Clay Taupe Cascade
Clay Taupe Cascade: a earthy split complementary palette of #FCCEB1, #CB9E70, #458B96, #45537B, #502F22. Organic, honest and tactile; best contrast 8.24:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on beige, orange, teal, with a moderate lightness range. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 8.24:1, enough for body text. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Royal Milk Tea#FCCEB1
A very light, muted beige (Royal Milk Tea) that brings soft, quiet warmth. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Chalet#CB9E70
A light, moderately saturated orange (Chalet) that brings playful warmth. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Waikiki#458B96
A medium, muted teal (Waikiki) that brings clean, modern calm. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Sailor#45537B
A dark, muted blue (Sailor) that brings trust and steadiness. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Couch#502F22
A dark, muted brown (Couch) that brings craft and reliability. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white11.85:1Very good 4/5
- On black14.60:1Excellent 5/5
- Color blind friendly98% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Apricot | Background | #FCCEB1 | 88% |
| ≈ Taupe | Primary | #CB9E70 | 73% |
| ≈ Teal | Surface | #458B96 | 60% |
| ≈ Slate | Accent | #45537B | 45% |
| ≈ Espresso | Text | #502F22 | 34% |
:root {
--color-background: #fcceb1;
--color-surface: #458b96;
--color-primary: #cb9e70;
--color-accent: #45537b;
--color-text: #502f22;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #fcceb1;
--color-surface: #458b96;
--color-primary: #cb9e70;
--color-accent: #45537b;
--color-ink: #502f22;
}
About this palette
Clay Taupe Cascade is palette number 6,580 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a earthy palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Taupe (#CB9E70), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as organic, honest and tactile. Its colors run from Apricot (#FCCEB1) at the light end to Espresso (#502F22) at the dark end, covering 34% to 88% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Apricot #FCCEB1: suggested role background. It is a orange color with 88% lightness and a chroma of 0.065.
2. ≈ Taupe #CB9E70: suggested role primary. It is a orange color with 73% lightness and a chroma of 0.082.
3. ≈ Teal #458B96: suggested role surface. It is a cyan color with 60% lightness and a chroma of 0.072.
4. ≈ Slate #45537B: suggested role accent. It is a blue color with 45% lightness and a chroma of 0.068.
5. ≈ Espresso #502F22: suggested role text. It is a red color with 34% lightness and a chroma of 0.053.
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 227 degrees of the OKLCH hue circle. Earthy palettes keep chroma between 0.04 and 0.11, and lightness between 34% and 86%, 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 0.068 makes the saturation balanced.
That combination suits food and coffee brands, outdoor and craft businesses and interior-design boards, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel organic, honest and tactile.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Apricot (#FCCEB1) with Espresso (#502F22) at a contrast ratio of 8.24:1, which is WCAG AAA. Across all 10 possible pairs, 3 reach the 4.5:1 AA level for normal text and 2 more reach 3:1 for large text.
On the Apricot background (#FCCEB1), #45537B and #502F22 can be used for text at AA contrast.
On the Espresso text color (#502F22), #FCCEB1 and #CB9E70 reach AA contrast.
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: #FCCEB1 as the background, #458B96 for cards and surfaces, #CB9E70 as the primary brand color, #45537B as the accent, and #502F22 for text. 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 earthy palette include food and coffee brands, outdoor and craft businesses, interior-design boards and sustainability reports. 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 Clay Taupe Cascade accessible?
Its best pair reaches 8.24:1 (#FCCEB1 on #502F22). 3 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?
Taupe (#CB9E70) 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 food and coffee brands, outdoor and craft businesses, interior-design boards and sustainability reports, where a organic, honest and tactile feel works well.