Color #B59EA1 Color / Colour Code #B59EA1
This page shows the hex color code for color #b59ea1 (#B59EA1). The colour is a red tone with 13% saturation and 66% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #B59EA1 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#B59EA1 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 322, 352, and 22 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 352, 112, and 232 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #B59EA1
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 352 and saturation at 13%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 352 to 37 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 352 with its complement at 172 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #B59EA1
Lightness variations at hue 352 and 13% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #B59EA1
Design Use Cases for #B59EA1
Muted Accent Color
With 13% saturation, #B59EA1 has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 66% lightness, #B59EA1 has a softer, more approachable quality. It works well for hover states, subtle highlights, progress indicators, and secondary UI elements. This lightness range is particularly effective for tag backgrounds and status indicators.
Urgency & Energy Signaling
#B59EA1 falls in the red spectrum (hue 352). Red triggers urgency and excitement, making it effective for sale badges, countdown timers, error messages, and "limited time" labels. In data visualization, use it to flag negative values or critical thresholds.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #B59EA1 (hue 352) to its complement at hue 172. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 22. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #b59ea1, #9db4b1);
CSS Code for #B59EA1
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #B59EA1 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #B59EA1 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #B59EA1 (#B59EA1)
#B59EA1 is a red color (colour) with RGB channel values of 181 red, 158 green, and 161 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 352 degrees with 13% saturation and 66% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #B59EA1 is 165/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This is a medium-brightness color that can work with either dark or light text depending on font weight and size. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 13% magenta, 11% yellow, and 29% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #B59EA1 against white is 2.51:1 and against black is 8.37:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 8.37:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #9DB4B1 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #B59EA1. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #B49DAB and #B4A59D, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #B59EA1
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #B59EA1?
- #B59EA1 is Color #B59EA1, a red color (colour) with RGB(181, 158, 161), HSL(352, 13%, 66%), and CMYK(0%, 13%, 11%, 29%). Its perceived brightness is 165/255.
- Is #B59EA1 accessible for text?
- Against white, #B59EA1 has a contrast ratio of 2.51:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 8.37:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #B59EA1?
- The complementary colour is #9DB4B1 (hue 172). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #B49DAB and #B4A59D. The triadic palette adds #A0B49D and #9DA0B4 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #B59EA1 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #b59ea1; or rgb(181, 158, 161); or hsl(352, 13%, 66%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 352 13% 66%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.