Pearl Apricot Kettle
Pearl Apricot Kettle: a soft neutral split complementary palette of #96A5A2, #9FBBBA, #D6C2D3, #F9D8D0, #ECF6F1. Pure, minimal and calm; best contrast 2.31:1.
A warm palette of 5 colors drawing on gray, beige, white, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 2.31:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Harbour Mist#96A5A2
A light, neutral teal (Harbour Mist) that brings clean, modern calm. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Shallow Sea#9FBBBA
A light, neutral blue (Shallow Sea) that brings trust and steadiness. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Girl Crush#D6C2D3
A light, neutral purple (Girl Crush) that brings a creative, premium air. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Bloodthirsty Beige#F9D8D0
A very light, muted pink (Bloodthirsty Beige) that brings a warm, expressive tone. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Salt#ECF6F1
A very light, neutral gray (Salt) that brings a steady, composed backdrop. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white2.56:1Poor 1/5
- On black19.01:1Excellent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Taupe | Text | #96A5A2 | 71% |
| ≈ Ash | Accent | #9FBBBA | 77% |
| ≈ Silver | Surface | #D6C2D3 | 84% |
| ≈ Apricot | Primary | #F9D8D0 | 91% |
| ≈ Ivory | Background | #ECF6F1 | 96% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #111D1B for text.
:root {
--color-background: #ecf6f1;
--color-surface: #d6c2d3;
--color-primary: #f9d8d0;
--color-accent: #9fbbba;
--color-text: #111d1b;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #ecf6f1;
--color-surface: #d6c2d3;
--color-primary: #f9d8d0;
--color-accent: #9fbbba;
--color-ink: #111d1b;
}
About this palette
Pearl Apricot Kettle is palette number 7,422 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a soft neutral palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Apricot (#F9D8D0), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as pure, minimal and calm. Its colors run from Ivory (#ECF6F1) at the light end to Taupe (#96A5A2) at the dark end, covering 71% to 96% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Taupe #96A5A2: suggested role text. It is a near-neutral color with 71% lightness and a chroma of 0.017, so it behaves like a neutral.
2. ≈ Ash #9FBBBA: suggested role accent. It is a teal color with 77% lightness and a chroma of 0.031.
3. ≈ Silver #D6C2D3: suggested role surface. It is a magenta color with 84% lightness and a chroma of 0.032.
4. ≈ Apricot #F9D8D0: suggested role primary. It is a red color with 91% lightness and a chroma of 0.039.
5. ≈ Ivory #ECF6F1: suggested role background. It is a near-neutral color with 96% lightness and a chroma of 0.012, so it behaves like a neutral.
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 teal, magenta and red families, spread across 297 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-neutral: 1 of its 3 chromatic colors lean warm and 1 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.026 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 Taupe (#96A5A2) with Ivory (#ECF6F1) at a contrast ratio of 2.31:1, 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 (#ECF6F1), so this page suggests #111D1B for text, a darkened Taupe that reaches 15.64:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under protanopia (reduced red sensitivity), #9FBBBA and #D6C2D3 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #ECF6F1 as the background, #D6C2D3 for cards and surfaces, #F9D8D0 as the primary brand color, #9FBBBA as the accent, and #111D1B 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 lone hue as the dominant brand color and the two flanking hues as secondary and accent colors.
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 Pearl Apricot Kettle accessible?
Its best pair reaches 2.31:1 (#96A5A2 on #ECF6F1). 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?
Apricot (#F9D8D0) 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.