Color stories — palettes built around one anchor color

Palettes built around one anchor color — cinnabar, chartreuse, mulberry — twelve per story, spanning tonal ladders, counterpoints, and quiet supports.

Rare colors

• Chartreuse #B5C82E
  Acid yellow-green from the liqueur — awkward on its own, electric against dark neutrals.
• Heliotrope #9B72CF
  A flowering violet that sits between lilac and true purple, and refuses to be quiet.
• Amaranth #B0234A
  Crimson with a magenta bite — the seed-head red that never fades in the field.
• Periwinkle #7B8CDE
  A soft blue-violet that stays luminous without tipping into pastel or neon.
• Coral #E0785A
  Living coral: warm orange-pink that refuses to settle as peach or as red.
• Marigold #E59B1A
  Saturated flower gold — brighter than ochre, less glassy than cadmium yellow.
• Fandango #B53389
  A saturated magenta-purple that stays vivid without tipping neon.
• Byzantium #702963
  Deep imperial purple-red — darker and warmer than royal purple.
• Cerulean #2A52BE
  Clear sky blue with a cobalt edge — cooler and cleaner than ultramarine.
• Iris #5A4FCF
  A blue-leaning violet named for the flower, brighter than lavender.
• Wisteria #C9A0DC
  Pale cascading lilac — soft enough for interiors, distinct from grey lavender.
• Pistachio #93C572
  Light nut green — fresher than sage, softer than chartreuse.

Historic pigments

• Verdigris #4E9E93
  Copper patina green-blue, corroded off bronze roofs and Renaissance panels.
• Cinnabar #C7452B
  Mercury-sulphide vermilion: the loudest red the old painters could grind.
• Smalt #2E4A8C
  Ground cobalt glass — the deep, slightly grey blue of pre-ultramarine skies.
• Naples Yellow #F0D08A
  Lead-antimonate yellow: chalky, warm, and far softer than cadmium.
• Malachite #0E7A56
  Copper-carbonate green: deep, banded, and cooler than a leaf.
• Ultramarine #1805DB
  Lapis lazuli blue — the precious, slightly red-leaning blue beyond cobalt.
• Viridian #40826D
  Hydrated chrome-oxide green — cool, transparent, and steadier than malachite.
• Gamboge #E49B0F
  Resin yellow-orange from Southeast Asian trees — warmer and deeper than cadmium.
• Prussian Blue #003153
  Iron-cyanide blue-black — the deep, slightly green dark of early synthetic blue.
• Tyrian Purple #66023C
  Murex-dyed imperial purple — a red-violet that once cost more than gold.
• Burnt Umber #8A3324
  Calcined earth brown — warmer and redder than raw umber, the classic shadow.
• Cobalt Blue #0047AB
  Cobalt aluminate blue — cleaner and lighter than smalt, less red than ultramarine.

Mineral & botanical

• Mulberry #70294B
  A dark fruit red-purple that reads as wine indoors and as ink at dusk.
• Damson #4A2545
  Bruised plum skin: a cool, low-chroma purple that behaves like a neutral.
• Celadon #A8C3A5
  Pale ceramic glaze green — a light that carries color without becoming a pastel.
• Indigo #1C3F7E
  Fermented leaf blue — darker and greener than ultramarine, the dye of workwear.
• Saffron #D4A33A
  Crocus stigma gold — honeyed orange-yellow with a spice-shop warmth.
• Madder #9A2F42
  Root-dyed crimson that leans brown — the red of Turkey carpets and British coats.
• Jade #00A86B
  Polished stone green — brighter than celadon, cooler than grass.
• Lapis Lazuli #26619C
  The mineral face of ultramarine — slightly greyer, flecked with pyrite in the stone.
• Carmine #960018
  Cochineal crimson — cleaner and cooler than madder, the red of lacquer and ink.
• Ochre #D4891A
  Iron-stained earth yellow — the oldest pigment still in continuous use.
• Sap Green #507D2A
  Berry-derived foliage green — warmer and yellower than viridian.
• Eucalyptus #5F8575
  Grey-green leaf color — cooler than sage, softer than seafoam.

Unusual pairings

• Aubergine #3B2233
  Near-black purple-brown that replaces charcoal when charcoal feels too cold.
• Oxblood #6B2126
  Leather-bound dark red with brown in it — heavier and less sweet than burgundy.
• Caput Mortuum #5C2A38
  Violet-brown iron oxide — a dried-blood dark used for shadows and drapery.
• Persimmon #C45532
  Ripe fruit orange-red that pairs against cool stone and ink the way lacquer does.
• Mustard #B89620
  Olive-leaning gold that turns a neutral scheme sharp without going citrus.
• Sage #6A8764
  Dusty leaf green that calms loud anchors and warms cold greys.
• Teal #008080
  Duck-wing blue-green that sharpens warm woods and softens cold greys.
• Fawn #E5AA70
  Light tawny beige-orange — warmer than camel, softer than terracotta.
• Burgundy #800020
  Wine red with less brown than oxblood — the classic deep pairing red.
• Copper #B87333
  Metal orange-brown that bridges warm wood and cool mineral greens.
• Rust #B7410E
  Oxidised iron orange — harsher and redder than terracotta.
• Espresso #3F2A1C
  Near-black coffee brown that replaces charcoal when warmth is required.