Soft & pastelMuted elegance
Mauve and Gray Color Combination
Mauve is a greyed purple, so it belongs with grey by construction — the pair reads as a single muted family rather than two colors.
Hex codes #E0B0FF and #808080 — a muted elegance pair with a 2.22:1 contrast ratio between the two colors.
Values for this combination
- RGB
- rgb(224, 176, 255)
- HSL
- hsl(276, 100%, 85%)
- Hex
- #E0B0FF
- RGB
- rgb(128, 128, 128)
- HSL
- hsl(0, 0%, 50%)
- Hex
- #808080
Contrast between Mauve and Gray
Contrast ratio 2.22:1. This only decides whether one color of the pair can carry text on the other — the colors themselves always work side by side.
Gray text on a Mauve surface, at 2.22:1.
Mauve text on a Gray surface, at 2.22:1.
Where this pair works
- Fashion editorial
- Furniture catalogues
- Cosmetics
Give Mauve (#E0B0FF) roughly 60% of the surface, Gray (#808080) about 30%, and leave the last 10% for the neutral below. That split is what keeps a two-color combination from turning into a fight.
A five-color set from this pair
Mauve and Gray as a working palette: a pale tint of the lighter color for backgrounds, both colors as they are, a deep shade of the darker color for text and a neutral for everything in between.
- Pale tint#f0e1fabackgrounds and large surfaces · closest to Lavender
- Primary#E0B0FFthe dominant color · closest to Mauve
- Secondary#808080the accent color · closest to Gray
- Deep shade#292323text, borders and icons · closest to RaisinBlack
- Neutral#f5f4f6dividers and quiet surfaces · closest to WhiteSmoke
Explore Mauve and Gray on their own
Mauve
More color combinations
Gray and White
#808080 · #FFFFFFQuiet structureOpen combinationNavy and Gray
#000080 · #808080Layered neutralsOpen combinationTeal and Gray
#008080 · #808080Modern technicalOpen combinationPink and Gray
#FFC0CB · #808080Balanced softnessOpen combinationLavender and Cream
#E6E6FA · #FFFDD0Quiet luxuryOpen combinationBlush and Sage
#DE5D83 · #BCB88ABotanical softnessOpen combinationMauve and Gray are a muted elegance pair: mauve is a greyed purple, so it belongs with grey by construction — the pair reads as a single muted family rather than two colors.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — this pair is used for fashion editorial, furniture catalogues, cosmetics. The two colors measure 2.22:1 against each other, which means the two should sit side by side as surfaces rather than as text and background.
Good to know
- Every value on this page is calculated from #E0B0FF and #808080 — nothing is hardcoded.
- Build a longer palette out of Mauve or Gray in the palette generator, or test your own text pair in the contrast checker.
Put this combination to work
Turn Mauve and Gray into a full palette, a gradient or a set of shades — or check the pair against WCAG.
