Wisteria
An airy and gentle muted purple
Wisteria is a desaturated, cool-leaning purple that feels airy and gentle. Because it is mid-toned, it pairs surprisingly well with dark charcoal grays, providing a soft contrast that lacks the harshness of black. Avoid using it as a primary background for dense UI, as its muted quality can wash out. The hex code for this shade is #a87dc2, which provides enough contrast for readable black text.
About Wisteria
Dusk settling over a lilac hedge
What does wisteria mean?
Purple tones often suggest creativity, luxury, and calm, and lavender shades are commonly tied to gardens and gentle moods. Its muted saturation and mid lightness give it a soft, cooled-down quality, closer to fading evening light than to a bold statement.
Where you see wisteria
- wisteria blossoms
- lilac petals
- hydrangea blooms
- grape candy
- chalk pastels
- lavender sachets
What it works for
It suits bedroom palettes, bakery packaging, and brand accents that want a relaxed, slightly grown-up take on purple.
What colors go with wisteria?
Sage Green #9caf88Muted neighbors on the color wheel, so neither one fights for attention.Charcoal #36454fThe dark neutral grounds the purple's softness and keeps it from feeling washed out.Dusty Rose #b56f76Its warm pink adds temperature to the cool purple without raising the volume.Cream #fffdd0Warm cream lifts the cool tone and gives the pair a calm, airy base.Maroon #800000Deep red-purple shares its undertone and anchors the lighter, hazier shade.
Questions about Wisteria
What is the hex code for Wisteria?
Wisteria is #a87dc2. In RGB that is rgb(168, 125, 194), in HSL hsl(277, 36%, 63%) and in CMYK 13%, 36%, 0%, 24%.
Does Wisteria #a87dc2 work well for text-heavy UI backgrounds?
Wisteria is best used as an accent or secondary element rather than a primary background for dense text. Because it is a mid-toned, muted shade, it can lack the necessary contrast against black text, potentially washing out content and straining reader focus over time.
Is Wisteria readable on white or black?
Wisteria has a 3.29:1 contrast ratio on white and 6.37:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it works only for large text (24px, or 18.5px bold) and on black it works for body text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.