Paper Taupe Horizon
Paper Taupe Horizon: a soft neutral split complementary palette of #E9F8FF, #D2DCE1, #DACACC, #C5B9AA, #8CACB2. Pure, minimal and calm; best contrast 2.23:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on white, gray, teal, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 2.23:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Cold Canada#E9F8FF
A very light, neutral teal (Cold Canada) that brings clean, modern calm. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Zen#D2DCE1
A very light, neutral gray (Zen) that brings neutral balance. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Kefir#DACACC
A very light, neutral gray (Kefir) that brings neutral balance. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Ash#C5B9AA
A light, neutral gray (Ash) that brings calm restraint. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Harbour Mist#8CACB2
A light, muted teal (Harbour Mist) that brings a cool, trustworthy tone. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white2.42:1Poor 1/5
- On black19.33:1Excellent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ White | Background | #E9F8FF | 97% |
| ≈ Fog | Accent | #D2DCE1 | 89% |
| ≈ Fog | Surface | #DACACC | 85% |
| ≈ Ash | Primary | #C5B9AA | 79% |
| ≈ Taupe | Text | #8CACB2 | 72% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #021F24 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #e9f8ff;
--color-surface: #dacacc;
--color-primary: #c5b9aa;
--color-accent: #d2dce1;
--color-text: #021f24;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #e9f8ff;
--color-surface: #dacacc;
--color-primary: #c5b9aa;
--color-accent: #d2dce1;
--color-ink: #021f24;
}
About this palette
Paper Taupe Horizon is palette number 7,870 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a soft neutral palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Taupe (#8CACB2), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as pure, minimal and calm. Its colors run from White (#E9F8FF) at the light end to Taupe (#8CACB2) at the dark end, covering 72% to 97% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ White #E9F8FF: suggested role background. It is a near-neutral color with 97% lightness and a chroma of 0.018, so it behaves like a neutral.
2. ≈ Fog #D2DCE1: suggested role accent. It is a near-neutral color with 89% lightness and a chroma of 0.013, so it behaves like a neutral.
3. ≈ Fog #DACACC: suggested role surface. It is a near-neutral color with 85% lightness and a chroma of 0.018, so it behaves like a neutral.
4. ≈ Ash #C5B9AA: suggested role primary. It is a near-neutral color with 79% lightness and a chroma of 0.025, so it behaves like a neutral.
5. ≈ Taupe #8CACB2: suggested role text. It is a cyan color with 72% lightness and a chroma of 0.036.
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 cyan family. 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: 0 of its 1 chromatic colors lean warm and 1 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.022 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 White (#E9F8FF) with Taupe (#8CACB2) at a contrast ratio of 2.23:1, 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 (#E9F8FF), so this page suggests #021F24 for text, a darkened Taupe that reaches 15.79:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under protanopia (reduced red sensitivity), #D2DCE1 and #DACACC may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning. Under deuteranopia (reduced green sensitivity), #D2DCE1 and #DACACC may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #E9F8FF as the background, #DACACC for cards and surfaces, #C5B9AA as the primary brand color, #D2DCE1 as the accent, and #021F24 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 Paper Taupe Horizon accessible?
Its best pair reaches 2.23:1 (#E9F8FF on #8CACB2). 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?
Ash (#C5B9AA) 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.