REDS

Desert Lights

#BD9C9D

RGB 189, 156, 157 · HSL 358°, 20%, 68% · CMYK 0, 17, 17, 26

Desert Lights is #BD9C9D in HEX — rgb(189, 156, 157), hsl(358°, 20%, 68%), cmyk(0%, 17%, 17%, 26%).

Desert Lights pulls into the light end of the reds spectrum — HSL 358°, 20%, 68%. 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#BD9C9D

RGB189, 156, 157

HSL358°, 20%, 68%

HSV358°, 17%, 74%

CMYK0, 17, 17, 26

Decimal12426397

CSS RGBrgb(189, 156, 157)

CSS HSLhsl(358, 20%, 68%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Sherwin-Williams

Orchid SW0071

ΔE 0.7 · #BC9C9E

Valspar

Cameo Pink 1006-8A

ΔE 1.2 · #BF9B9C

Dulux

Smoky Quartz S03D3

ΔE 1.6 · #BFA0A0

Benjamin Moore

Mauve 1264

ΔE 1.7 · #BF9A9B

PPG

Awakening 18-05

ΔE 2.6 · #BB9E9B

Vista Paint

Taryn Hills K-1131

ΔE 2.8 · #B59595

Farrow & Ball

Cinder Rose 246

ΔE 3.3 · #C7A4A6

Hallman-Lindsay

Lockhart 98

ΔE 3.9 · #BE9AA2

Behr

Dutchess Dawn MQ1-4

ΔE 4 · #C6A3A9

Dunn-Edwards

Playful Plum DE6018

ΔE 4.5 · #BA99A2

Dutch Boy

Baby Sprout DCP-0134

ΔE 7 · #B6A39C

IKEA

IKEA133 133

ΔE 7.3 · #C2ADAB

Kilz

Paper Dolls LA160-01

ΔE 7.4 · #C19091

RAL

White Aluminium 9006

ΔE 13 · #A5A5A5

Colorhouse

Metal .04 Metal-04

ΔE 14.8 · #9FA198

Kobra

Grey 42

ΔE 18.4 · #889099

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

37/100

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

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

#BD9C9D

#9DBEBD

Analogous

#BE9DAE

#BD9C9D

#BEAC9D

Triadic

#BD9C9D

#9EBE9D

#9D9EBE

Split-Complementary

#BD9C9D

#9DBEAC

#9DAEBE

Tetradic

#BD9C9D

#AEBE9D

#9DBEBD

#AC9DBE

Monochromatic

#744E4F

#9F6F71

#BD9C9D

#DCCBCC

#F5F0F0

Rectangle

#BD9C9D

#BEBD9D

#9DBEBD

#9D9EBE

Compound

#BD9C9D

#BEAC9D

#9DBEBD

#9DAEBE

Variations

Lighter

#CBB1B2

#D6C6C6

#E6DEDF

Darker

#A37274

#744A4C

#442B2C

Saturation

#B2A9A9

#BE9D9E

#DE7C80

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

2.50:1

Fail

vs Black

8.41:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#BD9C9D

#ABA89D

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#BD9C9D

#A2A29D

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#BD9C9D

#BC9D9E

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Bold · Energetic

Desert Lights 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

#CDA291

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#BD9C9D

Daylight 5500K

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

#BAA7B5

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEAEA

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.

#78AEAC

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: #BD9C9D;

CSS — background

background-color: #BD9C9D;

CSS Variable

--color-desert-lights: #BD9C9D;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'desert-lights': '#BD9C9D' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#BD9C9D] text-[#BD9C9D]

SCSS

$desert-lights: #BD9C9D;

Similar Colors

Mauve Mist

#BE999A · ΔE 1.8

Sandblast

#BF9F9C · ΔE 2.4

Cherry Malt

#C19E9B · ΔE 2.5

Frosted Berry

#BFA4A0 · ΔE 4.2

Magic Potion

#BDA7A8 · ΔE 5.5

Rose Bisque

#CAABA6 · ΔE 6.2

Titanic Rose

#CB9E99 · ΔE 6.4

Seaside Sand

#B59D94 · ΔE 6.4

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 #BD9C9D?

#BD9C9D is Desert Lights, a soft red with a warm undertone.

Is #BD9C9D warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Desert Lights?

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

What colors pair well with Desert Lights?

Desert Lights 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 Desert Lights?

You can download Desert Lights 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 Desert Lights?

The hex code is #BD9C9D. In RGB it's 189, 156, 157, and in HSL it's 358°, 20%, 68%.

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