Dusty Slate Nectar
Dusty Slate Nectar: a muted split complementary palette of #C3CAEF, #AEAADD, #AC8F74, #747F5F, #425984. Composed, thoughtful and serene; best contrast 4.34:1.
A cool palette of 5 colors drawing on purple, orange, green, 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
- ≈ Frost Fairy#C3CAEF
A light, muted blue (Frost Fairy) that brings open, airy calm. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Lucius Lilac#AEAADD
A light, muted purple (Lucius Lilac) that brings quiet luxury. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Cocoloco#AC8F74
A medium, muted orange (Cocoloco) that brings a sunny, approachable mood. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Bonsai#747F5F
A medium, muted yellow (Bonsai) that brings a bright, hopeful note. Best for large type, icons and decoration.
- ≈ Sailor#425984
A medium, muted blue (Sailor) that brings trust and steadiness. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white7.01:1Very good 4/5
- On black13.01:1Excellent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Silver | Background | #C3CAEF | 85% |
| ≈ Lilac | Primary | #AEAADD | 76% |
| ≈ Taupe | Surface | #AC8F74 | 67% |
| ≈ Olive | Accent | #747F5F | 58% |
| ≈ Slate | Text | #425984 | 46% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #101A2D for text.
:root {
--color-background: #c3caef;
--color-surface: #ac8f74;
--color-primary: #aeaadd;
--color-accent: #747f5f;
--color-text: #101a2d;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #c3caef;
--color-surface: #ac8f74;
--color-primary: #aeaadd;
--color-accent: #747f5f;
--color-ink: #101a2d;
}
About this palette
Dusty Slate Nectar is palette number 7,642 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a muted palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Slate (#425984), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as composed, thoughtful and serene. Its colors run from Silver (#C3CAEF) at the light end to Slate (#425984) at the dark end, covering 46% to 85% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Silver #C3CAEF: suggested role background. It is a violet color with 85% lightness and a chroma of 0.052.
2. ≈ Lilac #AEAADD: suggested role primary. It is a violet color with 76% lightness and a chroma of 0.073.
3. ≈ Taupe #AC8F74: suggested role surface. It is a orange color with 67% lightness and a chroma of 0.052.
4. ≈ Olive #747F5F: suggested role accent. It is a green color with 58% lightness and a chroma of 0.049.
5. ≈ Slate #425984: suggested role text. It is a blue color with 46% lightness and a chroma of 0.076.
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 violet, orange, green and blue families, spread across 223 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 cool: 1 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 3 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.06 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 composed, thoughtful and serene.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Silver (#C3CAEF) with Slate (#425984) 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 (#C3CAEF), so this page suggests #101A2D for text, a darkened Slate that reaches 10.77:1. 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: #C3CAEF as the background, #AC8F74 for cards and surfaces, #AEAADD as the primary brand color, #747F5F as the accent, and #101A2D 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.
More palettes like this
Frequently asked questions
Is Dusty Slate Nectar accessible?
Its best pair reaches 4.34:1 (#C3CAEF on #425984). 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?
Lilac (#AEAADD) 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 composed, thoughtful and serene feel works well.