Walnut Color Palette
Walnut Color Palette built around #5C4A3D, a dark warm brown anchor (WCAG contrast 2.5:1 against black). The set combines a light tint + a deep shade + a softened complement + a neutral ground so any palette position has a text-safe pairing.
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #C3B9B1 | |
| surface | #6B5A4E | |
| text | #34281F | |
| text-muted | #444E55 | |
| primary | #5C4A3D | |
| secondary | #444E55 | |
| accent | #6B5A4E |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #c3b9b1;
--surface: #6b5a4e;
--text: #34281f;
--text-muted: #444e55;
--primary: #5c4a3d;
--secondary: #444e55;
--accent: #6b5a4e;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #5C4A3D | #C3B9B1 | #34281F | #444E55 | #6B5A4E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #5C4A3D | 1.0 | 4.3 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| #C3B9B1 | 4.3 | 1.0 | 7.4 | 4.4 | 3.4 |
| #34281F | 1.7 | 7.4 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 2.2 |
| #444E55 | 1.0 | 4.4 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| #6B5A4E | 1.3 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the walnut color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #5C4A3D, #C3B9B1, #34281F, #444E55, #6B5A4E.
Do these colors pass accessibility checks?
See the WCAG matrix on this page: every text-on-background pairing with ratio ≥ 4.5 passes AA for normal text; ≥ 3 passes AA for large text and UI components.