PINKS

Highland Thistle

#B9A1AE

RGB 185, 161, 174 · HSL 328°, 15%, 68% · CMYK 0, 13, 6, 27

Highland Thistle is #B9A1AE in HEX — rgb(185, 161, 174), hsl(328°, 15%, 68%), cmyk(0%, 13%, 6%, 27%).

Highland Thistle pulls into the light end of the pinks spectrum — HSL 328°, 15%, 68%. The neutral saturation makes it near-neutral and forgiving, and the hue reads warm. In interior projects it shines on bedrooms, dressing rooms, soft fabrics — for romantic, intimate spaces. Reads best alongside cream walls, walnut furniture, terracotta, brass.

Color Codes

HEX#B9A1AE

RGB185, 161, 174

HSL328°, 15%, 68%

HSV328°, 13%, 73%

CMYK0, 13, 6, 27

Decimal12165550

CSS RGBrgb(185, 161, 174)

CSS HSLhsl(328, 15%, 68%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Vista Paint

Play Time C-1219

ΔE 2.2 · #B49BA8

Dulux

Mauve Muslin S46D3

ΔE 2.2 · #B59DAD

Valspar

Glass Slippers 1003-8A

ΔE 2.3 · #BAA0B1

Hallman-Lindsay

Play Time 1220

ΔE 2.3 · #B39BA9

Kilz

Mauve Melody RA210-02

ΔE 3.1 · #BDA5B7

Behr

Quiet Refuge 710B-4

ΔE 3.3 · #B39FA7

Dunn-Edwards

Magical Mauve DE6011

ΔE 3.9 · #BAA3A9

Benjamin Moore

Inspired AF-595

ΔE 4.2 · #AD9FAB

PPG

Ashberry 1179-5

ΔE 4.9 · #B495A4

Sherwin-Williams

Obi Lilac SW6556

ΔE 5.4 · #B0A3B6

Farrow & Ball

Cinder Rose 246

ΔE 7.8 · #C7A4A6

IKEA

IKEA087 87

ΔE 8.4 · #CAB6C9

Dutch Boy

Baby Sprout DCP-0134

ΔE 11 · #B6A39C

RAL

Window Grey 7040

ΔE 11.1 · #9DA1AA

Colorhouse

Air .07 Air-07

ΔE 14.2 · #CEC4C5

Kobra

Grey 42

ΔE 15.4 · #889099

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

39/100

Medium

0 · DarkLight · 100

Balanced reflectance — holds colour without washing out. Versatile for most rooms and the most forgiving range for true-to-chip results.

Undertone

TemperatureNeutral MasstonePink UndertoneRed

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#B9A1AE

#A1BAAD

Analogous

#B9A1BA

#B9A1AE

#BAA1A2

Triadic

#B9A1AE

#AEBAA1

#A1AEBA

Split-Complementary

#B9A1AE

#A2BAA1

#A1BAB9

Tetradic

#B9A1AE

#BAB9A1

#A1BAAD

#A1A2BA

Monochromatic

#6F5262

#997588

#B9A1AE

#DACDD4

#F4F0F2

Rectangle

#B9A1AE

#BAADA1

#A1BAAD

#A1AEBA

Compound

#B9A1AE

#BAA1A2

#A1BAAD

#A1BAB9

Variations

Lighter

#C8B4BE

#D4C8CE

#E5DFE3

Darker

#9D788C

#6F5060

#412E38

Saturation

#B1AAAE

#BAA1AE

#DC7EB1

Interior Use

Best Rooms

bedrooms, dressing rooms, powder rooms

Best Uses

main walls, ceilings, soft fabrics, large surfaces

Pairs With

cream walls, walnut furniture, terracotta, brass

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

2.39:1

Fail

vs Black

8.77:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#B9A1AE

#AAABAE

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#B9A1AE

#A5A5AC

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#B9A1AE

#B7A4A3

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Soft · Romantic

Highland Thistle strikes the line between warm-neutral and statement — light enough for primary walls in soft-light rooms, expressive enough to give a bedroom or dressing room real character. Reads expensive next to cream, walnut, and brass.

SymbolismTenderness, warmth, optimism

PersonalityGentle, intimate, optimistic

romancesoftnesswarmthbedroomintimateblush

How it looks under different light

#CAA59E

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#B9A1AE

Daylight 5500K

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

#B7AAC2

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEAEB

Trim

Matched off-white

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

#F7F7F7

Ceiling

Whisper tint

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

#78AE92

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 · Trim · Soft furniture

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: #B9A1AE;

CSS — background

background-color: #B9A1AE;

CSS Variable

--color-highland-thistle: #B9A1AE;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'highland-thistle': '#B9A1AE' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#B9A1AE] text-[#B9A1AE]

SCSS

$highland-thistle: #B9A1AE;

Similar Colors

Inspired

#AC9EAA · ΔE 4.3

Iris Bliss

#AA98AD · ΔE 6.2

Sanctuary

#B4A9AF · ΔE 6.5

Magic Potion

#BDA7A8 · ΔE 6.8

Lavender Lipstick

#BDABC2 · ΔE 6.8

Mauve Desert

#B1A2A4 · ΔE 6.9

Pebble Creek

#AFA8AE · ΔE 7.6

Angelina

#CCAEC5 · ΔE 7.9

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 #B9A1AE?

#B9A1AE is Highland Thistle, a soft pink with a warm undertone.

Is #B9A1AE warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Highland Thistle?

Highland Thistle works well in bedrooms, dressing rooms, powder rooms. Designers typically use it for main walls, ceilings, soft fabrics, large surfaces.

What colors pair well with Highland Thistle?

Highland Thistle pairs naturally with cream walls, walnut furniture, terracotta, brass. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Highland Thistle?

You can download Highland Thistle 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 Highland Thistle?

The hex code is #B9A1AE. In RGB it's 185, 161, 174, and in HSL it's 328°, 15%, 68%.

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