Colors That Go With Red
#C0392B · a clear, warm red
Red (#C0392B) — a clear, warm red — is a warm, saturated mid-toned colour. It pairs best with complementary accent #3eb9c7, analogous (warmer) #b68d35, and grounding neutrals, drawn from 845 historically-grounded combinations across 13 settings below.
Colour reference
- Hex
- #C0392B
- RGB
- 192, 57, 43
- CMYK
- 0, 70, 78, 25
- Temperature
- warm
- Lightness
- mid-toned (46%)
- Contrast on black text
- 5.2:1 (AA)
Red by setting
Red for walls
On walls, use muted red. 65 matching combinations.
Red for a wedding
For a wedding, pair it with muted red. 65 matching combinations.
Red for a bedroom
In a bedroom, layer it with muted red. 65 matching combinations.
Red for a living room
In a living room, ground it with terracotta & clay. 65 matching combinations.
Red for a kitchen
In a kitchen, contrast it with terracotta & clay. 65 matching combinations.
Red for clothes
To wear with it, reach for terracotta & clay. 65 matching combinations.
Red for an outfit
Build the outfit around terracotta & clay. 65 matching combinations.
Red for cabinets
With cabinets, match it to muted red. 65 matching combinations.
Red for a bathroom
In a bathroom, pair it with muted red. 65 matching combinations.
Red for a nursery
In a nursery, soften it with muted red. 65 matching combinations.
Red for a front door
On a front door, contrast it with deep charcoal. 65 matching combinations.
Red for an accent wall
On an accent wall, pair it with terracotta & clay. 65 matching combinations.
Red for curtains
For curtains, choose terracotta & clay. 65 matching combinations.
Combinations with red, from the 1933 Dictionary
Fawn & Scarlet +2
Plate 308 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Fawn, Scarlet, English Red, Cobalt Green.
Corinthian Pink & Brick Red +2
Plate 246 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Corinthian Pink, Brick Red, Sulpher Yellow, Cinnamon Buff.
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.
Scarlet & Dull Viridian Green +1
Plate 136 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Scarlet, Dull Viridian Green, Red Violet.
Coral Red & Scarlet +2
Plate 332 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Coral Red, Scarlet, Deep Slate Olive, Dusky Green.
Madder Red & Evergreen
The rooted red of madder-dyed cotton set against enduring pine green.
FAQ
What colors go with red?
Red (#C0392B) — a clear, warm red — is a warm, saturated mid-toned colour. It pairs best with complementary accent #3eb9c7, analogous (warmer) #b68d35, and grounding neutrals, drawn from 845 historically-grounded combinations across 13 settings below.
Is red warm or cool?
Red is a warm colour — 63% saturation, 46% lightness. Balance it with #b63573 or another cool/neutral partner.
What is the hex code for red?
Red is #C0392B — RGB(192, 57, 43), CMYK(0, 70, 78, 25).
Other colors
Studio
Work with this colour
You have the hex code, the RGB/CMYK values and the computed partners for Red. 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
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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 Red — 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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