Calm Brown Cascade
Calm Brown Cascade: a muted complementary palette of #745719, #857957, #7E8CAB, #A2B1E2, #DBC38B. Relaxed, mature and easy to live with; best contrast 3.90:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on brown, yellow, purple, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.90:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Coffee Adept#745719
A medium, moderately saturated brown (Coffee Adept) that brings craft and reliability. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Boa#857957
A medium, muted yellow (Boa) that brings light and cheer. Best for large type, icons and decoration.
- ≈ Galactic Gossamer#7E8CAB
A medium, muted blue (Galactic Gossamer) that brings trust and steadiness. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Sky Blue#A2B1E2
A light, muted blue (Sky Blue) that brings quiet confidence. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Halo#DBC38B
A light, muted beige (Halo) that brings an inviting neutral base. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white6.73:1Good 3/5
- On black12.19:1Excellent 5/5
- Color blind friendly97% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Brown | Text | #745719 | 48% |
| ≈ Olive | Accent | #857957 | 58% |
| ≈ Cornflower | Surface | #7E8CAB | 64% |
| ≈ Silver | Primary | #A2B1E2 | 77% |
| ≈ Sand | Background | #DBC38B | 82% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #241903 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #dbc38b;
--color-surface: #7e8cab;
--color-primary: #a2b1e2;
--color-accent: #857957;
--color-text: #241903;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #dbc38b;
--color-surface: #7e8cab;
--color-primary: #a2b1e2;
--color-accent: #857957;
--color-ink: #241903;
}
About this palette
Calm Brown Cascade is palette number 3,225,114 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a muted palette built on a complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Brown (#745719), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as relaxed, mature and easy to live with. Its colors run from Sand (#DBC38B) at the light end to Brown (#745719) at the dark end, covering 48% to 82% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Brown #745719: suggested role text. It is a yellow color with 48% lightness and a chroma of 0.086.
2. ≈ Olive #857957: suggested role accent. It is a yellow color with 58% lightness and a chroma of 0.051.
3. ≈ Cornflower #7E8CAB: suggested role surface. It is a blue color with 64% lightness and a chroma of 0.049.
4. ≈ Silver #A2B1E2: suggested role primary. It is a blue color with 77% lightness and a chroma of 0.072.
5. ≈ Sand #DBC38B: suggested role background. It is a yellow color with 82% lightness and a chroma of 0.078.
Harmony and structure
Two hues sit opposite each other on the wheel, each with a close companion. Complementary palettes have built-in tension: the opposite hues make each other look more vivid.
In this palette the hues fall in the yellow and blue families, spread across 189 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: 3 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 2 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.067 makes the saturation balanced.
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 Brown (#745719) with Sand (#DBC38B) at a contrast ratio of 3.90:1, 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 (#DBC38B), so this page suggests #241903 for text, a darkened Brown that reaches 10.03:1. 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: #DBC38B as the background, #7E8CAB for cards and surfaces, #A2B1E2 as the primary brand color, #857957 as the accent, and #241903 for text (a computed darker shade of Brown, because no palette color is readable on that background). A reliable starting split is 60% background and surface, 30% primary and 10% accent.
Give one side of the wheel to the background and structure and the other to calls to action. A small amount of the opposing hue goes a long way.
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.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Calm Brown Cascade accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.90:1 (#745719 on #DBC38B). 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 (#A2B1E2) 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.