Colors that go with Purple for cabinets
Purple · #7D5BA6
Purple (#7D5BA6) — a balanced purple — is best for cabinets with muted red, terracotta & clay, teal, and green. 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 purple
Purple is a balanced purple — a gently muted, balanced colour that reads as mid-toned. As a balanced tone it looks most resolved next to both warmer and cooler neighbours, 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
- #7D5BA6
- RGB
- 125, 91, 166
- HSL
- 267°, 30%, 50%
- CMYK
- 25, 45, 0, 35
Accessibility: put light text on purple for AA legibility (contrast 5.1:1 against off-white).
Why purple pairs with muted red, terracotta & clay, teal, and green
Across the 8 historical combinations below, purple sits most often beside muted red, terracotta & clay, teal, and green. That tracks with colour theory: a balanced, mid-toned tone like this one wants both warmer and cooler neighbours 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
- teal
- green
Using purple in cabinets
With cabinets, match it to muted red and terracotta & clay. Because purple is mid-toned, it can cover larger surfaces, with green added for depth.
8 combinations with purple, from the 1933 Dictionary
Cinnamon Buff & Pistachio Green +1
Plate 127 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cinnamon Buff, Pistachio Green, Dark Soft Violet.
#66629c #fdc57e #648f7b
Eosine Pink & Dark Soft Violet +1
Plate 197 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Dark Soft Violet, Neutral Gray.
#66629c #f37f94 #b6bfc1
Pinkish Cinnamon & Olive Buff +1
Plate 175 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pinkish Cinnamon, Olive Buff, Blue Violet.
#6450a1 #eeb480 #c1c494
Spectrum Red & Brick Red +2
Plate 322 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spectrum Red, Brick Red, Eupatorium Purple, Blue Violet.
#6450a1 #e31f26 #a84222 #bf5892
Hay's Russet & Nile Blue +2
Plate 345 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hay's Russet, Nile Blue, Venice Green, Blue Violet.
#6450a1 #793327 #bce4e5 #62c6bf
Corinthian Pink & Venice Green +1
Plate 128 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Corinthian Pink, Venice Green, Light Mauve.
#9a72aa #f8b6ba #62c6bf
Cinnamon Buff & Light Mauve +1
Plate 180 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cinnamon Buff, Light Mauve, Neutral Gray.
#9a72aa #fdc57e #b6bfc1
Spectrum Red & Ivory Buff +2
Plate 301 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spectrum Red, Ivory Buff, Rainette Green, Aconite Violet.
#a36aa5 #e31f26 #ebd3a2 #8fa071
Questions about Purple for cabinets
What colors go with purple for cabinets?
Purple (#7D5BA6) — a balanced purple — is best for cabinets with muted red, terracotta & clay, teal, and green. With cabinets, match it to muted red, drawn from 8 historically-grounded combinations below.
What is the hex code for purple?
Purple is #7D5BA6 — a balanced purple.
Does purple go with white?
Yes. Purple reads clean against soft white and cream; for contrast, add one of: muted red, terracotta & clay, teal, green.
Purple in other settings
Other colors
Studio
Work with this pairing
You have the hex codes for Purple for cabinets. These are the materials a colour study like this actually gets made with.
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Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 24 — Art Nouveau
Gansai are traditional Japanese watercolour pans — dense, matte and easy to mix, the closest everyday medium to the flat printed colour Wada's plates were made in. This is the Art Nouveau-themed 'II' edition, a different 24 to the standard set.
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 24 Colors II - Art Nouveau
View on Amazon -
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 36
The larger pan set. More range means mixing toward a specific plate rather than approximating it from six colours.
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 36 Colors
View on Amazon
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From the archive
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Library
Go deeper on colour
The colour-theory books behind pairings like Purple — history, reference and the science of what works together.
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Torn between the two Wada dictionaries? Vol 1 vs Vol 2, compared plate by plate →
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