#DCE3E4Serene (#DCE3E4) is a near-white neutral with an OKLCH hue of 207°, lightness 0.91 and chroma 0.008. In practice it behaves as a background color — quiet over large surfaces.
| HEX | #DCE3E4 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(220, 227, 228) |
| HSL | hsl(188, 13%, 88%) |
| HSV | hsv(188, 4%, 89%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(4%, 0%, 0%, 11%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(89.7 -2.2 -1.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.911 0.008 207) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Serene 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 ≈ 2.2), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#e5ddd5 — ΔE 2.2, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change#e4e4df — ΔE 1.3, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change#dce3e4 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#dce4e7 — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchangedTest Serene 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 1.3:1 and against black 16.15:1, 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.
#dce3e4 · #c4cbcc · #9da3a4 · #797e7e · #565a5b · #353939
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.
#dce3e4 · #9ad9f1 · #92c2e2 · #8daad1 · #8794bc · #817ea5
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.
#dce3e4 · #b3c2da · #71adb6 · #6885b1 · #387078 · #3d4b61
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.
#dce3e4 · #aec2c5 · #b27770 · #3f6267 · #244347 · #122528
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#dce3e4 · #cbc2c1 · #7f8c8e · #575150 · #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.
#dce3e4 · #9fa3a3 · #494d4d · #2d3131 · #0c1010 · #e35047
The same quiet ground carrying one bright gold voice — the high-energy pairing a cool or muted anchor cannot reach through its own temperature.
#dce3e4 · #9fa3a3 · #494d4d · #2d3131 · #0c1010 · #edbc4d
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#dce3e4 · #d3bfbc · #ab7c76 · #77413c · #3b1310 · #000304
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#dce3e4 · #d3bfbc · #a87a8a · #724726 · #391222 · #0f0300
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#dce3e4 · #cdc0cc · #9d7d9c · #64501b · #2d1f00 · #030003
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#dce3e4 · #c6c2d2 · #8d82aa · #77413c · #202500 · #050000
#e2e8e9 · #e8eced · #eef1f2 · #f3f6f6 · #f9fafb
#b7bdbe · #939798 · #6e7272 · #494c4c · #252626
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.