Colors that go with Mustard for cabinets
Mustard · #C9A227
Mustard (#C9A227) — a deep golden yellow — pairs best with muted red, terracotta & clay, soft brown, and slate & blue. With cabinets, match it to muted red, drawn from 8 historically-grounded combinations below.
Cabinet color is a long commitment — the partners that age well are warm neutrals and one quiet accent for hardware or tile.
About mustard
Mustard is a deep golden yellow — 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 earthy in cabinets.
- HEX
- #C9A227
- RGB
- 201, 162, 39
- HSL
- 46°, 68%, 47%
- CMYK
- 0, 19, 81, 21
Accessibility: put light text on mustard for below AA (decorative use) legibility (contrast 2.3:1 against off-white).
Why mustard pairs with muted red, terracotta & clay, soft brown, and slate & blue
Across the 8 historical combinations below, mustard sits most often beside muted red, terracotta & clay, soft brown, and slate & blue. 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. Cabinet color is a long commitment — the partners that age well are warm neutrals and one quiet accent for hardware or tile.
- muted red
- terracotta & clay
- soft brown
- slate & blue
Using mustard in cabinets
With cabinets, match it to muted red and terracotta & clay. Because mustard is mid-toned, it can cover larger surfaces, with slate & blue added for depth.
8 combinations with mustard, from the 1933 Dictionary
Kite Brown & Gold
The warm brown of a kite's wing lit by afternoon gold.
#D4AF37 #8A5A3B #2B2B2B
Hydrangea Red & Sulphine Yellow +1
Plate 142 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hydrangea Red, Sulphine Yellow, Salvia Blue.
#c19f2c #a94151 #97acc8
Sulphine Yellow & Pale Raw Umber +1
Plate 160 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Sulphine Yellow, Pale Raw Umber, Dark Medici Blue.
#c19f2c #71502f #547076
Eugenia Red | B & Raw Sienna +2
Plate 252 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eugenia Red | B, Raw Sienna, Sulphine Yellow, Green Blue.
#c19f2c #da525d #bb7125 #099197
Sulpher Yellow & Golden Yellow +1
Plate 132 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Sulpher Yellow, Golden Yellow, Citrine.
#b09f36 #f5ecc2 #f3a257
Eosine Pink & Khaki +2
Plate 248 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Khaki, Grayish Lavender - A, Dark Slate Purple.
#bc892b #f37f94 #b5b1d8 #704357
Eugenia Red | B & Ivory Buff +2
Plate 262 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eugenia Red | B, Ivory Buff, Citrine, Cossack Green.
#b09f36 #da525d #ebd3a2 #437742
Eosine Pink & Orange Yellow +1
Plate 153 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Orange Yellow, Citron Yellow.
#b2b73e #f37f94 #fcb315
Mustard in other settings
Other colors
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