#CEE5E9Northwind (#CEE5E9) is a near-white neutral with an OKLCH hue of 209°, lightness 0.91 and chroma 0.025. In practice it behaves as a background color — quiet over large surfaces.
| HEX | #CEE5E9 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(206, 229, 233) |
| HSL | hsl(189, 38%, 86%) |
| HSV | hsv(189, 12%, 91%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(12%, 2%, 0%, 9%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(89.4 -6.8 -4.5) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.906 0.025 209) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Northwind 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 ≈ 2.3), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#d9e0da — ΔE 2.3, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change#d6e6e4 — ΔE 1.3, shifts subtly: takes on a blue-green cast#cee5e9 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#cee6ec — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchangedTest Northwind 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 1.31:1 and against black 16.01:1, 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.
#cee5e9 · #b8ced2 · #93a6aa · #6f8083 · #4d5c5f · #2e3b3d
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.
#cee5e9 · #99d7f0 · #92c0e2 · #8da8d0 · #8792bb · #817da3
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.
#cee5e9 · #b2c0d9 · #70acb6 · #6983af · #376f78 · #3d4a60
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.
#cee5e9 · #adc1c4 · #b2786f · #3d6066 · #234247 · #112427
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#cee5e9 · #cac0bf · #7e8b8d · #56504f · #172426 · #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.
#cee5e9 · #95a0a2 · #384648 · #1b292b · #00080a · #e35142
The same quiet ground carrying one bright gold voice — the high-energy pairing a cool or muted anchor cannot reach through its own temperature.
#cee5e9 · #95a0a2 · #384648 · #1b292b · #00080a · #edbc4d
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#cee5e9 · #d1bebb · #aa7b73 · #764139 · #3a130e · #000304
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#cee5e9 · #d1bebb · #a77987 · #704724 · #391221 · #120400
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#cee5e9 · #ccbeca · #9d7c9a · #62501a · #2c2000 · #030003
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#cee5e9 · #c5c0d0 · #8d81a8 · #764139 · #1e2500 · #050000
#D4E8EB · #D9EBEE · #DFEEF0 · #E5F1F3 · #EAF4F5
#A6BBBE · #809295 · #5C6C6E · #3A474A · #1B2628
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.