#4E312DEspresso (#4E312D) is a very dark, muted red with an OKLCH hue of 28°, lightness 0.35 and chroma 0.043. It sits on the warm side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a grounding tone — suited to text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces.
| HEX | #4E312D |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(78, 49, 45) |
| HSL | hsl(7, 27%, 24%) |
| HSV | hsv(7, 42%, 31%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 37%, 42%, 69%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(23.7 12.6 8) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.347 0.043 28) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Espresso shifts subtly: leans toward orange; in north-facing or shaded light it shifts subtly: leans toward pink. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 0.7), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#4f2f29 — ΔE 0.7, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#50312c — ΔE 0.4, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#4e312d — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#4e312e — ΔE 0.2, shifts subtly: leans toward pinkAgainst white it measures 11.66:1 and against black 1.8:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid black 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.
#b59d99 · #917672 · #6e524e · #4e312d · #2a1310 · #0b0000
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.
#725238 · #683d2b · #4e312d · #471a21 · #320d1d · #1e0316
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.
#bbab90 · #b0817a · #886c3b · #5f523d · #4e312d · #3a120f
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.
#88d2de · #8b6f6a · #635350 · #4e312d · #2f1613 · #0f0403
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#eaf4f5 · #c3b6b4 · #7e8586 · #5b4e4c · #4e312d · #1d2526
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.
#fdeeec · #d7c6c3 · #ad9a97 · #4e312d · #140302 · #e25044
The same quiet ground carrying one bright gold voice — the high-energy pairing a cool or muted anchor cannot reach through its own temperature.
#fdeeec · #d7c6c3 · #ad9a97 · #4e312d · #140302 · #dac64e
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#e1f6fa · #8cc4cd · #46909b · #1c5b64 · #4e312d · #331c19
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#e1f6fa · #90c6b9 · #578aac · #235d52 · #4e312d · #102633
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#e8f6ea · #a0c4a4 · #7082b1 · #435075 · #4e312d · #162819
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#f0f4e3 · #b5bf94 · #46909b · #564a70 · #4e312d · #08282d
#694E4A · #856C68 · #A28C88 · #C0ADAA · #DECFCD
#432925 · #38201D · #2D1916 · #23110F · #190A08
#4A3330 · #463532 · #423735
As a deep tone it works for grounding elements — text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces — rather than open fields. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.