#E7FAFACalm Waters (#E7FAFA) is a near-white neutral with an OKLCH hue of 197°, lightness 0.97 and chroma 0.02. In practice it behaves as a background color — quiet over large surfaces.
| HEX | #E7FAFA |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(231, 250, 250) |
| HSL | hsl(180, 66%, 94%) |
| HSV | hsv(180, 8%, 98%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(8%, 0%, 0%, 2%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(96.9 -6.2 -2.1) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.971 0.020 197) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Calm Waters shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 2.4), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#f2f4ea — ΔE 2.4, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change#f0fbf5 — ΔE 1.3, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change#e7fafa — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#e7fbfd — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchangedTest Calm Waters in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 1.08:1 and against black 19.45:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid white text on this color entirely.
One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.
#e7fafa · #bccdcd · #97a6a6 · #728080 · #505c5c · #313a3a
The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.
#e7fafa · #adf2e4 · #a4ddc3 · #9fc7a4 · #99b189 · #939b72
The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.
#e7fafa · #a3b7cc · #64a2a3 · #547ba2 · #2c6667 · #2f4255
One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.
#e7fafa · #c1d6d6 · #90b7b7 · #b3787a · #345454 · #203535
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#e7fafa · #dfd5d5 · #8d9a9a · #605959 · #1b2828 · #020101
This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.
#e7fafa · #c3cbcb · #969f9f · #1b2727 · #000606 · #e54e61
The same quiet ground carrying one bright gold voice — the high-energy pairing a cool or muted anchor cannot reach through its own temperature.
#e7fafa · #c3cbcb · #969f9f · #1b2727 · #000606 · #eebc4d
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#e7fafa · #e6d2d2 · #b9888a · #80494c · #3f161a · #000202
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#e7fafa · #e6d2d2 · #b3889e · #7d4d35 · #3b172b · #0f0200
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#e7fafa · #ded4e2 · #a68cb0 · #735526 · #352100 · #030004
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#e7fafa · #d6d6e6 · #9492bb · #80494c · #292700 · #090001
#E9F9F9 · #EAF9F9 · #ECF8F8 · #EEF8F8 · #EFF7F7
#BBCCCC · #909F9F · #687575 · #424D4D · #202828
Its high lightness and low chroma make it a natural background or large-surface color. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.