Window Gray

The grayish-white of skylight through a window pane, the gentle transition between interior and exterior.

HEX#9DA3A6

RGBrgb(157, 163, 166)

HSLhsl(200, 5%, 63%)

HSVhsv(200, 5%, 65%)

CMYKcmyk(5%, 2%, 0%, 35%)

HEXA#9DA3A6FF

RGBArgba(157, 163, 166, 1)

HSLAhsla(200, 5%, 63%, 1)

OKLCHoklch(85.9%, 0.004, 228)

LCHlch(83.7%, 10.2, 218)

🎨 Color Palettes

Analogous2-3 adjacent hues (≤60°)

Triadic3 hues spaced 120° apart

Split ComplementaryMain color + colors adjacent to its complement

Complementary2 hues spaced 180° apart

Tetradic (Rectangle)4 hues forming a rectangle

MonochromaticSingle hue with varying saturation and lightness

♿ WCAG Contrast Colors

Learn More →

Aa14px Body

High Contrast Text

#FFFFFFRatio 2.6:1Fail

Suitable for body text, headings, and primary content, ensuring readability for all users

Aa14px Body

Standard Text

#FFFFFFRatio 2.6:1Fail

Suitable for regular body content, meeting WCAG AA standards

Aa14px Body

Large Text / UI Components

#FFFFFFRatio 2.6:1Fail

Suitable for large text (≥18px bold or ≥24px), icons, UI component boundaries

Aa14px Body

Decorative / Dividers

#E4E2E3Ratio 2:1Fail

Suitable for decorative elements, dividers, non-essential text

📊 Color Scales

Online Color Picker → Gradient Generator →

Lightness VariationFixed hue and saturation, proportional lightness scaling 30%→100%

#2E3133

#3F4346

#52585B

#636A6E

#747C81

#899194

#9CA2A5

Saturation VariationFixed hue and lightness, proportional saturation scaling 40%→100%

#9FA1A3

#9EA2A3

#9DA2A4

#9CA2A5

Lightness + Saturation Mixed VariationSimultaneous lightness and saturation proportional scaling

#2F3131

#414344

#545859

#656A6C

#767C7F

#8A9093

#9CA2A5

Hue Fine-TuningFixed saturation and lightness, stepwise hue fine-tuning ±15°

#9CA5A5

#9CA4A5

#9CA3A5

#9CA2A5

#9CA1A5

#9CA0A5

💡 Use Cases

🪟

Window Frame Color

Window Gray spray coating on aluminum alloy thermal-break window frames, allowing the frame to blend低调 (discreetly) into the building facade.

💻

System Interfaces

The light gray background color of macOS windows, recreating the natural light sensation of viewing the world through a window.

📚

Libraries

Window Gray paint on reading room walls, cooperating with side window lighting to create an immersive reading environment.

🎨

Gallery Walls

Window Gray exhibition walls in art museums maintain a neutral color presentation whether under natural or artificial lighting.

📜 Origin & History

The naming of Window Gray originates from the natural light color that windows bring into interiors. 17th-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, in 'The Milkmaid,' accurately depicted the grayish-white daylight pouring into the room from the left window pane; this soft light color was later named Window Gray.

Victorian daylight photography studios relied on north-facing skylights for illumination. Photographers found that sunlight on clear days reflected off white walls to produce a stable, light bluish-gray tone. Window Gray thus became the standard lighting reference color for 19th-century portrait photography.

Nordic modernist architecture made Window Gray a foundational interior design color. Alvar Aalto's Paimio Sanatorium used large areas of grayish-white walls to reflect the natural light from outside, allowing the limited daylight of the long Nordic winters to penetrate as deeply as possible into the interior.

In digital product design, Window Gray is used by Apple as the background color for macOS window interfaces. This light gray, simulating natural window light, gives users a sense of comfort and openness before the screen, akin to viewing the world through a window.

🧠 Color Psychology

Airy/PermeableThe natural light color filtering through glass brings a sense of spatial openness, breaking the oppressiveness of enclosed spaces.

TransitionalThe boundary color between inside and out, establishing a soft buffer zone between privacy and openness.

LuminousThe brightness of cloudy day window light is just right—not glaringly bright nor gloomily压抑 (oppressive).

QuietThe skylight color of a window seat in a library reading room, a tranquil atmosphere accompanying the sound of turning pages.

HopefulA window is a passage connecting to the outside world; Window Gray thus carries an emotional suggestion of expectation and yearning.

NeutralAn interface base color that simulates natural light without interfering with content presentation, the best backdrop for digital reading.

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