CP

Summer Color Palette — Summer Citrus

A fresh five-color summer scheme pairing zesty lemon and tangerine with clear sky blue and crisp white, every color matched to real paint you can buy.

By David Chen · Formulation Lead & Resident Chemist

Tangerine Zest
Dominant
Kompozit Cheddar Cheese · 0977
#F0843A
LRV 35
Lemon Squeeze
Secondary
Kompozit Glitter Yellow · 0835
#F8D75A
LRV 69
Pool Sky Blue
Support
Kompozit Calm Tint · 0645
#8DB1CE
LRV 42
Coconut White
Base
Kompozit Rapture's Light · 1020
#F6F3E7
LRV 89
Lime Leaf
Accent
Kompozit Glass Bottle · 0773
#93BA59
LRV 42
View palette in

Think of this one as a fruit bowl on a sunny windowsill. Tangerine Zest leads with the warmth of peeled citrus, and Lemon Squeeze brings the bright, sharp note right behind it. Together they carry the heat of a July afternoon.

To keep all that energy fresh instead of heavy, Pool Sky Blue drops in like a glass of cold water, and Coconut White spreads underneath as the calm, airy base. A little Lime Leaf at the edges adds the green snap of a garnish.

The trick is restraint. Let the white do most of the work, use the blue to cool the room, and save the tangerine and lemon for the spots you want to glow. That ratio keeps the palette feeling like summer at its best, sunny and open rather than busy.

Buy These Colors

Each color matched to the closest real paint in every brand, by ΔE2000. Kompozit first; take any SKU to the store — these mix on demand.

Tangerine Zest
#E8843C · LRV 34 · Dominant
Kompozit Cheddar Cheese · 0977 ΔE 1.54
Backdrop Rosita · BD-RO ΔE 18.7
Behr Pumpkin Toast · 270D-6 ΔE 1.08
Benjamin Moore Orange Burst · 2015-20 ΔE 3.29
Clare Fire Sign · PNT100-DP-74 ΔE 11.67
Dunn-Edwards Sweet Potato · DE5201 ΔE 3.52
Farrow & Ball India Yellow · No. 66 ΔE 13.78
Magnolia Home Vintage Crown · JG-152 ΔE 15.56
PPG / Glidden Orange Poppy · 1196-7 ΔE 3.45
Sherwin-Williams Navel · SW 6887 ΔE 1.89
Valspar Carrot Cake · 2007-3A ΔE 1.92
Lemon Squeeze
#F4D35E · LRV 67 · Secondary
Kompozit Glitter Yellow · 0835 ΔE 1.27
Backdrop Eames · BD-EA ΔE 7.94
Behr Squash Blossom · P290-5 ΔE 2.77
Benjamin Moore Majestic Yellow · 355 ΔE 2.88
Clare Golden Hour · PNT100-MD-23 ΔE 6.99
Dunn-Edwards Rubber Ducky · DE5390 ΔE 2.73
Farrow & Ball Citron · No. 74 ΔE 4.42
Magnolia Home Amber · JG-39 ΔE 5.47
PPG / Glidden Beach Party · 1211-6 ΔE 2.76
Sherwin-Williams Funky Yellow · SW 6913 ΔE 2.68
Valspar Hive Delight · V018-2 ΔE 1.71
Pool Sky Blue
#6FB6D6 · LRV 42 · Support
Kompozit Calm Tint · 0645 ΔE 6.45
Backdrop Underdog · BD-UD ΔE 11.99
Behr Ocean View · 560D-5 ΔE 2.56
Benjamin Moore Sea to Shining Sea · 789 ΔE 2.55
Clare Vacay · PNT100-LT-44 ΔE 12.58
Dunn-Edwards Sail Away · DE5836 ΔE 2.99
Farrow & Ball Lulworth Blue · No. 89 ΔE 9.43
Magnolia Home Winter Solstice · JG-89 ΔE 8.81
PPG / Glidden Harbor Sky · 1238-4 ΔE 2.26
Sherwin-Williams Regale Blue · SW 6801 ΔE 2.19
Valspar Blue Topaz · V070-4 ΔE 0.93
Coconut White
#F7F3E8 · LRV 90 · Base
Kompozit Rapture's Light · 1020 ΔE 0.75
Backdrop Tabula Rasa · BD-TR ΔE 1.02
Behr White Flour · OR-W10 ΔE 0.78
Benjamin Moore Capitol White · CW-10 ΔE 1.14
Clare Timeless · PNT100-LT-04 ΔE 1.73
Dunn-Edwards Powdered · DEW316 ΔE 1.48
Farrow & Ball Wimborne White · No. 239 ΔE 0
Magnolia Home True White · JG-21 ΔE 3.21
PPG / Glidden White Chip · 15-06 ΔE 1.38
Sherwin-Williams Roman Column · SW 7562 ΔE 1.47
Valspar Abel · 8007-8C ΔE 0.85
Lime Leaf
#8FB339 · LRV 38 · Accent
Kompozit Glass Bottle · 0773 ΔE 4.27
Backdrop Le Freak · BD-LF ΔE 18.9
Behr Agave Plant · M370-5 ΔE 5.12
Benjamin Moore Dark Lime · 2027-10 ΔE 4.96
Clare Extra Virgin · PNT100-MD-64 ΔE 14.18
Dunn-Edwards Clipped Grass · DE5552 ΔE 3.36
Farrow & Ball Yeabridge Green · No. 287 ΔE 12.85
Magnolia Home Bright Days · JG-45 ΔE 18.88
PPG / Glidden Funky Frog · 1221-7 ΔE 2.82
Sherwin-Williams Electric Lime · SW 6921 ΔE 3.66
Valspar Awakening · 6006-10C ΔE 2.74

Questions

Will tangerine and lemon together feel too loud?

Not if you give them room. Let Coconut White cover most of the surface and treat the citrus shades as bright moments. The warm white cools the whole mix down so the brights read as cheerful, not noisy.

What finish works best for these summer brights?

Go with an eggshell or satin on the citrus and blue tones. The soft sheen catches summer light the way a glossy lemon peel does, while a flat or matte white keeps the base calm behind them.

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