Colors That Go With Taupe
#B0A08E · a warm grey-brown
Taupe (#B0A08E) — a warm grey-brown — is a warm, nearly neutral mid-toned colour. It pairs best with complementary accent #788ba1, analogous (warmer) #acb08e, and grounding neutrals, drawn from 819 historically-grounded combinations across 13 settings below.
Colour reference
- Hex
- #B0A08E
- RGB
- 176, 160, 142
- CMYK
- 0, 9, 19, 31
- Temperature
- warm
- Lightness
- mid-toned (62%)
- Contrast on black text
- 2.4:1 (below AA (decorative use))
Taupe by setting
Taupe for walls
On walls, use slate & blue. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for a wedding
For a wedding, pair it with ochre & gold. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for a bedroom
In a bedroom, layer it with ochre & gold. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for a living room
In a living room, ground it with terracotta & clay. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for a kitchen
In a kitchen, contrast it with terracotta & clay. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for clothes
To wear with it, reach for muted red. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for an outfit
Build the outfit around muted red. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for cabinets
With cabinets, match it to terracotta & clay. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for a bathroom
In a bathroom, pair it with slate & blue. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for a nursery
In a nursery, soften it with ochre & gold. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for a front door
On a front door, contrast it with muted red. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for an accent wall
On an accent wall, pair it with muted red. 63 matching combinations.
Taupe for curtains
For curtains, choose terracotta & clay. 63 matching combinations.
Combinations with taupe, from the 1933 Dictionary
Blue & Lilac +1
Plate 143 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Blue, Lilac, Warm Gray.
Lemon Yellow & Green Blue +2
Plate 259 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Lemon Yellow, Green Blue, Helvetia Blue, Warm Gray.
Light Brown Drab & Etruscan Red +1
Plate 185 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Etruscan Red, Pale Lemon Yellow.
Light Brown Drab & Ochraceous Salmon +1
Plate 223 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Ochraceous Salmon, Turquoise Green.
Light Brown Drab & Pyrite Yellow +1
Plate 239 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Pyrite Yellow, Glaucous Green.
Light Brown Drab & Yellow Ocher +1
Plate 191 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Yellow Ocher, Blue.
FAQ
What colors go with taupe?
Taupe (#B0A08E) — a warm grey-brown — is a warm, nearly neutral mid-toned colour. It pairs best with complementary accent #788ba1, analogous (warmer) #acb08e, and grounding neutrals, drawn from 819 historically-grounded combinations across 13 settings below.
Is taupe warm or cool?
Taupe is a warm colour — 18% saturation, 62% lightness. Balance it with #b08e8f or another cool/neutral partner.
What is the hex code for taupe?
Taupe is #B0A08E — RGB(176, 160, 142), CMYK(0, 9, 19, 31).
Other colors
Studio
Work with this colour
You have the hex code, the RGB/CMYK values and the computed partners for Taupe. These are the materials a colour study like this actually gets made with.
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Calibrite
Display Plus HL colorimeter kit
A colorimeter calibrates the monitor itself. Worth saying plainly: an uncalibrated screen is the most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite Video Photo Kit with Display Plus HL Colorimeter and ColorChecker Passport Video 2, 10,000 Nit Monitor Calibration, Camera Color Matching
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Calibrite
ColorChecker Passport Photo 2
A pocket target for fixing white balance and exposure at the moment of capture — the step before any colour correction, if your palette starts from a photograph rather than a screen.
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Passport Photo 2 Portable Color Calibration Kit for Photo and Video, 4 Target Set for White Balance, Exposure and Creative Look
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 Taupe — 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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