ORANGES

Bittersweet Stem

#CBB49A

RGB 203, 180, 154 · HSL 32°, 32%, 70% · CMYK 0, 11, 24, 20

Bittersweet Stem is #CBB49A in HEX — rgb(203, 180, 154), hsl(32°, 32%, 70%), cmyk(0%, 11%, 24%, 20%).

Bittersweet Stem pulls into the light end of the oranges spectrum — HSL 32°, 32%, 70%. The muted saturation makes it quiet but present, and the hue reads warm. In interior projects it shines on main walls, ceilings, soft fabrics, large surfaces, particularly within kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms. Reads best alongside cream walls, walnut furniture, terracotta tile, brass.

Color Codes

HEX#CBB49A

RGB203, 180, 154

HSL32°, 32%, 70%

HSV32°, 24%, 80%

CMYK0, 11, 24, 20

Decimal13350042

CSS RGBrgb(203, 180, 154)

CSS HSLhsl(32, 32%, 70%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Sherwin-Williams

Bittersweet Stem SW7536

Exact match

Dunn-Edwards

Stonish Beige DEC716

ΔE 0.4 · #CCB49A

PPG

Happy Trails 1084-4

ΔE 0.9 · #CDB69B

Benjamin Moore

Truffle AF-130

ΔE 1.3 · #C7B198

Behr

Mushroom Bisque PPU4-7

ΔE 1.4 · #C9B49C

Valspar

Maple Leaf 2008-8B

ΔE 1.4 · #CEB499

Dulux

Puddle S12D3

ΔE 2.5 · #C8B49E

IKEA

IKEA142 142

ΔE 2.6 · #C6B294

Kilz

Tea With Cream LK150

ΔE 2.6 · #D1BBA2

Hallman-Lindsay

Wicker Basket 280

ΔE 2.8 · #C7B699

Vista Paint

Soft Buckskin K-1044

ΔE 3 · #CEB097

Dutch Boy

Olive Gold DCP-0281

ΔE 5 · #C7BBA3

Colorhouse

Metal .02 Metal-02

ΔE 5.3 · #BDB091

Farrow & Ball

Oxford Stone 264

ΔE 5.6 · #D6C2AC

RAL

Silk Grey 7044

ΔE 9 · #CAC4B0

Kobra

Ivory 02

ΔE 10.5 · #E6C9A2

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

48/100

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 MasstoneOrange UndertoneYellow

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#CBB49A

#9AB1CB

Analogous

#CB9C9A

#CBB49A

#C9CB9A

Triadic

#CBB49A

#9ACBB4

#B49ACB

Split-Complementary

#CBB49A

#9AC9CB

#9C9ACB

Tetradic

#CBB49A

#9ACB9C

#9AB1CB

#CB9AC9

Monochromatic

#876845

#B18F68

#CBB49A

#E5DACD

#F6F3EE

Rectangle

#CBB49A

#B1CB9A

#9AB1CB

#B49ACB

Compound

#CBB49A

#C9CB9A

#9AB1CB

#9C9ACB

Variations

Lighter

#D5C3AE

#DED2C5

#EAE5DE

Darker

#B49169

#856440

#4E3B24

Saturation

#BAB3AB

#CBB49A

#E5B680

Interior Use

Best Rooms

kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms

Best Uses

main walls, ceilings, soft fabrics, large surfaces

Pairs With

cream walls, walnut furniture, terracotta tile, brass

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

1.99:1

Fail

vs Black

10.53:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#CBB49A

#C2BA9A

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#CBB49A

#B8B89E

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#CBB49A

#CCB1B4

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Warm · Inviting

Bittersweet Stem reads warm and lived-in — orange-leaning tones invite conversation and slow the room down without dulling it. They flatter wood, linen, and brass, and they brighten north-facing rooms that otherwise tip cold.

SymbolismCreativity, hospitality, harvest

PersonalityFriendly, optimistic, grounded

warmthhospitalitycreativitycomfortsocialearthy

How it looks under different light

#D8B48F

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#CBB49A

Daylight 5500K

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

#C5B9B3

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#ECEBE9

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.

#7C96B4

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: #CBB49A;

CSS — background

background-color: #CBB49A;

CSS Variable

--color-bittersweet-stem: #CBB49A;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'bittersweet-stem': '#CBB49A' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#CBB49A] text-[#CBB49A]

SCSS

$bittersweet-stem: #CBB49A;

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#CDB99F · ΔE 2.0

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#C9AF98 · ΔE 2.4

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#C9B394 · ΔE 2.7

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#CFBCA4 · ΔE 3.4

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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 #CBB49A?

#CBB49A is Bittersweet Stem, a soft orange with a warm undertone.

Is #CBB49A warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Bittersweet Stem?

Bittersweet Stem works well in kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms. Designers typically use it for main walls, ceilings, soft fabrics, large surfaces.

What colors pair well with Bittersweet Stem?

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

Where can I download Bittersweet Stem?

You can download Bittersweet Stem 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 Bittersweet Stem?

The hex code is #CBB49A. In RGB it's 203, 180, 154, and in HSL it's 32°, 32%, 70%.

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