Colors that go with Epernay for a nursery
Epernay · #D6B96C
Epernay (#D6B96C) — soft ochre — C2 Paint's 2026 colour of the year (swatch is an honest sRGB approximation — the official code is authoritative) — pairs best with muted red, teal, green, and terracotta & clay. In a nursery, soften it with muted red, drawn from 8 historically-grounded combinations below.
A nursery wants soft, low-contrast partners — gentle colors that soothe rather than stimulate, and grow with the room past the first year.
About epernay
Epernay is soft ochre — C2 Paint's 2026 colour of the year (swatch is an honest sRGB approximation — the official code is authoritative) — a saturated, warm colour that reads as mid-toned. As a warm tone it looks most resolved next to cool and neutral partners that temper its warmth, and it needs both lighter and deeper shades nearby for the value contrast the eye reads as finished. That balance is what makes it feel serene in a nursery.
- HEX
- #D6B96C
- RGB
- 214, 185, 108
- HSL
- 44°, 56%, 63%
- CMYK
- 0, 14, 50, 16
Accessibility: put dark text on epernay for AAA legibility (contrast 9.2:1 against near-black).
Why epernay pairs with muted red, teal, green, and terracotta & clay
Across the 8 historical combinations below, epernay sits most often beside muted red, teal, green, and terracotta & clay. That tracks with colour theory: a warm, mid-toned tone like this one wants cool and neutral partners that temper its warmth so the scheme feels intentional rather than flat, and both lighter and deeper partners supply the light-to-dark range the eye needs. A nursery wants soft, low-contrast partners — gentle colors that soothe rather than stimulate, and grow with the room past the first year.
- muted red
- teal
- green
- terracotta & clay
Using epernay in a nursery
In a nursery, soften it with muted red and teal. Because epernay is mid-toned, it can cover larger surfaces, with terracotta & clay added for depth.
8 combinations with epernay, from the 1933 Dictionary
Light Brown Drab & Pyrite Yellow +1
Plate 239 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Pyrite Yellow, Glaucous Green.
#cab356 #b59392 #b4cdc2
Eosine Pink & Pyrite Yellow +2
Plate 287 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Pyrite Yellow, Pale King's Blue, Calamine BLue.
#cab356 #f37f94 #a7d4e4 #78cdd0
Grass Yellow & Rikyū Grey
Wild grass yellow tempered by the muted grey favored by the tea master Sen no Rikyū.
#DCCB7A #878A74 #F3EBDA
Pale Lemon Yellow & Pinkish Cinnamon +2
Plate 292 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pale Lemon Yellow, Pinkish Cinnamon, Isabella Color, Ecru.
#c5a56e #ffefae #eeb480 #c2ae93
Light Brown Drab & Ochraceous Salmon +1
Plate 223 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Ochraceous Salmon, Turquoise Green.
#d8a37b #b59392 #b5decc
Pyrite Yellow & Peach Red +2
Plate 250 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pyrite Yellow, Peach Red, Sea Green, Nile Blue.
#cab356 #f15a30 #00b49b #bce4e5
Eugenia Red | B & Maple +2
Plate 282 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eugenia Red | B, Maple, Cobalt Green, Lilac.
#c59f6b #da525d #96d1aa #b984af
Red Orange & Pale Lemon Yellow +2
Plate 241 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red Orange, Pale Lemon Yellow, Isabella Color, Dark Medici Blue.
#c5a56e #dd4027 #ffefae #547076
Epernay in other settings
Other colors
Studio
Work with this pairing
You have the hex codes for Epernay for a nursery. These are the materials a colour study like this actually gets made with.
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Pentel
Fude Touch brush sign pen
A felt brush tip for the labelling and linework around a swatch study — the annotation half of a colour notebook.
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Pantone
Formula Guide — coated & uncoated
When a palette leaves the screen, this is the shared vocabulary between you and the press. Coated and uncoated because the same ink is not the same colour on both.
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The colour-theory books behind pairings like Epernay — history, reference and the science of what works together.
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