Etruscan Red
Ecru
Madder Brown
Taupe Brown

No. 275

4-color combination

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Colors

Ecru

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Madder Brown

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Taupe Brown

HEX
RGB
CMYK

Combination No. 275 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. 275 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 contrastMadder Brown · 4.6:1

Harmony in contrastTaupe Brown · 3.5:1

Harmony in contrastEcru · 4.6:1

Harmony in contrastEcru · 3.5:1

Analysis

Character

Medium & moderate

Lightness 55 (range 40–76)
Colorfulness 0.095

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

Harmony

Color wheel with the combination’s hues; distance from the center shows colorfulnessEtruscan RedEcruMadder BrownTaupe Brown

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

Warm

  • Etruscan RedWarm
  • EcruWarm
  • Madder BrownWarm
  • Taupe BrownWarm

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

Distinctness

ΔE 18

Closest pair ΔE 18.4 · average ΔE 29.8

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

Contrast

AaBest text pair: Ecru on Madder Brown (4.6:1)

ContrastWCAGAPCA Lc
AaAaEtruscan Red · Ecru2.1:1Low26 / 28
AaAaEtruscan Red · Madder Brown2.2:1Low20 / 20
AaAaEtruscan Red · Taupe Brown1.7:1Low14 / 14
AaAaEcru · Madder Brown4.6:1AA48 / 48
AaAaEcru · Taupe Brown3.5:1AA large43 / 42
AaAaMadder Brown · Taupe Brown1.3:1Low0 / 0

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. 275 */
:root {
  --etruscan-red: #c55347; /* Etruscan Red */
  --ecru: #c2ae93; /* Ecru */
  --madder-brown: #762c19; /* Madder Brown */
  --taupe-brown: #7a4456; /* Taupe Brown */
}

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