#CBC5C1

Color Profile: #CBC5C1

Common Name: Soft Taupe Grey

Subject: Arts & Entertainment / Visual Art & Design

Swatch:

Core Specs:
HEX: #CBC5C1
RGB: ~203, ~197, ~193
HSL: ~24° / ~9% / ~78%
CMYK (est.): ~0 / ~3 / ~5 / ~20
LRV (est.): ~57

Accessibility & Contrast:
vs White (#FFFFFF): ~1.7:1 — Fail (AA normal & large)
vs Black (#000000): ~12.3:1 — Pass (AA & AAA)
Tip: Use dark typography or deep accents to maintain legibility; avoid white text on this background except for oversized or decorative elements with added effects.

Mood & Character:
A calm, low-chroma grey with a warm, taupe whisper. It leans friendly and grown-up, smoothing harsh edges without draining energy. Great at letting imagery and typography take the spotlight while keeping the canvas elegant and composed.

Close Named Matches (brand • hex • ΔE):

• Vista Paint — C-550 “Orchid Shadow” • #CBC5C1 • ΔE=0.00 (exact hit)
• Hallman Lindsay — 551 “Orchid Shadow” • #CBC5C2 • ΔE≈0.53
• Kelly Moore — KM4919-1 “In The Shadows” • #CBC5C0 • ΔE≈0.53
• Dutch Boy — V-28-6 “Sycamore” • #CBC4C1 • ΔE≈0.70
• Jotun — 2106 “Grey Light” • #CCC7C2 • ΔE≈0.89

Notes: Tiny ΔE values (<1) indicate near-indistinguishable differences under standard lighting—useful when substituting across suppliers or finishes.

Why Designers Use It.

• Editorial & UI neutrality with warmth. The slight red-yellow bias (~24° hue) keeps interfaces and layouts from feeling sterile. It pairs cleanly with serif body text and high-contrast display faces, letting photography breathe without color casts.
• Cross-material consistency. In paint, powder coat, laminate, and textile, this value masks minor wear and fingerprints better than cool greys. It’s common on cabinetry, worktops, device enclosures, and fixture housings where a quiet premium look is needed.
• Brand systems & wayfinding. Functions well as a secondary neutral in token palettes (e.g., “surface/soft”, “border/muted”). It supports gold, brass, terracotta, and desaturated blues/greens; add a deep charcoal (#2A2A2A±) for body text and accents.
• Interior & set design. Warm greys photograph reliably under mixed lighting (tungsten + daylight). Production teams favor it for backdrops, props, and staging because it avoids color spill while keeping skin tones lively.
• Product & packaging. Reads as quiet luxury in matte papers, uncoated boards, and soft-touch coatings. With spot metallics (champagne/gunmetal), it signals premium without shouting; in cosmetics and boutique tech, it’s a frequent base tint.
• Regional taste & trend. Warm greys ride cycles with Scandinavian- and Japandi-leaning interiors: light woods, boucle textiles, stone aggregates, and microcement. It’s broadly accepted in EU/UK residential palettes and increasingly in boutique hospitality.
• Manufacturing pragmatism. Pigment routes typically rely on titanium dioxide with small iron-oxide warms, giving stable, reproducible batches across gloss levels. Powder-coat equivalents are plentiful, easing supplier swaps with minimal ΔE drift.

Pairing & Usage Tips:
Typography: Use near-black for body (#191919–#2A2A2A).
Borders & UI: Hairlines at ~#B9B3AF; focus rings at ~#6B625D for visibility.
Elevation: Shadow tints with slightly cooler greys to avoid muddiness.
Print: On uncoated stock, expect a perceptual darkening; target ΔE<2 against proofs.