Paper Taupe Aurora
Paper Taupe Aurora: a soft neutral monochromatic palette of #FFEFE9, #E5D7D0, #CDC4C1, #C3B7B1, #B99F99. Pure, minimal and calm; best contrast 2.21:1.
A warm palette of 5 colors drawing on white, gray, red, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 2.21:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Salt#FFEFE9
A very light, neutral gray (Salt) that brings calm restraint. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Bone#E5D7D0
A very light, neutral gray (Bone) that brings a steady, composed backdrop. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Dim#CDC4C1
A light, neutral gray (Dim) that brings a steady, composed backdrop. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Mothy#C3B7B1
A light, neutral gray (Mothy) that brings neutral balance. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Hickory#B99F99
A light, neutral orange (Hickory) that brings friendly optimism. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white2.47:1Poor 1/5
- On black18.77:1Excellent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Ivory | Background | #FFEFE9 | 96% |
| ≈ Fog | Primary | #E5D7D0 | 89% |
| ≈ Silver | Accent | #CDC4C1 | 83% |
| ≈ Ash | Surface | #C3B7B1 | 79% |
| ≈ Taupe | Text | #B99F99 | 72% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #281511 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #ffefe9;
--color-surface: #c3b7b1;
--color-primary: #e5d7d0;
--color-accent: #cdc4c1;
--color-text: #281511;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #ffefe9;
--color-surface: #c3b7b1;
--color-primary: #e5d7d0;
--color-accent: #cdc4c1;
--color-ink: #281511;
}
About this palette
Paper Taupe Aurora is palette number 2,526 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a soft neutral palette built on a monochromatic scheme, and it is anchored by Taupe (#B99F99), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as pure, minimal and calm. Its colors run from Ivory (#FFEFE9) at the light end to Taupe (#B99F99) at the dark end, covering 72% to 96% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Ivory #FFEFE9: suggested role background. It is a near-neutral color with 96% lightness and a chroma of 0.019, so it behaves like a neutral.
2. ≈ Fog #E5D7D0: suggested role primary. It is a near-neutral color with 89% lightness and a chroma of 0.018, so it behaves like a neutral.
3. ≈ Silver #CDC4C1: suggested role accent. It is a near-neutral color with 83% lightness and a chroma of 0.011, so it behaves like a neutral.
4. ≈ Ash #C3B7B1: suggested role surface. It is a near-neutral color with 79% lightness and a chroma of 0.016, so it behaves like a neutral.
5. ≈ Taupe #B99F99: suggested role text. It is a red color with 72% lightness and a chroma of 0.032.
Harmony and structure
All five colors share almost the same hue and differ mainly in lightness and saturation. Monochromatic palettes are the easiest to keep harmonious, because nothing competes for attention.
In this palette the hues fall in the red family. 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-neutral: 1 of its 1 chromatic colors lean warm and 0 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.019 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 pure, minimal and calm.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Ivory (#FFEFE9) with Taupe (#B99F99) at a contrast ratio of 2.21:1, 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 (#FFEFE9), so this page suggests #281511 for text, a darkened Taupe that reaches 15.57:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under protanopia (reduced red sensitivity), #CDC4C1 and #C3B7B1 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning. Under deuteranopia (reduced green sensitivity), #CDC4C1 and #C3B7B1 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning. Under tritanopia (reduced blue sensitivity), #CDC4C1 and #C3B7B1 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #FFEFE9 as the background, #C3B7B1 for cards and surfaces, #E5D7D0 as the primary brand color, #CDC4C1 as the accent, and #281511 for text (a computed darker shade of Taupe, 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 lightest color for large areas, the mid tones for structure, and the darkest for text. Add contrast through lightness, since hue will not do it for you.
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 Taupe Aurora accessible?
Its best pair reaches 2.21:1 (#FFEFE9 on #B99F99). 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?
Fog (#E5D7D0) 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 pure, minimal and calm feel works well.