#4E423D is a mid neutral with only a whisper of temperate cast. On the Color Lab it reads quietly premium, restrained and easy to live with. It reproduces cleanly in print.
Not just a swatch — here's how #4E423D works with other colors. Named schemes with #4E423D in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.
Taupe anchors this café scheme as the warm mid-tone, lifted by latte cream and a muted sage accent and grounded by espresso brown and a warm charcoal.
Taupe plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.
This palette keeps Taupe as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.
Taupe 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.
Taupe 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 Taupe carrying the quiet middle.
How #4E423D 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 #4E423D at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #4E423D;
--color-base-rgb: 78 66 61;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(39.0% 0.019 43.9);
--color-50: #F8F7F6;
--color-100: #EDEAE8;
--color-200: #DBD4D1;
--color-300: #BFB5B0;
--color-400: #A3958F;
--color-500: #857670;
--color-600: #685E59;
--color-700: #4C4543;
--color-800: #332F2E;
--color-900: #201E1D;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
taupe: {
50: '#F8F7F6',
100: '#EDEAE8',
200: '#DBD4D1',
300: '#BFB5B0',
400: '#A3958F',
500: '#857670',
600: '#685E59',
700: '#4C4543',
800: '#332F2E',
900: '#201E1D',
},
}
$base: #4E423D; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #F8F7F6; $base-100: #EDEAE8; $base-200: #DBD4D1; $base-300: #BFB5B0; $base-400: #A3958F; $base-500: #857670; $base-600: #685E59; $base-700: #4C4543; $base-800: #332F2E; $base-900: #201E1D; $base-hover: #3E3430; $base-subtle: #CCC5C2;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#4E423D",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#F8F7F6",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#EDEAE8",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#DBD4D1",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#BFB5B0",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#A3958F",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#857670",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#685E59",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#4C4543",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#332F2E",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#201E1D",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}