REDS

Merlot

#A44A56

RGB 164, 74, 86 · HSL 352°, 38%, 47% · CMYK 0, 55, 48, 36

Merlot is #A44A56 in HEX — rgb(164, 74, 86), hsl(352°, 38%, 47%), cmyk(0%, 55%, 48%, 36%).

Merlot pulls into the mid-tone end of the reds spectrum — HSL 352°, 38%, 47%. 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#A44A56

RGB164, 74, 86

HSL352°, 38%, 47%

HSV352°, 55%, 64%

CMYK0, 55, 48, 36

Decimal10766934

CSS RGBrgb(164, 74, 86)

CSS HSLhsl(352, 38%, 47%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Dunn-Edwards

Merlot DE5055

Exact match

Benjamin Moore

Travers CW-345

ΔE 1.5 · #A04653

PPG

Wright Raspberry FLLW577

ΔE 3.1 · #A54F5D

Behr

Powder Room PPU1-7

ΔE 3.9 · #A14D52

Dulux

Carmine Carnation S03H8

ΔE 4 · #AD4B56

Hallman-Lindsay

Ode To Joy 1137

ΔE 4.5 · #9D404A

Vista Paint

Punky Pink C-1128

ΔE 4.6 · #AF4B5C

Farrow & Ball

Radicchio 96

ΔE 5.2 · #994A50

Valspar

Sienna Dust 1007-3A

ΔE 5.4 · #B45762

Sherwin-Williams

Kirsch Red SW6313

ΔE 5.4 · #974953

Kilz

Bright Orchid LH130

ΔE 6.7 · #9F3A4F

IKEA

IKEA059 59

ΔE 7.7 · #B34C53

RAL

Red Violet 4002

ΔE 11.1 · #922B3E

Kobra

Red 16

ΔE 12.7 · #9A4039

Colorhouse

Create .05 Create-05

ΔE 13.7 · #942A35

Dutch Boy

Coral Red VS-9770

ΔE 18.3 · #AA5842

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

13/100

Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Soaks up light and feels moody and intimate. Great for studies, dining rooms and accent walls; pair with ample lighting.

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

#A44A56

#4AA599

Analogous

#A54A84

#A44A56

#A56C4A

Triadic

#A44A56

#56A54A

#4A56A5

Split-Complementary

#A44A56

#4AA56C

#4A84A5

Tetradic

#A44A56

#84A54A

#4AA599

#6C4AA5

Monochromatic

#3C1B1F

#71333B

#A44A56

#C37983

#DBAEB4

Rectangle

#A44A56

#A5994A

#4AA599

#4A56A5

Compound

#A44A56

#A56C4A

#4AA599

#4A84A5

Variations

Lighter

#BC6A75

#C8949B

#DCC3C6

Darker

#863A44

#5D262E

#37161A

Saturation

#866A6E

#A54A56

#CB253B

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

5.69:1

vs Black

3.69:1

AA Large

Deuteranopia

#A44A56

#7A7454

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#A44A56

#616155

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#A44A56

#A24F54

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Bold · Energetic

Merlot 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

#BA645C

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#A44A56

Daylight 5500K

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

#A86980

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#ECE9EA

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.

#45877E

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: #A44A56;

CSS — background

background-color: #A44A56;

CSS Variable

--color-merlot: #A44A56;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'merlot': '#A44A56' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#A44A56] text-[#A44A56]

SCSS

$merlot: #A44A56;

Similar Colors

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#9F4552 · ΔE 1.9

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#B2525D · ΔE 4.5

Cherry Wine

#AD485B · ΔE 5.0

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#A5414D · ΔE 5.4

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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 #A44A56?

#A44A56 is Merlot, a mid-tone red with a warm undertone.

Is #A44A56 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Merlot?

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

What colors pair well with Merlot?

Merlot 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 Merlot?

You can download Merlot 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 Merlot?

The hex code is #A44A56. In RGB it's 164, 74, 86, and in HSL it's 352°, 38%, 47%.

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