NEUTRALS

Perplexed

#BCB3C3

RGB 188, 179, 195 · HSL 274°, 12%, 73% · CMYK 4, 8, 0, 24

Perplexed is #BCB3C3 in HEX — rgb(188, 179, 195), hsl(274°, 12%, 73%), cmyk(4%, 8%, 0%, 24%).

Perplexed pulls into the light end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 274°, 12%, 73%. The neutral saturation makes it near-neutral and forgiving, and the hue reads cool. In interior projects it shines on main walls, trims, ceilings — versatile across nearly any style. Reads best alongside soft whites, natural wood, matte black trim, linen.

Color Codes

HEX#BCB3C3

RGB188, 179, 195

HSL274°, 12%, 73%

HSV274°, 8%, 76%

CMYK4, 8, 0, 24

Decimal12366787

CSS RGBrgb(188, 179, 195)

CSS HSLhsl(274, 12%, 73%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Dulux

Perplexed S44C2

Exact match

PPG

Cloudberry 1174-4

ΔE 1.3 · #B9B3C2

Valspar

Midsummer Twilight 4001-3C

ΔE 2 · #BBAFBD

Vista Paint

Hyacinth Haze K-44

ΔE 2.4 · #C2B9C7

Behr

Exclusive Violet HDC-SP14-12

ΔE 2.6 · #B8ACBD

Hallman-Lindsay

Velvet Dawn 1310

ΔE 2.8 · #BDB0BC

Benjamin Moore

Spring 2117-50

ΔE 3.2 · #B1ADBC

Dunn-Edwards

Winter Dusk DE5933

ΔE 3.8 · #B8B8CB

Kilz

Boysenberry Cream RA270-01

ΔE 4.7 · #C0BDD2

IKEA

IKEA087 87

ΔE 4.8 · #CAB6C9

Sherwin-Williams

Grape Mist SW6548

ΔE 5.9 · #C5C0C9

Dutch Boy

Dusky Mood DCP-1318

ΔE 7.1 · #A6ACB8

Farrow & Ball

Calluna 270

ΔE 9.1 · #CCC8CE

RAL

Window Grey 7040

ΔE 10 · #9DA1AA

Colorhouse

Air .07 Air-07

ΔE 10 · #CEC4C5

Kobra

Silver 47

ΔE 13.1 · #CDCECD

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

47/100

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 MasstoneViolet UndertoneBlue

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#BCB3C3

#B9C2B2

Analogous

#B3B2C2

#BCB3C3

#C2B2C1

Triadic

#BCB3C3

#C2BBB2

#B2C2BB

Split-Complementary

#BCB3C3

#C1C2B2

#B2C2B3

Tetradic

#BCB3C3

#C2B3B2

#B9C2B2

#B2C1C2

Monochromatic

#6F607B

#9687A1

#BCB3C3

#E1DDE4

#F2F1F4

Rectangle

#BCB3C3

#C2B2B9

#B9C2B2

#B2C2BB

Compound

#BCB3C3

#C2B2C1

#B9C2B2

#B2C2B3

Variations

Lighter

#C9C1CF

#D6D1DA

#E7E5E9

Darker

#9788A2

#685974

#3D3344

Saturation

#BAB8BD

#BBB2C2

#BF94E1

Interior Use

Best Rooms

living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens

Best Uses

main walls, trim, accents

Pairs With

soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

2.02:1

Fail

vs Black

10.37:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#BCB3C3

#B4B8C4

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#BCB3C3

#B5B5C1

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#BCB3C3

#BAB6B5

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Perplexed gets out of the way so the architecture and the people in the room do the work. The right neutral is never a default — it reads warm or cool, dusty or sharp depending on its undertone, and that undertone is what makes or breaks the room.

SymbolismBalance, sophistication, calm

PersonalityAdaptable, considered, timeless

versatileneutraltimelessbackdroptrimwall

How it looks under different light

#CCB3AD

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#BCB3C3

Daylight 5500K

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

#BAB8D2

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.

#9BB686

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: #BCB3C3;

CSS — background

background-color: #BCB3C3;

CSS Variable

--color-perplexed: #BCB3C3;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'perplexed': '#BCB3C3' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#BCB3C3] text-[#BCB3C3]

SCSS

$perplexed: #BCB3C3;

Similar Colors

African Violet

#C1B9C4 · ΔE 3.4

Spring Violet

#B0ACBB · ΔE 3.6

Violet Petal

#CDBFD1 · ΔE 5.2

Lavender Lipstick

#BDABC2 · ΔE 5.5

Lavender Blue

#B3B9C7 · ΔE 5.6

North Cascades

#C3C2D0 · ΔE 5.7

Blue Orchid

#B8B9D2 · ΔE 6.2

Excalibur Gray

#A9ABB6 · ΔE 6.3

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 #BCB3C3?

#BCB3C3 is Perplexed, a soft neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #BCB3C3 warm or cool?

Perplexed reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Perplexed?

Perplexed works well in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens. Designers typically use it for main walls, trim, accents.

What colors pair well with Perplexed?

Perplexed pairs naturally with soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Perplexed?

You can download Perplexed 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 Perplexed?

The hex code is #BCB3C3. In RGB it's 188, 179, 195, and in HSL it's 274°, 12%, 73%.

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