Red
Pale Lemon Yellow
Calamine Blue
Warm Gray

No. 261

4-color combination

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Colors

Red

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Warm Gray

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Combination No. 261 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.

ExploreLearn more

Combination No. 261 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 contrastPale Lemon Yellow · 6.2:1

Harmony in contrastCalamine Blue · 3.9:1

Harmony in contrastRed · 6.2:1

Harmony in contrastRed · 3.9:1

Analysis

Character

Light & moderate

Lightness 73 (range 48–95)
Colorfulness 0.087

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

Harmony

Color wheel with the combination’s hues; distance from the center shows colorfulnessRedPale Lemon YellowCalamine BlueWarm Gray

Triadic

Three hues evenly spaced around the wheel.

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

Temperature

Warm & cool

  • RedWarm
  • Pale Lemon YellowWarm
  • Calamine BlueCool
  • Warm GrayNeutral

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

Distinctness

ΔE 21

Closest pair ΔE 21.1 · average ΔE 41.5

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

Contrast

AaBest text pair: Pale Lemon Yellow on Red (6.2:1)

ContrastWCAGAPCA Lc
AaAaRed · Pale Lemon Yellow6.2:1AA74 / 78
AaAaRed · Calamine Blue3.9:1AA large47 / 49
AaAaRed · Warm Gray2.8:1Low31 / 32
AaAaPale Lemon Yellow · Calamine Blue1.6:1Low28 / 25
AaAaPale Lemon Yellow · Warm Gray2.2:1Low45 / 40
AaAaCalamine Blue · Warm Gray1.4:1Low16 / 14

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. 261 */
:root {
  --red: #a72144; /* Red */
  --pale-lemon-yellow: #ffefae; /* Pale Lemon Yellow */
  --calamine-blue: #78cdd0; /* Calamine Blue */
  --warm-gray: #a1a39a; /* Warm Gray */
}

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