#E9E4D8
#ABA396
#6B6459
#1F1C18
Background
Primary Accent
Secondary
Body Text

Driftwood Color Palette

#E9E4D8 · #ABA396 · #6B6459 · #1F1C18

AAA
WCAG Grade
13.4:1
Contrast Ratio
835
Saves
1,607
AI Copies
AI Prompt

Use #E9E4D8 as the background. Use #ABA396 as the primary accent. Use #6B6459 as secondary. Use #1F1C18 as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Driftwood — earthy, ocean, vintage, warm, moody.

Hex Codes, RGB & CMYK Color Values

Technical breakdown for the Driftwood color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).

Swatch Design Role HEX RGB CMYK HSL
Background
Luminance: 77.8%
233, 228, 216 0%, 2%, 7%, 9% 42°, 28%, 88%
Primary Accent
Luminance: 37.1%
171, 163, 150 0%, 5%, 12%, 33% 37°, 11%, 63%
Secondary
Luminance: 13.0%
107, 100, 89 0%, 7%, 17%, 58% 37°, 9%, 38%
Body Text
Luminance: 1.2%
31, 28, 24 0%, 10%, 23%, 88% 34°, 13%, 11%

Driftwood Tints & Shades

Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the Driftwood palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.

#E9E4D8 gently saturated orange
#ABA396 muted orange
#6B6459 muted orange
#1F1C18 muted orange

Driftwood Palette Contrast Matrix (WCAG 2.1)

Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.

Text on Background Preview Ratio Grade Safe For
#1F1C18 on #E9E4D8
Aa Sample Text
13.38:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#E9E4D8 on #1F1C18
Aa Sample Text
13.38:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#1F1C18 on #ABA396
Aa Sample Text
6.80:1 AA Body text, UI
#ABA396 on #1F1C18
Aa Sample Text
6.80:1 AA Body text, UI
#6B6459 on #E9E4D8
Aa Sample Text
4.61:1 AA Body text, UI
#E9E4D8 on #6B6459
Aa Sample Text
4.61:1 AA Body text, UI
#1F1C18 on #6B6459
Aa Sample Text
2.90:1 Fail Decorative use only
#6B6459 on #1F1C18
Aa Sample Text
2.90:1 Fail Decorative use only
#6B6459 on #ABA396
Aa Sample Text
2.34:1 Fail Decorative use only
#ABA396 on #6B6459
Aa Sample Text
2.34:1 Fail Decorative use only
#ABA396 on #E9E4D8
Aa Sample Text
1.97:1 Fail Decorative use only
#E9E4D8 on #ABA396
Aa Sample Text
1.97:1 Fail Decorative use only

Driftwood Color Psychology & Meaning

Driftwood has had all its colour, sap and softness removed by salt and sun, so what is left is pure structure in grey, and this palette is bleach pale with grain mid. It feels bleached and sculptural, the color of a branch on a beach that is not a branch.

Color Harmony: Analogous Scheme

The Driftwood palette is built using a analogous relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.

Hue Wheel

A analogous palette is often preferred by professional designers because it creates a calm, serene atmosphere by using neighboring colors.

History & Design Context

Sun and salt break down lignin faster than cellulose, which is why weathered wood turns pale grey and feels lighter and more fibrous than fresh timber.

Best Design Use Cases

Use the bleach pale for page backgrounds, drift gray for calls to action, grain mid for card accents, and salt dark for text.

Industries This Palette Suits

Interiors, furniture, ceramics, hardware and homeware product design.

Colors That Pair Well With Driftwood

Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.

blue

directly opposite #ABA396 on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy

yellow

30° beside #ABA396 — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension

tinted neutral

a ink-black carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers

Using Driftwood Without Breaking Accessibility

  • Avoid #ABA396 for small UI elements on #E9E4D8 — at 2.0:1 it misses the 3:1 WCAG threshold; darken it with a shade from the ramp below.
  • Set body text in #1F1C18 — 13.4:1 against #E9E4D8 passes WCAG AA (AAA) for long-form reading.
  • Let #6B6459 carry sidebars, cards and footers — at a mid lightness it separates zones without stealing focus from #ABA396.

How to Implement the Driftwood Color Scheme

To use this Driftwood color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.

Option 1: CSS Variables

:root { 
  /* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'}  --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'}  --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'}  --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'}  --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}

Web Design Tip

Use #E9E4D8 for the main background and #ABA396 for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.

Accessibility Note

The contrast ratio between #1F1C18 and #E9E4D8 is 13.38:1 (AAA). Ensure your body text remains legible.

Driftwood Palette — Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hex codes in the Driftwood color palette?

The Driftwood palette contains #E9E4D8, #ABA396, #6B6459, #1F1C18. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.

Is the Driftwood color palette accessible (WCAG)?

Yes for its strongest pairings: #1F1C18 on #E9E4D8 reaches 13.4:1 (AAA). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.

What colors go well with the Driftwood palette?

Beyond its own four colors, #969EAB, #A8AA97, #161513 extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.

What mood does the Driftwood palette create?

Driftwood reads as earthy, ocean, vintage. Muted orange drives the personality, grounded by gently saturated orange — a combination that works best when the very light base gets most of the canvas.

Can I use the Driftwood color palette commercially?

Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Driftwood palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.

How do I add the Driftwood palette to Tailwind or CSS?

Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Driftwood's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.

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