In this article, you will learn about Natural Tan and Accessible Beige colors including a side-by-side comparison. If you are considering either of these colors, the following information will help you make the right decision.
Natural Tan vs Accessible Beige
Shades of tan, like shades of gray, can be tricky to work with. Both Natural Tan and Accessible Beige are neutrals, but they will act differently under direct sunlight.
As the light in your space dims, these colors will act differently. These colors will also pair differently with more saturated shades; both of these can be wonderful foils for strong colors on accent walls and in upholstery fabrics.
Natural Tan
Natural Tan is slightly lighter in color than Accessible Beige. If you use this color on the majority of your walls, it will likely chalk a bit as the light fades.
When we look at the gap between red, green, and blue, the gap is much larger between green and blue than between red and green.
The base shade of Natural Tan is brown. The blue that is mixed into the brown shade makes it very friendly to green but this color stays in the warm camp.
This color will pair beautifully with warm wooden tones; cherry, red oak, and warm maple will glow against this color.
If you want the feeling of a beach house, you can revel in this brown tone. Beige tiles, brown grout, a sisal rug, and sage green cushions on a wicker chair will work beautifully with this color.
Load the windows with lots of lush green plants in terra cotta pots for a “walk on the beach” feeling.
This shade will also work beautifully with green. If you love the idea of an accent wall, consider painting your trim Alabaster and using a Billiard Green on an accent wall.
This slightly smoky green can stand alone or be a foil for a limestone fireplace wall. Since Natural Tan is friendly to warm woods and light stone or tile, you can actually use this color to create a feeling of history, even in a new house.
For example, the aforementioned Billiard Green is rich enough to be used in a Queen Anne color palette. While you may not want that shade in great quantity on the outside of your home, the combination of Natural Tan, a rich shade of green and deep rust can create that historic feel.
This is also a terrific color to use o the outside of your home. If you’re located in the desert southwest and plan to xeriscape your yard, this color will work with stones or colored mulch as long as you’re not using slate.
If you want something a bit brighter, start with Westhighland White and trim the house in Natural Tan.
Because this shade is green-friendly, you can also use this color on the exterior of a house that has a broad lawn or a nice variety of plantings. It will fade into the background as it supports the warm colors in front of it.
RGB Code: 219, 210, 196
Hex Code: #DBD2C4
Accessible Beige
The saturation of red, green in blue in Accessible Beige is a bit cooler than Natural Tan.
If you need to make a decision on just one color for all of your walls in a new house, this color is a great option.
Remember that the RGB scale goes all the way up to 255. For example, true red is 255, 0, 0 by RGB code. There’s a 25-point gap between red and blue, but the blue percentage is high enough that you can use this tan effectively with intense cool colors.
If you pair this wall color with a warm floor color such as cherry or oak, it will take on a slightly duskier cast as the blue takes on a very slight contrast. Put a rich cool color in the space, such as a navy blue rug, and these walls will warm up.
One of the nice things about an inherently warm color like brown that has a bit of coolness in the mix is that you can actually get different results as you move from room to room by changing out the contrasting colors.
A black dining table will bring out the warmth in this brown, while a shiny cherry floor will draw out a hint of gray.
You can also create wonderful contrast by adding large accent pieces or accent walls. Don’t be afraid of shades of purple when you have a shade like Accessible Beige that can work well with warm or cold.
A smoky purple accent wall in a bedroom or a study can really turn this beige from bland to lush.
Other cool blends can also work beautifully with this shade. Wine, burgundy, and charcoal gray in large chunks of color will really warm this beige up as it fights to stay warm against the cool blend.
Finally, don’t forget blue. Look for spots you can use a deep indigo or a strong cadet blue. If your walls are beige and your sofa is brown, cool things off with teal cushions or a cobalt throw.
This wall color is warm enough that it can work well with both gray and terra cotta. If you have always longed for a breezeway or a dedicated plant room, talk to your contractor about bedding proper terra cotta tiles in a concrete base and ceiling the dark gray mortar to keep it that rich charcoal gray shade.
Make sure you really love this look; taking up tile is never easy but taking up tile from a concrete bed will take a toll on your patience and your body.
Do be careful with your trim colors. If you go with a painted trim, you want the most neutral color possible to avoid creating an awkward contrast at the baseboard.
Remember that bright white always contains a touch of blue and that gloss paint will nearly always read cool. A warm wooden trim would work well with this color as long as the flooring is warm.
RGB Code: 209, 201, 184
Hex Code: #D1C9B8
Both of these tans can serve as a wonderful foil for stronger colors; just be aware that Natural Tan is firmly in the warm camp while Accessible Beige can pair better with cool colors.
If your home gets a great deal of direct light, plan on treating both of these shades as warm tones during the day.
Accessible Beige may be a slightly better shade for bedrooms that need to gray out as the sky darkens.