#E7E7E7Placebo (#E7E7E7) is a near-white neutral with an OKLCH hue of 90°, lightness 0.93 and chroma 0. In practice it behaves as a background color — quiet over large surfaces.
| HEX | #E7E7E7 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(231, 231, 231) |
| HSL | hsl(0, 0%, 91%) |
| HSV | hsv(0, 0%, 91%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 9%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(91.6 0 0) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.928 0.000 90) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Placebo 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 ≈ 2.2), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#f0e1d8 — ΔE 2.2, shifts subtly: takes on a orange cast, gains intensity#efe8e2 — ΔE 1.3, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change#e7e7e7 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#e7e8ea — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchangedTest Placebo 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 1.24:1 and against black 16.98:1, 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.
#e7e7e7 · #c9c9c9 · #a2a2a2 · #7c7c7c · #595959 · #383838
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.
#e7e7e7 · #f0cd9f · #e3b695 · #d2a08d · #be8c87 · #a97a80
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.
#e7e7e7 · #9aad98 · #98875b · #52764d · #5c4e26 · #293a26
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.
#e7e7e7 · #c9c3b3 · #aba084 · #887f66 · #495784 · #2b2517
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#e7e7e7 · #c7cad1 · #918d83 · #53555a · #262219 · #010102
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.
#e7e7e7 · #9c9c9c · #3f3f3f · #222222 · #030303 · #e7c04d
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#e7e7e7 · #c4cad9 · #7f8cb3 · #45537f · #172041 · #0b0500
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#e7e7e7 · #c4cad9 · #6c93ae · #5b4b79 · #00263c · #020006
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#e7e7e7 · #baced2 · #6098a1 · #6c4569 · #331631 · #000305
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#e7e7e7 · #bbcfca · #639a8e · #45537f · #3a1321 · #000008
#ebebeb · #efefef · #f3f3f3 · #f7f7f7 · #fbfbfb
#c1c1c1 · #9a9a9a · #747474 · #4d4d4d · #272727
Its high lightness and low chroma make it a natural background or large-surface color.