Weathered Terracotta Kettle
Weathered Terracotta Kettle: a muted split complementary palette of #735241, #A1714A, #68979B, #9CB5DF, #F4C1AE. Relaxed, mature and easy to live with; best contrast 4.34:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on brown, orange, teal, with a moderate lightness range. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 4.34:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Bigfoot#735241
A medium, muted brown (Bigfoot) that brings natural comfort. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Mocha#A1714A
A medium, moderately saturated orange (Mocha) that brings a sunny, approachable mood. Best for large type, icons and decoration.
- ≈ Cavolo Nero#68979B
A medium, muted blue (Cavolo Nero) that brings open, airy calm. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Mont Blanc#9CB5DF
A light, muted blue (Mont Blanc) that brings quiet confidence. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Taco#F4C1AE
A very light, muted orange (Taco) that brings friendly optimism. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white6.97:1Good 3/5
- On black13.08:1Excellent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Slate | Text | #735241 | 47% |
| ≈ Terracotta | Primary | #A1714A | 59% |
| ≈ Mint | Surface | #68979B | 64% |
| ≈ Silver | Accent | #9CB5DF | 77% |
| ≈ Apricot | Background | #F4C1AE | 85% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #291409 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #f4c1ae;
--color-surface: #68979b;
--color-primary: #a1714a;
--color-accent: #9cb5df;
--color-text: #291409;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #f4c1ae;
--color-surface: #68979b;
--color-primary: #a1714a;
--color-accent: #9cb5df;
--color-ink: #291409;
}
About this palette
Weathered Terracotta Kettle is palette number 6,242 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a muted palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Terracotta (#A1714A), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as relaxed, mature and easy to live with. Its colors run from Apricot (#F4C1AE) at the light end to Slate (#735241) at the dark end, covering 47% to 85% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Slate #735241: suggested role text. It is a orange color with 47% lightness and a chroma of 0.052.
2. ≈ Terracotta #A1714A: suggested role primary. It is a orange color with 59% lightness and a chroma of 0.081.
3. ≈ Mint #68979B: suggested role surface. It is a cyan color with 64% lightness and a chroma of 0.051.
4. ≈ Silver #9CB5DF: suggested role accent. It is a blue color with 77% lightness and a chroma of 0.067.
5. ≈ Apricot #F4C1AE: suggested role background. It is a red color with 85% lightness and a chroma of 0.064.
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 orange, cyan, blue and red families, spread across 219 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 0.063 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 Slate (#735241) with Apricot (#F4C1AE) at a contrast ratio of 4.34:1, 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 (#F4C1AE), so this page suggests #291409 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: #F4C1AE as the background, #68979B for cards and surfaces, #A1714A as the primary brand color, #9CB5DF as the accent, and #291409 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.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Weathered Terracotta Kettle accessible?
Its best pair reaches 4.34:1 (#735241 on #F4C1AE). 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 (#A1714A) 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.