#2E281F is a near-black neutral with only a whisper of temperate cast. On the Color Lab it reads quietly premium, restrained and easy to live with. It holds up as a large surface and is too dark to lead as a primary accent.
Not just a swatch — here's how #2E281F works with other colors. Named schemes with #2E281F in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.
Bistre is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Bistre.
Bistre plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.
Bistre sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.
Bistre carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.
Bistre is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Bistre carrying the quiet middle.
How #2E281F actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.
Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #2E281F at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #2E281F;
--color-base-rgb: 46 40 31;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(28.0% 0.018 77.9);
--color-50: #F9F8F6;
--color-100: #EFEBE7;
--color-200: #DED8CE;
--color-300: #C4BAAB;
--color-400: #A99C89;
--color-500: #8B7E6A;
--color-600: #6D6355;
--color-700: #4F4940;
--color-800: #35312C;
--color-900: #211F1C;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
bistre: {
50: '#F9F8F6',
100: '#EFEBE7',
200: '#DED8CE',
300: '#C4BAAB',
400: '#A99C89',
500: '#8B7E6A',
600: '#6D6355',
700: '#4F4940',
800: '#35312C',
900: '#211F1C',
},
}
$base: #2E281F; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #F9F8F6; $base-100: #EFEBE7; $base-200: #DED8CE; $base-300: #C4BAAB; $base-400: #A99C89; $base-500: #8B7E6A; $base-600: #6D6355; $base-700: #4F4940; $base-800: #35312C; $base-900: #211F1C; $base-hover: #242019; $base-subtle: #C7C0B5;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#2E281F",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#F9F8F6",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#EFEBE7",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#DED8CE",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#C4BAAB",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#A99C89",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#8B7E6A",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#6D6355",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#4F4940",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#35312C",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#211F1C",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}