Mellow Rose
Mellow Rose is a moderately saturated red shade with RGB(217, 166, 161) and hex code #D9A6A1, reading as light at a glance.
HEX
#D9A6A1
RGB
217, 166, 161
HSL
5°, 42%, 74%
CMYK
0%, 24%, 26%, 15%
LAB
73, 18, 10
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Description
- •Mellow Rose (#D9A6A1) is a warm-toned red color defined by RGB values of 217, 166, 161 and HSL values of 5 degrees hue, 42% saturation, and 74% lightness. At 74% lightness it appears light, and its moderately saturated character makes it suitable as a strong accent or brand color. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #A1D4D9 for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #D9C2A1 and #D9A1B8 for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a red shade, Mellow Rose tends to carry the general associations of that hue family: power, passion, danger, and urgency. Red is one of the first colors humans evolved to distinguish and is commonly linked with energy, urgency, and appetite.
Hue family
red
Saturation level
moderately saturated
Lightness level
light
Temperature
warm
Because Mellow Rose is moderately saturated and light, it tends to feel calm and unobtrusive in a design context.
Meaning
Within the red family, colors like Mellow Rose are commonly associated with power, passion, danger, and urgency, though exact interpretation depends on cultural context and surrounding design elements.
Hue family
red
Common associations
power, passion, danger, and urgency
Temperature
warm
History
- 1Mellow Rose is a named point in a modern digital color palette rather than a documented historical pigment, but the red family it belongs to has a long design history. Red is one of the first colors humans evolved to distinguish and is commonly linked with energy, urgency, and appetite.
Color info
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Visual perception
- At HSL(5, 42%, 74%), Mellow Rose has a relative luminance of about 0.45 on a 0-1 scale, which can make it harder to distinguish for people with red-green color blindness if used alongside similarly saturated greens or reds; pair it with a distinct lightness or add non-color cues such as icons or labels.
Technology specific
- Mellow Rose (#D9A6A1) renders consistently on standard sRGB displays; on wider-gamut or uncalibrated screens, expect minor shifts in perceived saturation. For print reproduction, convert from RGB to CMYK and proof physically, since muted colors like this can shift noticeably between screen and print.
Guidance
Use Mellow Rose with black text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 9.9:1). It is versatile enough to use for larger surfaces such as backgrounds or cards.
Examples
web design
page backgrounds
branding
neutral brand background
UI design
card and panel backgrounds
body text or subtle fill
Purpose
Mellow Rose works well for backgrounds, body text, or supporting UI surfaces where subtlety matters, given its moderately saturated and light profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with black text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 9.9:1
palette flexibility
combines with #A1D4D9 (complementary) and #A1D9A6/#A6A1D9 (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as calm and neutral across most screens