Cathedral `#ACAAA7`

Cathedral (#ACAAA7) is a grey neutral with an OKLCH hue of 78°, lightness 0.74 and chroma 0.005. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.

Color values

HEX	`#ACAAA7`
RGB	`rgb(172, 170, 167)`
HSL	`hsl(36, 3%, 66%)`
HSV	`hsv(36, 3%, 67%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 1%, 3%, 33%)`
CIE Lab	`lab(69.7 0.2 1.8)`
OKLCH	`oklch(0.739 0.005 78)`

How Cathedral behaves under real light

Under warm 2700K interior light Cathedral shifts subtly: takes on a orange cast, gains intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.7), so it is a lighting-stable choice.

Warm interior (2700K incandescent / warm LED): → #b3a69c — ΔE 1.7, shifts subtly: takes on a orange cast, gains intensity
Neutral LED (4000K task and retail lighting): → #b2aba3 — ΔE 1.1, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change
Daylight (6500K standard daylight (reference)): → #acaaa7 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged
Blue-sky shade (cool daylight (~10000K proxy)): → #acaba9 — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchanged

Test Cathedral in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.

Contrast & accessibility

Against white it measures 2.32:1 and against black 9.06:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid white text on this color entirely.

Colors that go with Cathedral

Tonal

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.

#f3f1ef · #cbc9c6 · #acaaa7 · #7e7c7a · #5a5957 · #393836

Analogous

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.

#d2d5a9 · #cbbd8c · #acaaa7 · #b78f6b · #a77a65 · #936760

Shifted

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.

#acaaa7 · #849179 · #836a43 · #445a2c · #48330e · #18230d

Contrast

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.

#ffefd7 · #d6ccbd · #acaaa7 · #627faa · #554833 · #352c1f

Quiet Support

The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.

#eef2f9 · #acaaa7 · #948e85 · #53565b · #282219 · #000102

Bright Accent

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.

#f2f2f0 · #acaaa7 · #7b7a79 · #4f4e4c · #312f2e · #f5b84e

Complementary

The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.

#eaf2ff · #acaaa7 · #7890b4 · #3b577f · #0e2341 · #100600

Split-complementary

The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.

#eaf2ff · #acaaa7 · #6796ac · #544f7d · #002737 · #010007

Triadic

Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.

#e1f7f7 · #acaaa7 · #619a9c · #684871 · #301837 · #000202

Tetradic

Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.

#e4f7ef · #acaaa7 · #6a9b88 · #3b577f · #381428 · #000007

Tints, shades & muted variants

Tints

#bab8b6 · #c8c6c4 · #d6d5d3 · #e3e3e2 · #f1f1f0

Shades

#8f8e8b · #73716f · #565554 · #393938 · #1d1c1c

Using Cathedral

Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors.