YELLOWS

Essential Brown

#C1BE9F

RGB 193, 190, 159 · HSL 55°, 22%, 69% · CMYK 0, 2, 18, 24

Essential Brown is #C1BE9F in HEX — rgb(193, 190, 159), hsl(55°, 22%, 69%), cmyk(0%, 2%, 18%, 24%).

Essential Brown pulls into the light end of the yellows spectrum — HSL 55°, 22%, 69%. The muted saturation makes it quiet but present, and the hue reads warm. In interior projects it shines on kitchens, breakfast nooks, kids' rooms, accent walls — bringing sunlight indoors. Reads best alongside white trim, natural linen, light oak, brushed brass.

Color Codes

HEX#C1BE9F

RGB193, 190, 159

HSL55°, 22%, 69%

HSV55°, 18%, 76%

CMYK0, 2, 18, 24

Decimal12697247

CSS RGBrgb(193, 190, 159)

CSS HSLhsl(55, 22%, 69%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Behr

Essential Brown BNC-03

Exact match

Benjamin Moore

Plantation CSP-820

ΔE 0.6 · #C3BFA0

PPG

Northern Landscape 1113-3 · 11-22

ΔE 1.4 · #C5C1A3

Valspar

Bayou Shade 6006-3C

ΔE 1.9 · #C7C3A4

Dunn-Edwards

Sea Glass DEC775

ΔE 2.2 · #C7C4A5

Dulux

Esprit S18D3

ΔE 2.4 · #BEBC99

Sherwin-Williams

Recycled Glass SW7747

ΔE 2.4 · #BDC0A0

Colorhouse

Glass .03 Glass-03

ΔE 2.6 · #B9BA99

RAL

Pebble Grey 7032

ΔE 2.8 · #B8B799

Farrow & Ball

Cooking Apple Green 32

ΔE 3.3 · #C4C6A5

Vista Paint

Golden Shores K-404

ΔE 3.3 · #BABD9A

Dutch Boy

Star of Gold DCP-0323

ΔE 3.4 · #C5BA9A

Kilz

California Avocado LG150-01

ΔE 3.5 · #C3C6A5

Hallman-Lindsay

Vapor 407

ΔE 3.5 · #C0C4A2

IKEA

IKEA145 145

ΔE 5.1 · #CFC7A2

Kobra

Beige 05

ΔE 9.8 · #D0C092

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

51/100

Light

0 · DarkLight · 100

Reflects plenty of light and keeps spaces feeling open and airy while still showing clear colour. A safe, flexible choice for living areas.

Undertone

TemperatureWarm MasstoneYellow UndertoneGreen

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#C1BE9F

#9FA1C1

Analogous

#C1AD9F

#C1BE9F

#B3C19F

Triadic

#C1BE9F

#9FC1BE

#BE9FC1

Split-Complementary

#C1BE9F

#9FB3C1

#AD9FC1

Tetradic

#C1BE9F

#9FC1AD

#9FA1C1

#C19FB3

Monochromatic

#79764E

#A49F70

#C1BE9F

#DFDECD

#F5F5EF

Rectangle

#C1BE9F

#A1C19F

#9FA1C1

#BE9FC1

Compound

#C1BE9F

#B3C19F

#9FA1C1

#AD9FC1

Variations

Lighter

#CECBB2

#D8D7C7

#E8E7DF

Darker

#A7A372

#787449

#47442A

Saturation

#B5B4AB

#C1BE9F

#E0D880

Interior Use

Best Rooms

kitchens, breakfast nooks, kids' rooms

Best Uses

accent walls, ceilings, cabinetry highlights

Pairs With

white trim, natural linen, light oak, brushed brass

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

1.89:1

Fail

vs Black

11.13:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#C1BE9F

#C3BDA0

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#C1BE9F

#BFBFA3

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#C1BE9F

#C3BABD

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Bright · Optimistic

Essential Brown brings light into spaces that lack it — kitchens, breakfast nooks, kids' rooms wake up under it. The trick with yellow is restraint: lean toward the muted/buttery end if you want it on walls; reserve high-chroma versions for accents and trim.

SymbolismSunlight, clarity, intellect

PersonalityCheerful, alert, sociable

sunlightclarityjoyalertnesskitchenmorning

How it looks under different light

#D0BB92

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#C1BE9F

Daylight 5500K

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

#BDC0B7

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEBEA

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.

#7B80B0

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: #C1BE9F;

CSS — background

background-color: #C1BE9F;

CSS Variable

--color-essential-brown: #C1BE9F;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'essential-brown': '#C1BE9F' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#C1BE9F] text-[#C1BE9F]

SCSS

$essential-brown: #C1BE9F;

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#C1B697 · ΔE 4.0

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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 #C1BE9F?

#C1BE9F is Essential Brown, a soft yellow with a warm undertone.

Is #C1BE9F warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Essential Brown?

Essential Brown works well in kitchens, breakfast nooks, kids' rooms. Designers typically use it for accent walls, ceilings, cabinetry highlights.

What colors pair well with Essential Brown?

Essential Brown pairs naturally with white trim, natural linen, light oak, brushed brass. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Essential Brown?

You can download Essential Brown 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 Essential Brown?

The hex code is #C1BE9F. In RGB it's 193, 190, 159, and in HSL it's 55°, 22%, 69%.

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