REDS

Mid Century

#553333

RGB 85, 51, 51 · HSL 0°, 25%, 27% · CMYK 0, 40, 40, 67

Mid Century is #553333 in HEX — rgb(85, 51, 51), hsl(0°, 25%, 27%), cmyk(0%, 40%, 40%, 67%).

Mid Century pulls into the deep end of the reds spectrum — HSL 0°, 25%, 27%. The muted saturation makes it quiet but present, and the hue reads warm. In interior projects it shines on feature walls, dining rooms, hallways — anywhere you want energy. Reads best alongside cream walls, oak furniture, brass, soft black trim.

Color Codes

HEX#553333

RGB85, 51, 51

HSL0°, 25%, 27%

HSV0°, 40%, 33%

CMYK0, 40, 40, 67

Decimal5583667

CSS RGBrgb(85, 51, 51)

CSS HSLhsl(0, 25%, 27%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Behr

Brown Eyes S-G-740

ΔE 0.8 · #543231

Dulux

Cumberland Red S03B9

ΔE 2.2 · #513331

Kilz

Bookmarker TB-99

ΔE 2.7 · #563135

Sherwin-Williams

Arresting Auburn SW6034

ΔE 2.9 · #5A3532

Benjamin Moore

Raphael CC-2

ΔE 3 · #593936

Vista Paint

Kung Fu C-108

ΔE 5.7 · #60373E

Farrow & Ball

Brinjal 222

ΔE 5.9 · #5D3B42

RAL

Mahogany Brown 8016

ΔE 5.9 · #4C2F27

Hallman-Lindsay

Otis Madiera historic-otis-madiera

ΔE 6 · #633D38

Valspar

Royal Garnet 1011-5

ΔE 6.1 · #653A3E

Kobra

Red 17

ΔE 6.5 · #583F40

Dutch Boy

Western Brown VS-9660

ΔE 7.1 · #53372C

PPG

Gooseberry 1048-7

ΔE 7.1 · #604046

IKEA

IKEA197 197

ΔE 8.5 · #473633

Dunn-Edwards

Outer Boundary DE6021

ΔE 8.9 · #654846

Colorhouse

Nourish .05 Nourish-05

ΔE 12.2 · #53453C

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

5/100

Very Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Absorbs almost all light — dramatic and cocooning. Needs strong artificial lighting and works best as an accent or in well-lit rooms.

Undertone

TemperatureWarm MasstoneRed UndertonePink

Reads as a warm red with a pink undertone showing through, especially in daylight. Pair trim and adjacent colours to either calm or amplify that undertone.

Color Theory

Complementary

#553333

#345656

Analogous

#563445

#553333

#564534

Triadic

#553333

#345634

#343456

Split-Complementary

#553333

#345645

#344556

Tetradic

#553333

#455634

#345656

#453456

Monochromatic

#100A0A

#261717

#553333

#865050

#AD7676

Rectangle

#553333

#565634

#345656

#343456

Compound

#553333

#564534

#345656

#344556

Variations

Lighter

#855050

#A77878

#C9B2B2

Darker

#462929

#301B1B

#1C1010

Saturation

#4A4040

#563434

#701A1A

Interior Use

Best Rooms

dining rooms, hallways, feature walls

Best Uses

accent walls, doors, statement furniture

Pairs With

cream walls, oak furniture, brass, soft black trim

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

11.01:1

AAA

vs Black

1.91:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#553333

#444132

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#553333

#3A3A33

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#553333

#543436

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Bold · Energetic

Mid Century carries the unmistakable charge of red — it raises pulse and appetite, draws the eye first in any room, and refuses to recede. Use it where you want presence: dining rooms that should feel social, hallways that need a focal point, front doors that announce arrival.

SymbolismPassion, urgency, vitality

PersonalityConfident, expressive, daring

energyappetitefocalsocialwarmthstatement

How it looks under different light

#7F5341

Warm Bulb 2700K

Incandescent / soft white LED — pulls colour toward yellow/amber.

#553333

Daylight 5500K

Midday natural light or daylight-spec LED — closest to the paint chip.

#6C5866

Cool Bulb 6500K

Cool white LED / overcast daylight — pulls colour toward blue.

Pairs With

#ECEAEA

Trim

Matched off-white

Same hue at 92% lightness — trim reads coordinated, not stark.

#F8F7F7

Ceiling

Whisper tint

Near-white with a hint of the hero's undertone — ceiling feels intentional.

#2C4949

Accent

Complementary punch

Hue +180°, slightly muted for paint vs. screen — use on a door, frame, or single piece.

#574738

Floor

Walnut neutral

Warm mid-brown grounds the scheme regardless of hero hue.

Paint Info

Brand · Product Line

Benjamin Moore / Regal Select Interior

Recommended Finishes

Eggshell (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Matte (ceiling)

Eggshell hides imperfections on main walls while keeping the color rich; pearl on trim adds subtle sheen and easier cleaning; flat matte on ceilings prevents glare.

Best Surfaces

Primary walls · Cabinetry · Doors · Mouldings

Coverage & Dry Time

Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.

Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.

Primer

Standard primer is adequate.

Application Tip

Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.

Paint Calculator

Wall area (m²)

Coats

Coverage (m² / L)

You'll need

4.0 litres

1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.

Code Snippets

CSS — color

color: #553333;

CSS — background

background-color: #553333;

CSS Variable

--color-mid-century: #553333;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'mid-century': '#553333' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#553333] text-[#553333]

SCSS

$mid-century: #553333;

Similar Colors

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#583835 · ΔE 2.7

Bewitched

#582F2F · ΔE 3.8

Nicolson Red

#64413D · ΔE 6.5

New Pilgrim Red

#674142 · ΔE 6.7

Chocolate Sundae

#5B3F36 · ΔE 7.3

Cascabel Chile

#693A3C · ΔE 7.6

Townsend Harbor Brown

#634543 · ΔE 7.7

Caponata

#453133 · ΔE 7.7

Built by DSGN.HOUSE Updated 2026

Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.

Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #553333?

#553333 is Mid Century, a deep red with a warm undertone.

Is #553333 warm or cool?

Mid Century reads warm, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Mid Century?

Mid Century works well in dining rooms, hallways, feature walls. Designers typically use it for accent walls, doors, statement furniture.

What colors pair well with Mid Century?

Mid Century pairs naturally with cream walls, oak furniture, brass, soft black trim. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Mid Century?

You can download Mid Century on DSGN.HOUSE in 15 designer formats including CSS gradient, Figma, Procreate swatches, Tailwind config, Adobe ASE, SVG, and 4K wallpapers — all free.

What's the hex code for Mid Century?

The hex code is #553333. In RGB it's 85, 51, 51, and in HSL it's 0°, 25%, 27%.

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