Helvetia Blue
Grayish Lavender B
Aconite Violet

No. 187

3-color combination

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Colors

Combination No. 187 in use

The palette applied to simple layouts. Colors are assigned to roles automatically; try other arrangements.

Color study

A dictionary of color

Background, surface, text and accent, taken from one of Wada’s combinations.

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Combination No. 187 as a living room

Painted following the 60-30-10 rule: about 60% wall color, 30% for the sofa, 10% for cushions, throw and vase. A fourth color goes to the rug and curtains; otherwise they stay undyed. Floor and ceiling stay neutral; the print shows the whole palette.

Readable text pairs

Harmony in contrastGrayish Lavender B · 3.3:1

Harmony in contrastHelvetia Blue · 3.3:1

Analysis

Character

Medium & moderate

Lightness 61 (range 45–76)
Colorfulness 0.083

Average OKLCH lightness (0–100) and chroma (colorfulness).

Harmony

Color wheel with the combination’s hues; distance from the center shows colorfulnessHelvetia BlueGrayish Lavender BAconite Violet

Free

No classic color-wheel relationship.

A heuristic based on the painter’s color wheel. Wada’s combinations often ignore textbook rules, which is part of their appeal.

Temperature

Cool

  • Helvetia BlueCool
  • Grayish Lavender BNeutral
  • Aconite VioletCool

Reds, oranges and yellows count as warm; greens, blues and violets as cool.

Distinctness

ΔE 22

Closest pair ΔE 22.0 · average ΔE 32.9

CIEDE2000 color difference. Below about 10 colors look related; above 30 they are clearly distinct.

Contrast

AaBest text pair: Grayish Lavender B on Helvetia Blue (3.3:1)

ContrastWCAGAPCA Lc
AaAaHelvetia Blue · Grayish Lavender B3.3:1AA large39 / 41
AaAaHelvetia Blue · Aconite Violet1.8:1Low15 / 16
AaAaGrayish Lavender B · Aconite Violet1.9:1Low24 / 22

WCAG 2 contrast ratio for text, and APCA lightness contrast (Lc) for each text/background direction.

Similar combinations

The closest palettes in perceptual color space (OKLab).

Export

Copy the palette as code or download it as an image.

/* Sanzo Wada, combination No. 187 */
:root {
  --helvetia-blue: #005b8d; /* Helvetia Blue */
  --grayish-lavender-b: #c0a9b3; /* Grayish Lavender B */
  --aconite-violet: #a36aa5; /* Aconite Violet */
}

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