7DD on #8BAEB1). 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?
Silver (#D8BCD2) 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 minimal websites, fashion lookbooks, stationery and note-taking and documentation apps, where a light, balanced and effortless feel works well.